In the next, thrilling episode of Bettie Page: The Alien Agenda #2, we have the intrepid Bettie and her fellow adventurers venturing into the mysterious pyramid to find clues to the alien mystery! The variant cover by interior artist, Celor, has a soaked Bettie Page standing in a greenish, pool like a trap. The issue is written by Ani-Mia who is also the cosplay model of the variant cover. It opens at the “Saqqara Necropolis, Egypt” with the landing of the helicopter. The ride has disoriented code-breaker, Young-Ja Kim, as Bettie, in a red dress, and the archeologist Sofia see her exit the helicopter. I like that the new adventurer, Young-Ja, is not ready for the helicopter trip. Bettie helps her take a breath to calm herself. Sofia points the way to find the group they are going to meet at the Pyramid of Djoser.
They finally reach the group of three men; Reynolds, the guide, and Ahmed and Karim, who will protect them.Young-Ja jokes that the protection is from mummies and Reynolds explains it is for snakes and tomb robbers! Bettie asks him if he searched for symbols that they discovered. The panel has most of the pyramid with the back of Bettie’s head and part of Reynold’s face? Bettie notes that they may be looking for another entrance. Sofia brings up that they rest up and try looking for the entrance in the morning. Bettie agrees and they see that Young-Ja needs the rest as she is lying against the pyramid. We see “Saqqara, 2611 BCE”, the pyramid at night. The BCE (Before the Common Era) is the modern, non-religious dating system since the earlier BC was not a reliable form. We focus on tilted shot of a door at the pyramid, very cinematic, to a closeup of a gold keyhole in a stone.
A dagger is plunged by an unknown person into the keyhole and turned before a stone covers it. Bettie is startled awake and realizes she has found the way into the pyramid! She is uncertain if she discovered it in a dream or something else. A transmission or telepathic message from the aliens? She looks for an appropriate outfit and then later we Bettie in white shirt, red scarf, and shorts. In a way, this reminds me of Kay Alridge in the 1942 serial, Perils of Nyoka! She is in a hurry to reach the pyramid, Young-Ja, now recovered wanted to start on her breakfast muffin, funny! Bettie points out she saw the entrance up the steps of the pyramid. Reynolds and his group have a ladder to help them up. The reader has to notice Young-Ja climbing the ladder at the corner of the panel. Bettie senses the correct stone that hides the keyhole. Reynolds and his collegue use knives to remove the stone.
A closeup reveals the dagger in the keyhole! She turns the dagger and opens the passage inside. It is a dark passageway and Bettie brings the dagger. Next, we get a two page large panel that has all of the characters enter with the guards using flashlights, this is an interesting panel with the reader’s eye panning across like a movie camera. Sofia gives some short background that the Pyramid of Djosier was designed by Imotep, the character played by Arnold Vosloo in The Mummy (1999)! She continues saying that there were names of rulers and Young-Ja asks if it is all connected. The shoe of one of the assistants acviates a panel. We she flames reflected in Bettie’s eyes, nice effect! This is activation of torches along the hall. Young-Ja reads on the heiroglyphs on the wall, “Enter as a friend.” They walk down a spiral staircase. Young-Ja leaps on a rope over a pit of spikes and snakes, “Why did have to be snakes?”, very Indiana Jones.
Bettie leaps past spears from a trap, also out of pulp adventures! They reach a barred cell that has a chest of gold, on a table is a gold scale with a globe holding an unknown, purple flower. Bettie is surprised that the flower is still living. Sofia works out that a vial at the end of the scale will drop on the globe. Young-Ja works out that the hieroglyphics read something about “The Eternal Flower.” A connection to the aliens? Sofia rationalizes that the flower has a geometeric pattern that has been found in world cultures. Bettie says that should just ove on, but she turns to wonder about Reynolds. He is back in the room reaching for a key on the other side of the scale. “He chose…poorly.” The others encounter lightning that activates a mummy with red eyes. A robot? Bettie figures out to give it the dagger and this reveals a clue that leads to Greece! Bettie Page: The Alien Agenda #2 has some fun, pulp-style adventure and clues leading to more world traveling to find the alien stockpile!
Five Flying Saucers out of Five!
#BettiePageTheAlienAgenda, #AniMia, #Celor, #PyramidOfDjoser, #Reynolds, #Ahmed, #Karim, #Imotep
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