Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives #3 Review

 

Writers: Dan Watters & Ram V

Artist: Matthew Roberts

Colorist: Trish Mulvihill

Letterer: DC Hopkins

Cover Artists: Matthew Roberts & Dave Stewart; Julian Totino-Tedesco; Dani & Brad Simpson; Anwita Citriya; David Talaski

Publisher: Image

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 26, 2024

 

Darwin Collier tried to kill Kate Marsden. Haunted by her brush with death, the journalist pursued the former Marine from her home in the United States to a remote village in Peru. Kate reports on what she can prove. So when fishermen pull drowning victims from the Amazon, Kate dismisses talk of a local legend. Likewise, she ignores the carved wooden images of the Creature in a vendor's stall. But then the Creature saves her from drowning. When Kate ventures into the jungle to apprehend Collier, the Creature saves her again. Or at least, so she remembers. What drives Kate and those involved in her quest? Let's grab our knives and rifles, leap into Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives #3, and find out!

 

Story

Collier victimized Kate. He tried to drown her in the Hudson River. She told herself she wanted justice. But the stark reality of life in the jungle leaves its mark on her. Now, she doesn't care about dragging Collier back to the United States and testifying against him in court. She just wants to kill him. The Creature may have helped her. But in Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives #3, Kate's through being a victim. She's willing to become a monster to kill another. If the Creature can help her accomplish that, all the better!

 

The Creature victimized Dr Edwin Thompson. One swipe of its claws left Edwin disfigured. For thirty years, he’s endured people’s reactions to his appearance. The severed nerves in Edwin's face impinge on his sleep. So he fled civilization and took up the cause of his friend Dr Carl Maia. But if his mission is to understand how life evolved from the ocean to land, why is he fixated on this Creature?

 

Civilization victimized Christiano’s family. When they fell on the wrong side of the political jungle, his family fled the We’re Right And The Other Party Is Wrong crowd to live with the indigenous people of Peru. Like the fires that rise when loggers cut down trees and burn foliage to create grazing land, malaria burned through Christiano in his youth. He may not have a wooden idol of the Creature in his room at Dr Edwin Thompson's house, but he revels in the mysterious nature of the jungle and reveres the Creature as its guardian spirit.

 

Civilization victimized Darwin Collier. The Marine Corps unleashed an unquenchable thirst for violence. When they threw him out, he couldn’t adjust to civilian life. After Collier fled the United States to share his Marine Corps skills with others, his drug trafficking employers abandoned him when his hunger for death resurfaced. As he hides from civilization and those who wish to kill him, Collier finds a new purpose in Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives #3.

 

 

Art

Kate swims in the river near Edwin's home. She doesn't know how much of what she's seen is real or imagined. The ripples in the water evoke the Creature's green, scaly hide. Yet the netting Christiano laid on the ground galvanizes her. She slices off a portion and hurls it onto Edwin’s desk. That evening, as Kate sits on the roof and watches the flames leaping above the trees, Christiano’s gaze drifts to her cigarette and the fire ravaging the packed tobacco. As Kate and Christiano share their near-death experiences, faces dance with skulls in the raging flames.

 

Trish Mulvihill lavishes a loaded palette on Matthew Roberts' relatable characters, drama-fueled encounters, and the explosive finale in Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives #3. Light spears the muggy jungle, casting leafy shadows upon Kate’s head and shoulders. The vibrant green forest contrasts with the calming beige and tan in Edwin’s home. Still, he tames the Creature by sketching it in black and white. The yellow and orange fires reflect off rivers and streams while orange and mauve spirits invade the purple skies.

 

DC Hopkins carves uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. The font grows bold for intonation, swells for elevated voices, and never shrinks. Sound effects help us hear a knife thrust and a gunshot. Yet an enlarged final sentence may shock readers most in Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives #3. Thanks to Universal Studios, Skybound, and Image Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

In Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives #3, Dan Watters and Ram V pit the people who inhabit nature with those who violate it to enhance their status in civilization. The jungle of Peru becomes a battleground between those who burn for revenge and those who seek to become something more.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Creepshow TP Vol 1 Review Part 2

 

