Frankenstein

Through the twenty-seven pages of “Joe Frankenstein” #1, co-creators Graham Nolan and Chuck Dixon introduce readers to a super laidback version of Frankenstein’s monster and a down-on-his-luck teen complete with an adolescent attitude and built-in snarkiness. The update primes the legend of Frankenstein for a leap to the screen — big or small — by tying the story of the world’s most famous monster to a relatable youth. Dixon and Nolan combine to deliver a readable, believable situation that brushes up against the unknown. Using a basic Crayola box of eight colors as a basis for the atmosphere and temperature of the issue, colorist Gregory Wright pitches in variations with deep red-oranges and shades of blue pervading throughout the issue. Set in Buffalo, New York in the winter and featuring a re-animated patchwork corpse, the blues make plenty of sense and set the temperature of this comic to cool. The non-human inhabitants bring along a hefty swath of green hues as befits monsters

In “Frankenstein Underground” #1, writer Mike Mignola and artist Ben Stenbeck introduce the readers to the Frankenstein monster in Mexico in 1956. The patchwork monstrosity happens across an elderly woman in a temple and collapses under the duress of gunshot wounds. The elderly woman serves as a McGuffin, healing the monster and encouraging him to share a quick recap of his perils and plights. Three pages of flashback panels bring Mignola’s story back to the present day where readers learn they are not the only ones watching these events transpire. The Marquis Adoet de Fabre makes an appearance and dispatches a servant to retrieve the monster. His servant, Iblifika, serves as another plot device, giving Mignola ample opportunity to finish the expository bits in “Frankenstein Underground” #1 without heavy-handedly stacking story beats on top of one another. The flashbacks and the Marquis’ machinations provide plenty of opportunity for action and excitement in this tale, as nothing g

From its setting to its storylines, “Madame Frankenstein” shows a real knack for adding layers and complications — to everything except its title monster. Though the combination of fairies, family drama and mad science is developing into an interesting world, the recently resurrected Courtney still shows a disturbing lack of agency. While on some level I understand that her treatment is supposed to bother the reader, she’ll need to show at least a glimmer of self-awareness for the story to get moving. I’ll start with the good: “Madame Frankenstein” has taken a unique blend of elements and made a many-angled, multilayered plot out of a straightforward Frankenstein story. Jamie S. Rich has crammed a whole lot of character development and backstory into only three issues, and he has a beautiful ear for vintage dialogue that doesn’t sound hokey. Getting to see past Courtney in this issue was a treat. With her snappy lines and command of a room, it was easy to understand how Vincent and

Jamie S. Rich and Megan Levens’ “Madame Frankenstein” #2 finds Courtney/Gail being educated (and physically repaired) by an emotionally damaged and drug addicted Vincent. Events that began badly are poised to end even worse thanks to the emotional abuse Vincent is both deliberately and inadvertently heaping onto Gail. The best thing Rich has going on for “Madame Frankenstein” is the way it feels like he mixes ideas together to create something with a bit more nuance and intrigue than just a typical Frankenstein-based tale. The book feels as much like “The Great Gatsby” as it does “Frankenstein” with its period setting and central female character that men project all their own emotions and desires onto. However, Rich has also weaved in an element of magic and real history through his use of The Cottingley Fairies myth. In 1920, the world was debating the existence of fairies thanks to two young girls that reported seeing them and offered up photograph evidence, which was later debun

Twelve issues after their first encounter, Batman and Frankenstein come back together, this time on the edge of the former site of Nanda Parbat in “Batman and Frankenstein” #31 from writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke. Following their last meeting, Frankenstein has a bone to pick with Batman and does just that early on in this issue — and even Titus can’t stop him. I’ve been enjoying the pseudo-“Brave and the Bold” revival that this series has delivered. “Batman and Frankenstein” #31 continues that streak, bringing an unusual team-up filled with opportunities for Tomasi to expose the personalities of both characters in a setting that doesn’t overwhelm the reader. Since this story is set in the Himalayas, Tomasi is able to continue the globetrotting adventures of the Dark Knight, taking Batman out of his element. That doesn’t quite elevate this issue to a Bob Haney-inspired session of oddities and excitement, but it does give Tomasi a chance to recap Batman’s journey thus f

