Chris Roberson Archives | Otaku No Culture

When Dreams Becomes Horrific Nightmares in Panya: The Mummy’s Curse #2

Just what lurks in the dreams of Panya in this latest issue hints that all is not well for her!

In issue #2 of Panya: The Mummy’s Curse, we get to see how some places of worship have rebuilt themselves after Akhenaten’s rule. Now that he’s fallen, the old gods are back. As for the title character, she’s much older now, and is quite the dutiful caretaker as life is as it once was.

But her days are being tormented in gentle ways. Something is calling to her in her dreams, and while what we see is her role in the ongoing fight between Apophis and Re in their animal forms, there’s something else calling to her in the aether. Also, like the past issue, there are lots of cats! As for who the new antagonist is, it’s hard to tell. Since the heretic king is no longer present, someone else will have to get involved.

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Digging for the Truth in Panya: The Mummy’s Curse

At long last, we get to know the story of one of the Mignolaverse most enigmatic characters in Panya: The Mummy’s Curse.

Dark Horse Comics
Now Available

Panya: The Mummy’s Curse is a wonderful story that brings more of Ancient Egypt to the Mignolaverse. Not even the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra has formed. This first issue of the four-volume series has a lot of nuances nestled in every page, and for a budding Egyptologist like me, it offers everything I love about this ancient world!

While long time readers of Hellboy know of the mummified version of this character, this story is about her growth from child to sorceress. Here, the title character is thrilled to learn about the old ways, and the true gods. She loves hearing about the eternal war between Ra and Apophis. But when Akhenaten changed the rules in who to worship, anyone who speaks of them better say it in hushed tones, otherwise they’ll be recognised as heretics.

Without spoiling too much, the tale offers everything I’d want to see about this world realised in a fictional form. Between that and showing Tutankhamen got me hooked. Whether this prince has a greater role to play, I’m not sure. I’ll be picking up the next issues rather than waiting months down the road to grab the trade paperback to find out!

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The British Paranormal Society’s Dark Horse Death Defying Debut!

The British Paranormal Society is an all new comic book miniseries by Chris Roberson and Mike Mignola, and it has the makings of running like the real life Society of Paranormal Research!

Dark Horse Comics
Available in Comic Stores Near You

The British Paranormal Society is an all new comic book miniseries by Chris Roberson and Mike Mignola, and it has the makings of running like the real life Society of Paranormal Research! The introductions on how they work are very similar and we see the comparison nicely highlighted in the very first few pages.

In this debut, Simon Bruttenholm and Honora Grant are two founding members who’ve set out to investigate the strange goings on at Noxton, England. They aren’t out to find a ghostly haunting. Instead, Honora is looking into this town’s oddball traditions–perhaps on a similar trail as in The Wicker Man–and Simon is searching for his missing assistant. He was last known to have visited this town. But there’s mysterious standing stones nearby that has the man’s attention.

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Dark Horse Comics is Ready for God of War! Side Stories

Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Kratos, The God of War, is synonymous to what made playing the games for the Sony’s PlayStation 2 great. Yes, there were other games which I enjoyed since this console’s introduction–including the Final Fantasy and Wild Arms franchise–but the storyline which Sony’s Santa Monica Studio developed had me glued from the start. It sated the folklorist in me and I enjoyed how the games depicted the dangers which lay ahead, especially when the Greco-Roman gods walked amongst men.

Sometimes playing the video games is not enough, and while there was a 2010 comic book series from years ago was a mixed blessing, I find myself enjoying this new work by Dark Horse Comics more. Kratos past is behind him. He’s at peace–or so we thought….

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

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:

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