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
‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics
Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.
Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.
In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”
The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”
Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”
“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.
Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”
Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.
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Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
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Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
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Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
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Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
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Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
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Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)
Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
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