The third and final issue of Moon Maid: Catacombs of the Moon sees Nah-Ee-Lah finally reaching the surface of Vah-nah (the interior of Earth’s Moon) and encountering a friendly tribe of primate-like beings called the Aa-Gas. The Aa-Gas listen to Nah-Ee-Lah’s plight against the nefarious Kalkars, savage human barbarians. The Kalkars continue to torture Nah-Ee-Lah’s protector, Pal-Dan, in the hopes of learning of her whereabouts in order for them to conquer her hidden kingdom of Laythe. The Aa-Gas agree to help Nah-Ee-Lah, and, together, they assault the Kalkars, hoping to vanquish them once and for all.

By this point in Nah-Ee-Lah’s journey, she’s transformed into a vastly different protagonist. Initially depicted in a cliched fashioned as a sheltered princess, Catacombs of the Moon sees Nah-Ee-Lah grow into a formidable warrior, even showing her being proficient with a spear as she fends of giant monsters and combating the brutish Kalkars. The whole miniseries displays a reversal of the classic pulp damsel-in-distress trope, as it is Nah-Ee-Lah’s muscular protector Pal-Dan who is whipped and tortured and must rescued by the lithe Nah-Ee-Lah.

The art in this issue of Catacombs of the Moon is more interesting than the prior issue, since the action has moved above ground, where there is much more variety in the way of objects, places, and people being depicted. The ruins and the jungle setting in Moon Maid pays homage to Burroughs’ Tarzan series, an additional delight to see depicted. The character themselves are detailed and emotive, with most of the attention being focused on Nah-Ee-Lah.

While issue three concludes the Catacombs of the Moon miniseries, it is certainly not the end of Nah-Ee-Lah’s adventures as she treks her way back home. With the advent of the new Edgar Rice Burroughs universe, it would be stellar to see Nah-Ee-Lah’s odyssey incorporated into the grand, new narrative that is being launched.

Creative Team: Christopher Mills (writer), Gabriel Rearte (artist), Beezzz Studios (colors), Natalie Jane (letterer), Larry Watts and Periya Pillai (cover artist),
Publisher: American Mythology
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