Warning: contains spoilers for Creatue from the Black Lagoon Lives! #1!
Image and Skybound’s new Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives perfectly brings the horror icon into the 21st century. Image and Skybound recently launched a new Universal Monsters imprint, featuring some of the venerable studio’s biggest creatures. After successfully rebooting Dracula and Frankenstein, the Gill Man gets his shot at the big time in Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives. It is one of the best horror comics of 2024.
Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives was written by Dan Watters and Ram V and drawn by Matthew Roberts. Set many years after the classic film, journalist Kate Marsden is pursuing a serial killer who has taken refuge in the jungles of South America.
Kate grapples with her own inner demons while searching for her target and deals with local superstitions that speak of a “creature” living in the water.
As Kate closes in on her prey, she learns other forces are at work, forces much older than she could imagine.
The Universal Monsters franchise is one of the most endearing in pop culture. Kicking off with 1931’s Dracula, the line would go on to include other monsters, such as the Wolfman, the Invisible Man and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, also called the Gill Man. Released in 1954, Creature from the Black Lagoon was a smash hit, spawning several sequels. It also catapulted the Gill Man, designed by Milicent Patrick, into the hearts and minds of horror fans everywhere. Image and Skybound have been reinvigorating these icons for a new era, and this is their latest triumph.
Watters, Ram V and Roberts have created a book worthy of the name Creature from the Black Lagoon. In the original movie, the Gill Man is kept off-camera for the first part, with viewers only seeing tantalizing glimpses before the monster stands revealed. The creative team of Lives has taken a similar approach. The Gill Man is hardly present in the first issue, only alluded to in folklore and stories. The original movie was ahead of its time in how it handled women characters, and the creative team keeps this going by centering the action on Kate Marsden.
The Gill Man is a tragic figure in pop culture. A holdover from another era, he simply wants to be left alone, but humans will not grant him this wish. The Gill Man is misunderstood, like most monsters are. Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives #1 continues this theme. Gill Man is hardly the scariest character in the book. The serial killer Kate is chasing is a far bigger threat, as seen when he actually catches up with her at the end. Only one issue in the series promises a grand reinvention of this horror icon.
Creature From the Black Lagoon #1 is on sale now from Image Comics!