The Pack: A New Comic Set in Ancient Egypt

Writer and Artist: Paul Louise-Julie/ Midas Monkee I’m the resident fan of all things Egyptian around here, so I about threw elbows to get this assignment — reviewing a new comic by a Black creator set in a mythical Egypt. Paul Louise-Julie is the creator, writer, and artist and The Pack is his first comic. He has planned a full 5-issue arc and an even more ambitious long-term plan to do similar arcs for several other North African civilizations. Judging from this one, each of them could be well worth the download. For starters, the art in this comic is AMAZING. I mean absolutely breathtaking.

Every thing, from small frames to large-scale stills, are done in a unique painterly style that makes this comic stand out. The ideal of comics is that they are both visual and verbal and The Pack shows you what happens when both of those things work in perfect harmony. The author even goes to the extent of using Egyptian hieroglyphics in some speech bubbles to signify that the speaker is using a different language. It is a nice touch, adding variety and authenticity to the page. It really does feel like an Ancient Egyptian tale, pulled right off the side of a temple wall.  Beyond the visuals, the story is very straightforward. Two Nubian brothers, Khenti and Nekhet, are slave assassins in the employ of Pharaoh Akhenon, the pharaoh of the Northern kingdom. They are on assignment to kill Pharaoh Seti of the Southern kingdom, but really all Nekhet wants to do is escape back to Nubi…