| Isis | |
|---|---|
 First appearance | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Image Comics TidalWave Productions Devil's Due Digital Alias Enterprises |
| First appearance | Image Introduces: The Legend of Isis #1 (Feb.2002) |
| Created by | Darren G. Davis |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Jessica Eisen |
| Team affiliations | The Odyssey |
| Abilities | Enhanced strength, flight and energy manipulation, all derived from the Staff ofLuxor; trained combat warrior |
Isis is anAmerican comic book character based onthe goddess of the same name fromAncient Egyptian religion. Originally published byImage Comics, she has since been moved to her creatorDarren G. Davis's publication ofTidalWave Productions (formerlyBluewater Productions).
Originally published in February2002 in aone-shot issue by Image Comics, Isis later appeared inThe 10th Muse #10 andThe Odyssey #1, both by Tidal Wave Studios and Avatar Press. In2005 Isis would return in her own ongoing, monthly series,The Legend of Isis atAlias Enterprises by creator Darren G. Davis and writer Ryan Scott Ottney, before the last move to TidalWave.
Although some artistic depictions of the character, such as that shown in the comic illustration at right, make her resemble theDC Comics superhero and TV character of the same name, the Image/TidalWave version has no connection.
Once a powerful warrior inAncient Egypt, Isis fought in honorable battle with her sister,Nephtys. The victor of the battle would be wed toOsiris and welcomed into theEgyptianpantheon as its Queen Goddess. Isis defeated her sister, but spared her life. Nephtys and her brotherSet, the advisor to the throne, devised an evil spell that cast Isis 5,000 years into the future and erased her from everyone's thoughts and minds.[1]
Isis arrives in modern dayLos Angeles,California and quickly draws the attention of the local police. Officer Scott Dean, feeling sorry for her, takes her into his care. Isis realizes that she has been erased from history, and Nephtys now sits next to Osiris inEgyptian mythology. She finds the Staff ofLuxor at a local museum, and says that it was pulling her to it. Once Isis is near this staff, she is empowered with great abilities by the spirit of Osiris, who now channels his power through the staff and into her hands. The staff also enables her with complete fluency in English, but touching the Staff also awakens the spirit of Set, who is now an evil demi-god. Set has come back to destroy Isis so that he may complete his agreement with the Goddess Nephtys and be granted the full power of the God of Chaos and rule the world.[1]
Scott, with the help of Crystal Van Howe (Scott's girlfriend), create a new identity for Isis to live in the modern world, and name her Jessica Eisen. "Jessica" takes on a job at a museum of Egyptian artifacts.[2]
Osiris was much in love with the warrior Isis in his time, but an evil spell cast upon him by his advisor, Set, caused him and everyone else to forget that Isis ever existed as they cast her far into the future. Without remembering Isis, Osiris wed her sister, Nephtys, instead. Years later Nepytys and Set would devise a plot to kill Osiris, giving all power of Egypt to Nephtys. As Set carried out their plan, he told Osiris what they had done to Isis. In this moment, the spell over Osiris was lifted and he remembered everything. He used his last, dying breath to enchant the Staff ofLuxor with the power of his spirit.
With his power contained within, the staff would seek out Isis wherever she may be, so that the two could be together someday and use this power to destroy the evil that tore them apart.
Jessica Eisen is the name chosen by Scott Dean for the Egyptian GoddessIsis to adopt while living in modern time, named after Scott's mother. Jessica lives a quiet life inLos Angeles,California, where she works in a museum tending to many ancient artifacts from around the globe. Her specialty is, of course, Egyptian culture.
In 2004The Legend of Isis was optioned for a major motion picture byParamount Pictures andGrammnet Productions, with screenwriter Ali Russell.[3] No progress of the adaptation was made and the rights lapsed.