23 “Hero-Glyphics” by Josh Lane That Turn Pop Culture Into Ancient Myth

John Summers • Contributor

Dec 18, 2025 11:00 PM EST

At some point someone had the brilliant thought, what if future archaeologists dug up our pop culture the way we study ancient Egypt? And Josh Lane actually went ahead and made that idea real.

His "Hero-Glyphics" series reimagines modern heroes, villains, and iconic characters as if they were carved into temple walls thousands of years ago. Superheroes become gods. Sci-fi icons turn into sacred symbols. Entire franchises are distilled into dense, symbolic panels that look like they belong on a crumbling pyramid rather than a comic shelf.

What makes these pieces so satisfying is how much thought goes into the visual language. Lane doesn't just slap characters into an ancient style, he translates them. Powers become symbols. Relationships become patterns. Story arcs turn into repeating motifs, just like real hieroglyphs once did. Even if you don't immediately recognize every reference, your brain still reads them as myth.

There's also something quietly humbling about it. Seeing characters we treat as modern entertainment reframed as ancient legends makes you realize how myths are born. Today's superheroes aren't that different from yesterday's gods, they just wear tighter suits and have better merch.

These pieces feel clever without being smug, nostalgic without being lazy, and geeky in the most respectful way possible. They're love letters to fandom, carved in stone, metaphorically speaking.