When a fatal car crash robs him of his beloved, Doctor Vincent Krall turns to science, making a desperate move that is unmistakably foreshadowed in the title of Jamie S. Rich and Megan Levens’ “Madame Frankenstein” #1. With solid character building, Rich leaves readers with an enjoyable — if enigmatic — protagonist and a handful of accessible allusions to both literature and film while Levens contributes a beautifully clean and expressive style to the book with thick, dark inks. From the get-go, Rich spins Krall into a complex character with many layers — which is more than appropriate, since he doesn’t leave much time or space to dwell nearly as long on Krall’s assistant Irene and the creation. However, this tactic works well in that it decisively splits Rich’s characters away from the source material; Krall’s motives are emotionally — instead of intellectually — driven, and Rich quickly establishes some sort of prior relationship between Krall and his creation pre- and post-mortem

Steve Niles’ continuing adventures of Cal McDonald expands to encompass the legend of Frankenstein in “Criminal Macabre: The Eyes of Frankenstein” #1. As the title indicates, this story reaches out and brings in the creation of Doctor Frankenstein. Niles even goes so far as to give the creation a conversational first name at the behest of McDonald. Niles writes a story filled with dark humor and chuckle-worthy moments that just seem so wrong to laugh at when explained out loud, like McDonald jerking the wheel in a car so hard that it sends his ghoul passenger smacking into the window. Little visual cues like that and the discussion of Mary Shelley’s novel between McDonald and the novel’s star illuminate Niles’ propensity to make light of the supernatural and eerie, not necessarily making them less scary, but making them more acceptable as an aspect of life. With a title like “Criminal Macabre,” one might not expect humor or character subtleties, but Niles delivers those in full. McD

Original series penciller Alberto Ponticelli and current writer Matt Kindt drop the Monster Bomb on Central City in “Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.” #16, the final issue of the series kicked off by writer Jeff Lemire. Under Kindt, the comic is true enough to Lemire’s original vision, but progressive enough to take chances and continue to naturally evolve. Following two issues that tied into the “Rotworld” stories from “Animal Man” and “Swamp Thing,” this issue checks back in with S.H.A.D.E. and sets Frankenstein back with his teammates: Griffin, Velcoro, Nina and Khalis. Unfortunately, things don’t seem to gel on the appearance of Khalis in this comic book, as he is mentioned and appears on a monitor or two, but doesn’t ever appear alongside the rest of the team. Kindt has proven his mettle more than once in this title, revealing a fondness for these characters and the wild, Silver Age zaniness that would spawn such a concept as Creature Commandos by employing no fewer than three

It is completely appropriate that the opening line of dialog in Matt Kindt and Alberto Ponticelli’s “Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.” #14 is “Are we there yet?” Kindt inserts quite a bit of humor in a book that features a modern interpretation of a classic horror character in an incredibly horrific situation. Regular readers of “Animal Man” and “Swamp Thing” are undoubtedly aware of the “Rotworld” crossover. The Rot has also claimed a foothold in “Frankenstein,” which is not surprising given that Frankenstein is a cobbled mosaic of corpse parts reanimated. Coincidentally enough, he’s joined in this issue by his vampire teammate, Velcoro, another undead/not living anomaly. The duo set on a quest to reconstruct a machine originally created by Victor Frankenstein, which will halt the Rot and save the world. Kindt avoids reducing the crossover to “Red Skies” fluff, but on the flipside keeps the adventure specific to Frankenstein and crew. As he has done throughout this series, Albert

“Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.” #13 by Matt Kindt and Alberto Ponticelli is a standalone “Rotworld” tie-in issue that runs aside the major storyline in “Animal Man” and “Swamp Thing” without needing those titles to inform much at all. As a tie in, it uses the basic premise and then runs with an independent and unique storyline that requires Frankenstein at its center. You can certainly read this one on its own and enjoy it for what it is. This issue is a rollicking good time that’s more mystical monster swashbuckling rather than horror fare or edgy superheroic deconstruction. “Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.” has continually been one of the most fun books of the New 52 and nothing demonstrates that better than this issue. Most of these pages involve Frankenstein smashing through gory hordes of Rot monsters with his gigantic sword. The same giddy pleasure you got as a child watching Indiana Jones do crazy things is what’s offered by Kindt and Ponticelli. Ponticelli, with Wayne F