Notice that the zombie chieftain's pupils on page 2, panel 3 are
actually reflections of the oncoming train.
On page 8, Rick mentions that this land (the
Valley of Rubies in Burma) was known for its blood rubies until word
leaked and treasure hunters came in and grabbed anything they could
get their hands on. At the time of this story, he is probably
referring to pigeon's blood rubies. Nowadays the term "blood rubies"
would probably refer to those mined in Burma under slave conditions,
just has "blood diamonds" have been mined in Africa.
Though
Xango is considered the thunder god of the Yoruba religion in the
real world, the story of his queen and the ax appears to be a
construct for this
story.
The giant, man-eating plant at the end of this issue may be an
homage to Audrey II from the film and stage versions of Little
Shop of Horrors.
Back to The Mummy Episode
Studies
