In this review of Universal Monsters: The Mummy #2, about a decade has passed, and the seeds of romance start to creep into Helen’s life.
Universal Monsters: The Mummy #2
Written by Faith Erin Hicks
Art and Main Cover: Faith Erin Hicks
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Variant Covers: Michael Walsh, Guillem March, Ryan Sook, Stjepan Šejić
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2025
Universal Monsters: The Mummy #2 begins in 1932, with Helen on her way to a gala. Of course, neither she nor the voice in her head are exactly enthused about going to some stuffy excuse for a party. Add to that that it’s related to the recent acquisition of the mummified remains of an Egyptian princess, and that they’re only going as a favor to Dr. Muller, and it’s clear that they’re prepared for a dull and uncomfortable time.
As they get there, we learn that Helen’s been dealing with pressure from her mother (of the “Why don’t you have a husband yet?” variety) and mockery from others her age (of the “UGH, she hears voices, stay away from her!” sort).
They head to the new exhibit, getting a good look at the face carved into the sarcophagus. Something about it feels familiar. Like it resembles them. They’re soon joined by one Frank Whemple, son of a friend of Dr. Muller’s. They discuss the merits (scientific discovery, overall learning experience) and problematic aspects (putting the remains of a dead woman on public display without her permission) of the exhibit itself. The two sort of bond a bit over how others see them as odd, her for the voice aspect and him for his love of this mummy, as she was a fascinating individual (and pretty). Their time together is disrupted by Frank’s father, coming to get him so he could meet historian Ardeth Bey.
When the party ends, Helen is more than happy to leave. She mentions having liked talking with Frank, though the voice in her head teases her a bit for this. In the museum, Bey finds the Scroll of Thoth and reads from it. Helen and the voice both hear it, both are compelled to come back to the museum, searching for Imhotep. Frank and his dad see her, try to find out what the issue is, and she collapses. Back inside of the museum, a security guard is doing his rounds, latches onto some suspicious activity in the new exhibit, and is ultimately killed by a shadowy figure.
Helen wakes at Frank’s, no memory of what had happened. Frank and his father fill her in on the parts they’d witnessed, and she goes to try and collect her thoughts. Helen remembers nothing, but the voice recalls the feeling of being loved by a man whose face she couldn’t place, but that love was strong. And there was that one male voice that could compel her and Helen (unnerving both).
They overhear a discussion between Dr. Muller and a few others about the dead guard, the Scroll, how the guy that’d triggered the curse back in ‘21 had gone mad, and the Scroll needs to be destroyed. They’re interrupted by a fire in another room, and when everyone’s dispersed, in walks Imhotep himself. He comes face to face with Helen/Ankh-Es-En-Amun, their souls recognizing one another right away.
Going into the story of Universal Monsters: The Mummy #2 first, we start getting some answers as to the voice’s past: the fact that she was both a princess and a priestess, and that her name was Ankh-Es-En-Amun. In issue 1, she and Helen didn’t even have that much. And speaking of her and Helen, it was kind of fun seeing how they relate to each other years after that initial introduction. The two have an easy rapport between them, the dialogue between the pair sounding a lot like friends/sisters. When they notice the resemblance between the face carved into the sarcophagus, the response isn’t “She looks like me”, it’s “She looks like us,” , like they’re one in the same now. But they’re still each their own person, with Helen’s interest in Frank, while Ankh-Es-En-Amun’s less than impressed.
It does make me wonder if the reunion with Imhotep would cause Ankh-Es-En-Amun to try to take the driver’s seat when it comes to Helen’s body. On the one hand, both of them are understandably scared at the thought that some mysterious voice can push them to do things they might not do otherwise. But on the other, they’ve reunited with her soulmate and the soulmate aspect can sometimes push everything else to the side.
Relationship dynamics can get a bit complicated when two of those involved are sharing a body. The owner of that body’s interested in one guy, the second soul residing inside that body has reunited with her former flame from before they both died (and he’s been undead for a good 10-11 years now). Either way, Imhotep had been trying to revive the mummy, only to find her new vessel who may not be into the idea of rekindling this relationship…things can definitely get messy from there.
On that note, love the decision to add that time jump to the early 30s. That gives the revived Imhotep a good amount of time to figure out how to fit into society without being entirely off-putting. There’s also the fact that Helen is also an adult now as opposed to being in her teens, which would take things from “romantic and creepy” to just plan creepy. The concept of a compelling voice from somewhere of unknown origin is troubling enough.
Just really looking forward to seeing how things progress, now that they’ve found each other (and we’re halfway through).
Art-wise, I loved a lot of the composition stuff this time around. The scene where Imhotep and Ankh-Es-En-Amun encounter each other works perfectly both as two individual splash pages or as a 2-page spread. And each panel brings us through the story at a nice even pace. It doesn’t move at a breakneck speed, nor does it need to. It’s the sort of horror story that burrows in rather than outright smacking you in the face, so the pace and tone are aligned well.
Final Thoughts
Love is in the air, and with it comes Imhotep and a bit of psychological horror. Universal Monsters: The Mummy #2 is a story that is moving along well, and I’m definitely ready for the next chapter.
