1970's Flashback: The Living Mummy

N'Kantu the Living Mummy first appeared in Supernatural Thrillers #5 (Aug. 1973), and was the lead feature in 10 out of 15 issues of that short-run series. He was created by Steve Gerber and Rich Buckler.

N'Kantu was born over three thousand years ago, son to Chief T'Chombi of the African tribe called the Swarili. When he turned 21 years old, N'Kantu had to endure the Test of the Lion, to prove himself worthy of being called a warrior and to eventually succeed his father as king. However, upon returning from the trial, N'Kantu discovered that his village had been ransacked and his tribe taken by Egyptians as slaves. N'Kantu fought to rescue his people, but he too was overwhelmed and captured.

The Swarili were taken to Egypt, and forced to work building monuments to the current Pharaoh, Aram-Set. Recognized as the strongest and most dangerous of the Swarili, N'Kantu was isolated and worked the hardest in an attempt to break his spirit, but at night he and the Swarili people plotted a rebellion; though unbeknownst to them their plotting was reported to Aram-Set and his chief priest, Nephrus. With the completion of the monument project, the Egyptians drove the slaves into its catacombs in preparation for their mass execution, but N'Kantu quickly signaled the revolt and the Swarili slaughtered their would-be executioners.

N'Kantu himself slew Aram-Set with a spear, and then turned to Nephrus; however the evil priest was prepared and he sprayed N'Kantu in the face with a mysterious paralyzing liquid. N'Kantu was bound onto a special altar, his body wrapped in papyrus and his blood was drained and replaced with an unknown alchemical preservative. N'Kantu, who was conscious throughout the entire ordeal, was then placed inside a stone sarcophagus

Thousands of years later, the paralyzing fluid finally wore off and N'Kantu escaped from his tomb. Deranged from being paralyzed in darkness for several millennia, he dug himself free and went on a rampage in Cairo, Egypt. He later recovered from his insanity and discovered Doctor Alexi Skarab, one of Nephrus' surviving descendants..