A New Dawn is a story divided into three different parts, which appeared in three consecutive issues of Batman Confidential.
Issue n. 26, as with the following issues, contains numerous motifs related to Egyptomania. Clear references to ancient Egypt start from the graphic choice for the cover of this comic book which, shows a series of Egyptian-related elements. The whole left side of the image is full of references to ancient Egypt, whereas the right side recalls Gotham City, where the adventures of Batman usually take place. In the background, the silhouette of two pyramids (most likely, ideally belonging to the Giza plateau) lead the eye to numerous structures and buildings (obelisks, statues, temple-like architectures, etc.). A bright sun – another exemplary allusion to ancient Egypt – illuminates the left side of the cover, in contrast to the right side, which is dominated by darkness. An anonymous male character stands in the middle of the scene, acting as a sort of bridge between these two opposite realities. The man too is characterised by evident references to ancient Egypt: he is dressed as pharaoh, wearing the nemes, and holding the crook and flail. In addition, an emblematic catchphrase headlines: “The Curse of King Tut!”.
The symbolism of this cover references that the main antagonist of this issue (who is the same in the two following issues) is called King Tut. This, in fact, is the pseudonym used by a murderer, who commits his crimes dressed as pharaoh Tutankhamun and leaves riddles at his crime scenes (even if, as one of the characters of the story says, “Pharaohs are hardly riddle-based figures. A Sphinx would make more sense…”).
Ancient Egypt, both from the cover and the story, is clearly addressed as being linked to mystery and enigmas, but the “curse” of the title is not developed.
Egyptological references in issue 26 are strictly related to and then broaden in issues 27 and 28 of Batman Confidential.
In issue n. 27 it is revealed that the riddles left by King Tut are inspired by the Hymn to Aten. Even if they do not really belong to one of the actual prayers to this deity, this detail is quite compelling, since it reveals a deep knowledge of the Amarna Age and the years when the authentic Tutankhamun lived. In fact, during their research on the real sovereign, Batman and the Riddler (usually a nemesis but, in this case, also an assistant to the hero) notice the oddness of the situation, since, as stated by Batman, “King Tut historically was the pharaoh who ended worship of Aten”. Another noteworthy detail is given by the objects shown in the house of Victor Goodman - the figure behind King Tut. Even if those objects do not recall Tutankhamun’s burial goods - as they should, according to the story they are still remarkable: Nefertiti’s famous bust (ÄM 21300), a Predynastic vase belonging to the Cairo collection (JE 64910), and a typical Bastet statuette are just a small selection of the replicas exhibited in King Tut’s house.

The cover of issue n. 27, similar to n. 26, is characterised by Egyptological elements, as seen in the background, where a hieroglyphic text is represented together with the image of a procession in front of Osiris. The cover of issue n. 28 is, again, very much inspired by ancient Egyptian motifs. Here we see another reference to the Amarna Period, this time the background of the cover is occupied by a scene depicting Akhenaten and the royal family. In particular, this image - which here is presented as a wall relief - resembles one on a stela held at the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung in Berlin (ÄM 14145). This same scene is also represented in the comic on one of the walls of a room employed by King Tut as a sort of embalming place. These numerous references to the Amarna Age are quite remarkable and, even if not extremely accurate, nonetheless clearly express the study put into such comic books.

Of course, as in many fictional products related to ancient Egypt, in this issue as well there are hidden dangers and booby traps, but a series of historical and accurate citations (for instance, the reference to the name Tutankhamun - Tutankhaten) highlights to what extent an entertaining work can also be a well-made educational product.

Author: Valentina Santini