Each summer as a child, my family would visit the quaint and beautiful cottage of our neighbour, nestled against the bay shoreline of an expansive lake system in central Ontario, Canada.
For weeks on end, we’d wake up to the sound of loons, catch frogs among the rocks and reeds of the beach and swim in the shallows by the dock. I’ve got many wonderful memories of my time spent amongst friends and family there.
Still, as serene as that location was, childlike wonder would often (playfully) turn to thoughts of dread. We were at the cottage, after all. Far away from the hustle bustle of city life. Hungry and wayward black bears would creep along nearby trails. Wolves could be heard calling in the deep forest by moonlight.
And the lake. The lake.
The calm waters of Chandos Lake were inviting, but dark. They were full of pike and perch, large-mouth bass, trout and turtles, of course. But as I got older and as my imagination developed, that lake housed more than what boy – or man – could possibly understand.
As I confidently swam close to shore or contemplatively sat on the dock under the bright warmth of the sun, I wondered: what unknown, uncatalogued, ancient creatures could dwell deep in the rock quarries at the cold bottom of the lake? And what, I speculated, would they do to me if they decided to, finally, make their presence known?
The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954), produced by Universal Pictures, was a film that asked similar sorts of questions through a more adult lens. It was an examination between the traits and behaviours of primitive and modern man – and the secrets that history and evolution could conceal. It’s a classic film, beloved by both monster fans and cinephiles.
Last year, Universal Products and Experiences, the company that holds the IP for all of the old Universal cinematic monsters (the Creature, Dracula, the Mummy, etc.) teamed up with Skybound Entertainment to release a number of comic book titles focusing on their classic, monstrous antagonists. In partnership with Image Comics, Universal Monsters: Dracula was their first offering. We covered that release in this very column, which you can read about (or re-read) right here. Earlier this year, the companies announced another long-awaited offering with Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! Of course, Biff Bam Pop! covered that press release excitement. If you missed it, it’s right here (alongside a short teaser of the comic book).
Co-written by the acclaimed Dan Watters (Lucifer, Homesick Pilots) and Ram V (Detective Comics, Swamp Thing, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr) and moodily illustrated by Matthew Roberts (Manifest Destiny), Universal Monsters: Creature From the Black Lagoon Lives! is a direct sequel to the original black and white film.
Years after the events of The Creature From The Black Lagoon, journalist Kate Marsden is on the trail of a notorious serial killer deep in the Amazon jungle. It’s an ominous setting – a place just as mysterious and foreboding for us today as it was for our grandparents in the 1950s when the Creature film first surfaced. There, in the heart of the rainforest, Kate encounters a brand new and horrific threat – one as ancient and as beguiling as time itself!
You don’t have to be familiar with the original film to enjoy the primal fear of this tale. Make the run to your local comic book shop and pick up the horrors of the wonderful Universal Monsters: Creature From the Black Lagoon #1 today!
You can catch a famously creepy scene from the original The Creature From The Black Lagoon directly below:
