The first issue of Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera delivered both a unique update to the classic story, transforming it into a murder mystery while also featuring some of the most gorgeous artwork I’ve seen in a comic book this year. I’m happy to report that Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera #2 continues this approach, especially when it comes to the art by Martin Simmonds. Nearly every page looks like a living painting, allowing readers to get lost in the imagery.
Perhaps the most striking image comes early in the issue, with a two-page spread showing the whole of Paris. In the upper-left half is the Phantom himself, and, thanks to Simmonds, it looks like his cape is engulfing the City of Lights, drowning it in shadows. It’s an image that’s equal parts disturbing and mesmerizing, and it doesn’t stop there. Once Christine Daae descends into the bottom of the theater, she’s surrounded by what appears to be a collection of lights but are really the eyes of hundreds of lights. When the Phantom commits another murder, a white rose falls with his victim, snowy petals mixed with bright red drops of blood.
The Phantom also gets a bigger focus in this issue, looking every bit the specter he professes himself to be. Whenever he enters the room, his cloak seems to swallow all the light, save for his ghostly white mask, which has an eerie hue. His word balloons are no different; ghostly white letters are layered over jet-black backgrounds, making it feel like a ghost is speaking. Out of all the Universal Monsters, the Phantom might be the most unsettling due to how he flits in and out of the scenery. You never know where he is, or where he might strike next.
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Even more frightening than the Phantom’s appearances and disappearances is his obsession with Christine, and Tyler Boss starts to show how that obsession is all-consuming. In a scene where Christine reveals that Inspector Raoul Dubert will be attending her latest performance, the Phantom grows cold and dismisses her. Later, when he learns another opera member sabotaged Christine’s performance, he visits unholy retribution upon her. Boss makes no bones about showing how the Phantom’s obsession is a deadly thing, but it also ties into a scene that takes place early in the issue.
That scene features Christine walking home, only someone is walking behind her. The scene is tense: heavy breathing, even heavier footsteps, and a figure wrapped in shadow. At first, it’s implied to be the Phantom, but it’s only a person who wanted Christine’s autograph. In one single scene, Boss shows the dangers of fame and how some things rarely change over time. That extends to the backstabbing, metaphorical and literal, that goes on in the opera. Some people will go over the top to make sure they succeed, while others will seemingly do anything to protect their “favorites.”
Universal Monsters: Phantom of the Opera #2 continues its mix of gloriously gothic imagery and murder mystery, while also exploring the pitfalls of fame. Now that the series has hit its halfway point, it looks like Boss and Simmonds will continue to enchant readers right until the curtain drops – and I’ll be seated for all of it.
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