Tag Archives: Ancient Egypt

What’s Next after Rasputin, Voice of the Dragon #5?

8 Mar

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Dark Horse Comics’ Rasputin, The Voice of the Dragon is a fantastic read. If I had to make comparisons, this work takes cues from Young Sherlock Holmes. I spoke with Chris Roberson during Emerald City Comic-Con 2018 and he said this mad monk is not even at full power. More stories are planned.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and co-writer Roberson are a great team to extend this universe in new ways I highly approve of. They brought everything I adore about Ancient Egypt as a mystery religion in a post-Victorian age to life. The art by Christopher Mitten is consistency fantastic and the color tones by Dave Stewart gives this work a look of early cinema.

This latest issue takes on a vibe from Raiders of the Lost Ark and I love it! Trevor Bruttenholm is literally putting his head in the mouth of the lion. After figuring out who Albert Mayhew is and ascertaining his afterlife, his ghost leads him to France. The following spoilers recap the story so far:

Continue reading →

Advertisements

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Rocket Robinson and the Pharaoh’s Fortune Resurfaces at Dark Horse Comics!

8 Nov

unnamed

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

For readers who have not met this daring hero yet, Dark Horse Comics is thrilled to bring writer and artist Sean O’Neill’s graphic novel adventure for kids, Rocket Robinson and the Pharaoh’s Fortune, back into print! Successfully funded as a Kickstarter in 2013, Rocket Robinson is described as Indiana Jones meets Tintin and offers action-packed historical fiction perfect for middle-grade readers.

For this older reader who loves anything to do with depictions of Ancient Egypt, I’m certainly going to buy this title. Trying to be aware of every release using this backdrop is tough and the news released today is particularly thrilling. Material can get buried in a short amount of time in book shops, and I’m glad some treasures are worth unearthing to shine again.
Continue reading →

Tags: , , ,

Could the Gods and Monsters in The Mummy Want Their Humanity Back? An Analysis

12 Jun

mummyposterBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Whoever wanted to revitalize Universal Studio’s vast catalogue of monsters into a new Dark Universe needs a lesson in understanding what made their golden era great. In the 40’s, the studio executives simply wanted to combine terror and comedy to reinvigorate box office sales, especially in-between or following a World War. The scares are delightful in Dracula (1931) and the laughs were genuine in Abbott and Costello meets Frankenstein (1948). I feel these two are milestones of an impressive and unintended plan to unite properties.

The whole notion to have a host of these beasts meeting or allying was never considered during these early days. What happened back then was more like a happy accident. Also, the latter film was assembled due to this studio suddenly owning the contracts of these comedians after they merged with International Pictures and producer Robert Arthur suggested pairing the boys with Frankenstein’s monster.

Fast forward to now, the intention to craft a shared world to compete with other studios (namely Marvel Entertainment’s) than to find effective pairings of star power with a property is questionable. Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise are neither exactly huge draws in every world-wide market. When considering the types of roles that earned them their best reputation, Depp can play a terrific smarmy pirate and Cruise that action-hero super-spy.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , ,

Resurrecting Familiar Tropes in The Mummy (2017) Second Trailer

13 Apr

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

After looking at the second The Mummy trailer multiple times in the past few weeks since its release, I still can not shake the feeling I have seen this story before. I’m not as excited as the first trailer has led me to believe.

While I plan to see how this reboot helmed by director Alex Kurtzman and written by Jon Spaihts and Christopher McQuarrie pans out, I am setting the bar low because of what I have seen in past and present products about bringing dead Egyptians back to life. King Tut must be rolling in his grave; A film about his haunted tomb sounds like a better idea than where the creators are going with this film. At the same time, I’m left wondering if all the studio producers wanted is to take the best from what Stephen Sommers created from his trilogy and make simple creative changes to make this reboot seem original. After reading the fourth issue of Hammer Comic’s The Mummy, I’m finding I’m liking their story better. At least cults and hungry devourers from the afterlife are involved than a secret agenda which Dr Jekyll (played by Russell Crowe) no doubt harbours.

Much like Rick O’Connell, Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is a soldier fighting in a war, and after a building gets blown up, he stumbles across a tomb (actually, a prison) which he makes the mistake of disturbing. He may also have a past that connects him to the Mummy (Sofia Boutella). Jenny (Annabelle Wallis) is just as smart as Evie and has knowledge of Ancient Egypt’s lines of pharaonic successors. As revealed in the first trailer, birds come crashing upon the transport plane carrying the sarcophagus, and as for whether the corpse was awake to summon them, that’s a detail not revealed. Maybe someone has read from a book to awaken The Mummy and to cause the carrier to crash. Everyone should be dead, except for Morton, and Jenny provides all the back story that’s needed to get people interested in this film up to speed.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , ,