"Facing Death!" is a four-page comic that was published in the United Kingdom as part of the first issue of Indiana Jones and the Lost Treasures magazine. The writer was uncredited.
Plot summary[]
In Egypt, 1939, Indiana Jones is approached by a rival of his named Dafoe who needs Jones's help in deciphering a stone that will lead to the tomb of Pharaoh Azudab the Great. Jones agrees on the condition that half of the find will go to the museum. In addition to a map to the tomb, the stone contains a message: "Azudab's Death Mask... can lead you to the afterlife with... all the riches that follow". Jones figures that they'll need the death mask for the answer and the next day the pair are joined by Jones's father, Professor Henry, Sr, and Dafoe's hired digger, Ahmed. While Dafoe relies on Ahmed to do the work, Indiana choses to dig for himself but it is Ahmed that uncovers the entrance.
Inside, the four find that the tomb is almost empty of treasures, seemingly already stripped by grave robbers. Dafoe decides that there isn't enough to go around and chases away his hired help at gunpoint and traps Indiana and his father within the tomb. With the door unable to be opened on their side, the Joneses look for another way out but in the darkness, Henry stumbles and drops his water canteen. When he leans down to retrieve it, Henry hears the water falling a long distance and realizes that the floor beneath him must be hollow. Father and son lift up the slab and find a death mask underneath. Henry reaches for the artifact but Indiana stops him, suspicious that there's no coffin and that the mask has Ammit the Destroyer, "Eater of Hearts" on the headdress.
At that moment, Dafoe re-enters the tomb having decided it was worth sticking around after all. He grabs the mask, which releases a deadly spike that skewers him through the chest and stabs Henry Sr. Luckily for the elder Jones, his water canteen stopped the tip from hitting him but Dafoe is dead like the stone had forewarned. The Joneses consider that Ammit has claimed another heart and observe that Dafoe could have spotted the clues if his heart hadn't been eaten by greed years prior. Realizing that the riches were promised to come after the mask, Indiana checks where it had lay and finds a mask shaped hole. His father asks what Indiana can see, who looks down on a treasure trove of hidden gold buried with Azudab's sarcophagus.
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Ahmed
- Ammit (Statue)
- Azudab the Great
- Dafoe
- Henry Walton Jones, Senior
- Indiana Jones
- Osiris (Mentioned only)
Artifacts[]
- Azudab's Death Mask
Locations[]
- Egypt
- Tomb of Pharaoh Azudab
Behind the scenes[]
Facing Death! was adapted into a read-along audio adventure entitled Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Death Mask as part of the IndyCast radio drama series in 2011.
| International Indiana Jones comics | |
|---|---|
| France | |
|
Cancelled: Bedouins of the Sea | |
| United Kingdom | |
"Take Cover!" · "Olympic Ordeal!" · "Digging For Trouble" | |
| Related | |
Marvel Comics reprints · Dark Horse Comics reprints |
| ADVENTURE TIMELINE | ||
|---|---|---|
| previous | next | |
| 1939 | 1939 | 1940 |
| Indiana Jones and the Sargasso Pirates | Facing Death! | "Skull Duggery!" |