Comics
Review: ‘Frankenstein Alive, Alive!’ #2
Stylishly eloquent and beautifully dark, Frankenstein Alive, Alive! #2 is an emotionally riveting and visually awesome tale. With such memorable and haunting imagery, the horror legend tag-team of Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson is delivering one exceptionally well-written and well-drawn comic.
WRITTEN BY: Steve Niles
ART BY: Bernie Wrightson
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: November 21st, 2012
Picking up where the classic tale ended, Frankenstein’s Monster continues to live a dreamless and wretched existence. Frank, as he calls himself now, is haunted by the violent crimes from his past. In his search for forgiveness, Frank wonders if he has a soul, even if God didn’t create him. After committing suicide, Frank is dug up from his tomb and suddenly wakes up in the future. Upon realizing he failed to kill himself, Frank decides to rejoin the living one more time. But just because Frank doesn’t believe he is a monster, that does not mean humanity will accept him.
With such eloquence in Frank’s narration, Steve Niles further explores the themes of isolation and redemption, which were originally presented in Mary Shelly’s novel. This is a story about the ultimate outsider, who just wants to belong, but sadly never can. Frank’s monstrous face and towering size keeps him segregated from the rest of humanity. The first issue was a psychologically driven plot, as Frank contemplated about committing suicide. Now in the narrative, Frank realizes that he has to live for a reason, because death isn’t an option for him.
With the focus on the student/teacher relationship with Dr. Ingles, it’s easy to feel for Frank’s search for a father figure. While Boris Karloff’s portrayal of The Monster is more child-like and innocent, Niles’ Frank is a deep and intellectual thinker. With a craving for education, Frank learns to read and continues expanding his mind.
Frank’s curiosity about human nature allows him to search for answers in volumes of textbooks. Frank has the mind of a genius, but he looks like a hideous freakshow. The wonderfully rendered illustrations of Bernie Wrightson are an amazing sight. By using black and white tones, Wrightson captures such detailed backgrounds, especially with Dr. Ingles’ chamber. In the laboratory, readers will see every glass jar filled with different objects, a collection of stuffed animals, and numerous skeletal remains. Page after page, Wrightson builds a somber and downtrodden atmosphere for the emotionally gripping narrative.
By staying close to Mary Shelly’s description, Wrightson gives Frank a corpse-like design, with a skull-shaped face and no nose. Frank has a pained facial expression, as if staying alive is a great burden. With so much effort and dedication, Wrightson delivers such unforgettable imagery. This level of art is such a rare feat to achieve in modern comics and Wrightson makes it look easy.
With the creative team-up of Niles and Wrightson in “Frankenstein Alive, Alive!” #2, readers couldn’t ask for much more. Made with style and substance, “Frankenstein Alive, Alive” is a dream come true for horror fans.
Rating: 4/5 skulls
Reviewed by Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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