Creepshow Volume 1 Review

Writers: Chris Burnham, Paul Dini, Steve Langford, David Lapham, Maria Lapham, Steve Foxe, L Marlow Francavilla, Francesco Francavilla, Ariela Kristantina, Kyle Starks, Henry Barajas, Steve Orlando, Clay McLeod Chapman

Artists: John McCrea, David Lapham, Erica Henderson, Francesco Francavilla, Jorge Corona, Fran Galán, Dani, Marianna Ignazzi, Anwita Citriya

Colorists: Adriano Lucas, Mike Spicer, Trish Mulvihill, John Francois Beaulieu, Brad Simpson, Fabiana Mascolo, Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Chris Burnham & Adriano Lucas

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $14.99

Release Date: March 22, 2023

 

The Bridge

Writer: Ariela Kristantina

Artist: Jorge Corona

Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu

 

When Alexis visits a Malaysian island with her friends, her boyfriend breaks off their relationship via cell phone. Incensed, she doesn't wait for her friend to translate their guide's warning. She crosses a bridge and discovers an ancient temple surrounded by Banyan trees. Her friend translates the caretaker's warning, but Alexis storms past him too. What she finds inside the temple will haunt her forever. I like how Alexis’ fixation on social media blinds her to reality. Jorge Corona’s art and Jean-Francois Beaulieu’s soft, appealing colors conjure an exotic landscape reminiscent of 1974’s The Man With The Golden Gun and The Phantom movie of 1996. Fans of Clive Barker's stories, and European comics like Leo’s Aldébaran and Christin and Mézières’ Valerian and Laureline series, should check this one out.

 

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

Writer: Kyle Starks

Artist: Fran Galán

 

A yellow-orange glow suffuses panels as Nancy remembers exploring the woods with her childhood friends. They find bodies drained of blood, but no one heeds their warnings. So, the kids decide to clear out the local vampire nest. The art and limited color palette give this story an all-ages appeal. While I missed the story's logic, I enjoyed the meditations on adulthood and giving into fear. Mix Stand By Me, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, garnish with Night of the Living Dead and serve.

 

La Mascara Del La Muerte

Writer: Henry Barajas

Artist: Dani

Colorist: Brad Simpson

 

When rising star Lupe Lopez loses a Luche Libre bout, she steals her father’s mask from her grandma and returns to the ring. Too late, she discovers it retains the same power that ended her father's career. Dani’s blotchy, smudgy style art suggests backgrounds. Characters and proportions sometimes look out of skew. It’s almost as if she draws the negative spaces rather than the positive ones. Simpson's vibrant coloring gives her intriguing style energy and a heightened sense of reality. Sadly, this story in Creepshow Volume 1 seemed familiar and predictable. Still, Venom and Carnage fans will like how the mask manifests its power.

 

 

Thirst Trap

Writer: Steve Orlando

Artist: Marianna Ignazzi

Colorist: Fabiana Mascolo

 

Parker does a deal with a demon. In return for taking regular selfies with his cell phone, he gets his youth back and doesn’t age. But what happens if he loses his phone? Ignazzi’s art gives this story scope and Mascolo’s coloring atmosphere. Still, the scene that tripped me up only had limited coloring. I had to flip back and forth several times to understand Steve Orlando's story better and find clues as to who did what and when. Still, aspects of the story spoke to me, and I liked most of the art.

 

Husk

Writer: Clay McLeod Chapman

Artist: Anwita Citriya

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

 

Sally’s parents value traditional Southern heritage in their lavish plantation home. Her mother trains her in etiquette, dancing, and deportment. Yet, as her rite of passage nears, Sally believes she doesn't belong. The art ranges from adequate to impressive. Bellaire's limited coloring schemes changed with each panel. Citriya hints at Sally’s struggle for identity with her bedroom decor, while other panels hint at her origin. Still, I needed more backstory to prepare me for the shocking reveal at the debutante ball. As exciting as it is, the revelation lacked emotional resonance.

 

Final Thoughts

Like a candy haul after a long night’s Trick Or Treating, Creepshow Volume 1 is a mixed bag of scary sweets. Some stories I’d happily give away. Others I will treasure. My favorites were The Gorgahmorahh Tree, Creator’s Rites, and The Bridge. You'll discover your favorites when you delve into this horror anthology.

 

Rating 8/10

 

To preview interior art from the story Take One, and see more cover art, see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.