Panya: The Mummy’s Curse #1 // Review
Over 3000 years ago, there was this guy. He was royalty at a time when royalty meant divinity. He mentioned to everyone that, contrary to popular polytheistic tradition, there was really only one god, and he was equal to him. It always sounded like a fascinating point in ancient Egyptian history that hasn’t been explored a whole lot in popular fiction. Writers Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson rectify this a bit with the first issue of Panya: The Mummy’s Curse. A new series set in ancient Egypt emerges onto the page courtesy of artist Christopher Mitten and colorist Michelle Madsen. It’s an interesting opening to a new series.
Panya doesn’t really know if the king actually talks to the sun. Maybe he’s just making up stories. She’s wise to know that the only one she can confide in with this information is an adorable little black cat. There’s a certain amount of wisdom in the girl’s decisions, but there is ALSO a certain amount of wisdom visited upon her by prophetic visions, which may yet lead her into trouble and adventure that could place her at odds with one of the single most consequential eras in all of ancient Egypt.
Mignola and Roberson do a very clever job of establishing the story's place in history and introducing the readers to the title character. Scenes move briskly from one location to the next. There is a steady increase in tensions over the course of the issue that result in the big climax at the end of it. It's a pretty ominous ending. Mignola and Roberson make sure that there is a steady lead in to that big climax. It's a well crafted-story, but it might lack a certain amount of vision. The central themes of the series echo ideas that have been reverberating through popular fiction forever.
Mignola and Roberson may not be offering much that is truly new in the way of a story, but the artwork feels suitably impressive in places. Mitten and Madsen do some beautiful architectural work and backgrounds for establishing shots. The culture of ancient Egypt feels pretty solidly delivered, and there is very practical-looking clothing even on those that are royalty. The art team's greatest accomplishment is its rendering of the title character. Her face delivers a complicated range of emotions as she deals with coming of age in a tumultuous time in her nation.
As delicately as the creative team on the book moves the action along, that final scene is a little more intense than much of the rest of the book. They were wise to slowly lead into it. However, that sudden burst of energy at the end of the issue feels like a bit of a jarring contrast to the more intimate, intricate, and emotionally dramatic nuances that lead to that final scene. The delicate balance between earthbound drama and the world of magic and fantasy needs to be well-defined if the series is going to live up to its potential.
