Real Name: Raaka

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Andromidan); pre-modern era

Occupation: Investigator

Group Membership: Intergalactic Missing Persons Bureau

Affiliations: None

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Demon Mummy; King of the Mummies; Mummex (as called by Egyptians)

Base of Operations: Mobile near Cairo, Egypt; originally from the planet Andromida in the Seventh Galaxy

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#8/4 (March, 1960)

Powers/Abilities: Like others of his race, the humanoid Mummex/Raaka had immense stature and proportionately great strength, but exhibited no special powers.

He traveled through space in a gigantic spaceship (see comments) capable of intergalactic flight; to safely undergo the stress and strain of space travel, he wore the standard protective spacesuit of his people, which resembled an Earth mummy's wrappings.

Height: Unrevealed (100'; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eye: Black, with white pupils
Hair: Unrevealed

History:
(Tales to Astonish I#8/4 (fb) - BTS) - On his homeworld of Andromida, Raaka was an agent of the Intergalactic Missing Persons Bureau; he was sent to Earth to search for missing extraterrestrial spacemen. After being wrapped in the standard protective bandages so he could survive the rigors of space travel, he boarded his spaceship and took flight to Earth.

   Upon arriving on Earth in the Egyptian desert, Raaka (still wearing the protective bandages) concealed his spaceship in the sand and began his search.

(Tales to Astonish I#8/4) - Raaka began digging around tombs and pyramids, where he extracted mummy cases and examined the ancient contents, but in none of the sarcophagi did he find what he was so desperately looking for--much of Raaka's actions were witnessed by archaeologist Paul Fleming, Paul's fiancee Sara, and Sara's father. Raaka's search caused panic throughout the Egyptian desert, and the locals believed him to be Mummex, a legendary demon mummy.

With his initial search being unsuccessful, Raaka strode from the desert to Cairo, where his gigantic appearance terrified the populace. He ripped away the front of an isolated museum and reached in for the sacred relics from a bygone era, but none of those mummy cases contained what he was looking for either. Now satisfied that no missing aliens were on Earth, Raaka departed Cairo and returned to the desert. (Tales to Astonish I#8/4 - BTS) - Raaka dug his spacecraft out of the sand, then took flight. (Tales to Astonish I#8/4) - Returning home to Andromida, Raaka was met by welcoming crowds. Afterward, he reported to Intergalactic Missing Persons Bureau headquarters; as a fellow agent helped him remove the protective bandages, Raaka expressed that he would welcome the day when space-pilots wouldn't have to wear them anymore.    After all the bandages were off, Raaka informed his fellow agents that there were no stranded spacemen on Earth, and suggested searching other planets of the star system; he also reported that the only Earthlings who wore their protective space bandages were called "mummies," and of no interest to them.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Don Heck.

Raaka's spaceship was never depicted, but judging by the size of the indentation it left in the sand, it was about as long as he was tall, so it was probably just a one- or two-person vessel for Andromidans.--Ron Fredricks The oversized mummy from Mummy Lives, in Tales to Astonish I#31 and Gomdulla are other giant mummies.--Gammatotem Profile by Madison Carter. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Mummex/Raaka has no known connections to:

• "Funny Money Mummies" - counterfeiters disguised as mummies, Bob Brant foes--Man Comics#28/1
• Gomdulla - a more malevolent giant alien dressed like a mummy--Journey into Mystery I#61
• Living Mummy (N'Kantu) - current member of the Howling Commandos--Supernatural Thrillers#5
• any other characters with similar names, or any other "mummy" characters

Mummex/Raaka's homeworld of Andromida has no known connections to:

• Andromeda Galaxy - home of the Skrulls--Fantastic Four I#2
• any other planets with similar names

Paul Fleming has no known connections to:

• Henry Fleming - in love with Lydia Parker-Love Romances I#21/1
• Kyle Fleming - S.H.I.E.L.D. agent--Nick Fury/Black Widow Cyber Comic: Jungle Warfare
• Reid Fleming - milkman, visited Laughing Horse Bar--Captain America I#401
• Rhonda Fleming - aka Glorianna--Spider Man 2099 III#6
• any other characters with similar names

Paul Fleming, Sara, and Sara's father Fleming went to Egypt on an archaeological trip; he took along his fiancee Sara (last name unrevealed) and her father (name unrevealed). While in the desert, the three witnessed what appeared to be a gigantic mummy arising from the sand. They noticed that the mummy--whom the locals dubbed "Mummex"--seemed to be searching for something, and they were apparently too small to attract its attention. Mummex began digging around the tombs and pyramids, then removed and examined the sarcophagi within. When Mummex began to walk toward Cairo, Sara's father insisted that they go there to warn the citizens, because the giant mummy could destroy an entire neighborhood with its footsteps.

But when Mummex reached the city, he only went to an isolated museum and looked through some mummy cases, but didn't seem to find what he was looking for, so the giant left the city and headed back to the desert. Determined to solve the mystery of Mummex, Paul followed after the giant mummy. Just as Paul neared the area where they first saw Mummex, a sandstorm began, but Paul could faintly see the mummy dig into the shifting sands. As the storm continued to rage, Paul saw Mummex sink from view...and a few seconds later, there was a blinding white flash. Afterward, Paul made his way over to where Mummex had dug, and he could see a huge indentation in the sand--he figured that it had been made by a spaceship. When the storm ended, all trace of the imprint had been covered, and Paul realized that Mummex was not a mummy at all, but actually an alien from another world. As he returned to Cairo, Paul could only wonder why the monstrous being came to Earth, what was it searching for, and was it friendly, or an enemy of humanity...but he figured they'd never learn the answers... --Tales to Astonish I#8/4

images: (without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#8/4, p2, pan1 (main image - Mummex/Raaka)
Tales to Astonish I#8/4, p3, pan1 (headshot - Mummex/Raaka opens sarcophagus)
Tales to Astonish I#8/4, p6, pan5 (on Andromida, Raaka has protective bandages removed by fellow agent)
Tales to Astonish I#8/4, p6, pan6 (Raaka; fellow agent [foreground] )
Tales to Astonish I#8/4, p6, pan1 (indentation left by Raaka's spaceship; Paul Fleming)
Tales to Astonish I#8/4, p2, pan2 (Paul Fleming, Sara, Sara's father)
Tales to Astonish I#8/4, p5, pan2 (Paul Fleming, Sara's father, Sara)
Tales to Astonish I#8/4, p6, pan2 (after sandstorm, Paul Fleming realizes Mummex was an alien)

Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#8/4 (March, 1960) - Stan Lee (plot/editor),  Larry Lieber (script), Don Heck (pencils/inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Artie Simek (letters)

First posted: 03/08/2006
Last updated: 03/28/2024