Summary
This summer, Boris Karloff’s indelible version ofFrankenstein’s Monster will be brought to life once more thanks to an all-new series from Skybound Entertainment. Mary Shelley’sFrankensteincaptured the imagination of the world after it was published in 1818. The laterUniversal Monstersadaptation in 1931 equally chilled audiences the world over with its unforgettable interpretation of the classic story.
Coming fromThe Silver Coinwriter/artist Michael Walshand colorist Toni-Marie Griffin,Universal Monsters: Frankenstein#1 promises a unique take on the classic James Whale film. Each issue of the five-issue miniseries will tell the story of how Dr. Frankenstein acquired each body part that makes up his monster.
The solicitations also provide a little more clarity as to what readers can expect,including an all-new “son” of Frankenstein’s Monster:
“In this first issue, Dr. Henry Frankenstein begins his unholy quest to create life by robbing the grave of a decorated police officer. But little does he know that the corpse has a son who is mourning a father—and that this young boy will forever change Frankenstein’s life.”
Skybound’sFrankensteinSeries Will Bring the Monster to Life, Piece By Piece
With the successful launches of previous Universal Monsters series,DraculaandThe Creature from the Black Lagoon, Skybound is off to a running start in bringing these classic horror properties to comics. The newFrankensteincomic sounds like it will continue the trend, and writer/artist Michael Walsh is the perfect choice for the series, as evidenced by his previous Image Comics horror seriesThe Silver Coin.The concept of learning the backstory for each body part that makes up the Monster is a novel idea, giving the creative team ample opportunity to explore a variety of stories and themes within that framework.
The 1931 film popularized the Frankenstein Monster’s depiction of a flat-topped head and bolts sticking out of his neck.
Walsh looks to be taking a similar approach toFrankensteinashe did withThe Silver Coin. That series acts as a horror anthology, with each installment telling different tales of people who come into possession of a cursed coin. Judging by the preview for the first issue,Universal Monsters: Frankensteinwill pack quite the emotional wallop in detailing the origins of the Monster’s various body parts. The first issue focuses on the Monster’s hands, which previously belonged to a police officer seemingly killed in the line of duty.
Doctor Frankenstein Assembles the Monster In New Comic Series
With the officer’s orphaned son witnessing Doctor Frankenstein and Fritz retrieving his father’s body from the graveyard, it’s easy to see how the story will only get more twisted and disturbing from there. It will also be interesting to see if the creative team tells the story of where the Monster’s brain came from, as the original film features a memorable scene where Fritz accidentally retrieves the brain of a criminal for Doctor Frankenstein to use. By telling the origin of the various body parts that comprise theFrankenstein Monster, Skybound and the creative team have found a new take on aUniversal Monstersclassic.
Universal Monsters
Universal Monsters is a franchise from Universal Studios that began in 1923 with The Hunchback of Notre Dame. While many characters are based on novels released prior to the films, actors such as Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, and Claude Rains helped the classic monsters become instantly recognizable. Movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and The Wolf Man may be some of the most critically acclaimed films in the franchise, but Universal has kept the characters popular in recent years through films such as Renfield in 2023 and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!.
