Madame Frankenstein Debuts in May

frankenstein, image comics

Coming in May from Image Comics is Madame Frankenstein, a seven-issue series written by Jamie S. Rich and beautifully drawn by Megan Levens.

It’s got a great high concept: a blend of Frankenstein and My Fair Lady with a strong flavor of The Great Gatsby. It’s 1932, and Vincent Krall is reanimating Courtney Bow, the high-society lady he’s had his eye on who perished in a car accident. But it’s in future issues — I’ve had the pleasure of reading through #3 — that the series really develops. That’s when we meet Henry, Vincent’s adoptive brother and Courtney’s date, and learn more of the toxic relationship between the two men, shaped by their class distinctions. That drives Vincent’s quest to reshape Courtney into his perfect woman, a creepy modern twist on the classic story. We also find out about Courtney’s odd history, an element I’m sure will influence later issues.

I’m particularly impressed with Levens’ character designs and detail work on the settings. It’s surprising to see that this is her first comic, given how skilled her art is. The first issue has two covers:

Madame Frankenstein 1 cover by Joelle Jones

Cover by Joelle Jones

Madame Frankenstein 1 cover by Christopher Mitten

Cover by Christopher Mitten

You can see preview pages in this interview with the creative team. Orders can be taken by comic stores until April 14. Jamie has posted a pre-order form you can take to your shop, if you want. Diamond codes are MAR14 0478 (for the Joelle Jones cover) or MAR14 0479 (for the Christopher Mitten variant).

Similar Posts: I, Frankenstein Has Great Cast for an Action Thriller, Plus Lenticular Poster § Courtney Crumrin and the Prince of Nowhere § Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things § Courtney Crumrin #2 § Jamie S. Rich Announces Novel Set in World of Indie Comics

Comics & Graphic Novels Posts

Aug 14, 2015

SF Review: Doctor Who: The Drosten’s Curse by A.L. Kennedy

By Escape Reality, Read Fiction!

My Review: Tomorrow, Saturday August 15, has been declared Doctor Who Comics Day by Titan Comics, who, of course, publish Doctor Who Comics. While I didn’t have a Doctor Who...

Jul 27, 2015

Justice League: Gods & Monsters (Review)

By Comics Worth Reading

Justice League: Gods & Monsters is the best of the DC original animated movies in a long while. That’s because it’s fresh. It’s based on an original story by Bruce...

Jul 11, 2015

Phoebe and Her Unicorn: A Heavenly Nostrils Chronicle

By Comics Worth Reading

When a friend recommended the Phoebe and Her Unicorn comic strip (formerly known as Heavenly Nostrils) to me, she described it as a more modern, girl-centered Calvin and Hobbes. She...

Jul 08, 2015

Atari Force Returns!

By Comics Worth Reading

As I’ve said before, I really liked Atari Force. Yes, it was originally a home-video-game tie-in, but the 20-issue series by (as Mike Sterling reminds us), Gerry Conway and Jose...

Jul 06, 2015

Black Canary #1

By Comics Worth Reading

Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu put a new twist on the long-running fishnet-clad hero in Black Canary. Looked at after reading, it’s a terrific choice, but not one I would...

Jul 06, 2015

Starfire #1

By Comics Worth Reading

I’ve been trying a number of the new DC #1s, particularly the ones promising something other than the usual legacy white male hero, but I’ve found some of them unsatisfying....

Jun 08, 2015

Gotham Home Video Date Announced

By Comics Worth Reading

The hit Fox (non-)superhero show Gotham has been announced for release on Blu-ray and DVD on September 8. Gotham was Fox’s highest rated fall drama debut in 14 years among...

Jun 29, 2015

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Volume 14

By Comics Worth Reading

I’m so glad to get another volume of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service! (The previous book, volume 13, last appeared at the end of 2012.) Although it’s horror, it’s one...

Jun 28, 2015

The Cartoon Guide to Algebra

By Comics Worth Reading

It amazes me that Larry Gonick is still turning out such interesting cartoon science guides. I remember reading my first one, The Cartoon Guide to (Non)Communication, back in the early...

Jun 08, 2015

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #11

By Comics Worth Reading

I know big, galaxy-risking, four-part stories are seen as more important, but it’s the one-off, quieter, more personal scenes that I really like in this series. I shouldn’t be too...