Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! #3: Monsters All Around

Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! #3 picks up after another near death experience at the hands of the mysterious creature and the less mysterious serial killer, Collier. Kate is pushed further into madness, readily accepting the existence of the creature while refusing to give any credence to the fact that it is any more dangerous than Collier himself. As the manhunt continues, the line between fictional and real monsters begins to blur, as Collier reveals the true reason he is visiting the Black Lagoon in the first place.

Following the previous book in this line of Universal Monster revivals, Universal Monsters: Dracula, was a tall order, considering how well received and dramatically unique that series was. Ironically, this is where the film series revival failed, displaying a lack of creativity and bringing nothing new to the game. Nonetheless, Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! exceeds in every aspect it is up against, showing how great these classic stories can be when given to the correct creative team. Ram V and Dan Watters are killing it in their own series outside of here, and together, they are a force to be reckoned with. The previous issue saw the narration of how drowning can make one evolve into madness juxtaposed with an actual monster tearing through a group of people. Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! #3 sees that evolve further, with Kate acknowledging the real life effects of what she has gone through, refusing to accept that it will hold her back. This is an example of someone growing from their trauma, introducing a quasi revenge tale that borders on melodrama as Kate starts to see fiction and reality coalesce.

The ending of this issue has to be one of the most shocking reveals of the year, and makes the conclusion just that much more hard to wait for. Free of any dramatic fights to the death or nuanced stakes, Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! #3 continues the series tradition of delivering an honest and well told story that is as thought provoking as it is a blast to read.

Much of the enjoyment reading this issue comes from Matthew Roberts’ amazing pencils and Dave Stewart’s great colors. There is so much detail put into the smallest things, especially as the characters traverse the titular lagoon in search of these monsters. The claustrophobic feel of the nature, including the bushes, trees, and lagoon itself really helps add to the tension of the narrative, making it easy to fall for the drama as it unfolds on the page.