MADAME FRANKENSTEIN COLLECTED IN FEBUARY

Image Comics released their solicitation info for February, including the lowdown on the Madame Frankenstein trade paperback.

MADAME FRANKENSTEIN TP
STORY: JAMIE S. RICH
ART: MEGAN LEVENS 
COVER: JOËLLE JONES & NICK FILARDI
FEBRUARY 10 / 192 PAGES / BW / T+ / $16.99

In 1932, Vincent Krall sets out to create his perfect woman by reanimating the corpse of the love of his life. He’ll soon discover, however, that man was never meant to peer beyond the veil between life and death, and a woman is not as easily controlled as he believes. The collected MADAME FRANKENSTEIN contains all the covers by Helheim artist JOËLLE JONES and an exclusive gallery section showcasing MEGAN LEVENS’ development process.

Collects MADAME FRANKENSTEIN #1-7

Current Soundtrack: The New Basement Tapes, Lost on the River

TWIN PEEKS

In advance of the release of Madame Frankenstein #7 this Wednesday, November 5, here is the cover and first three pages of the final issue. Click on the image to scroll through. (via Comic Book Resources)

And check out The Mary Sue for an exclusive look at Lady Killer, including images from #1 and this cover from #2. I can't get enough of Laura Allred's colors over Joëlle Jones.

Lady Killer #1 is released on January 7.

By the by, Brides of Helheim #2 is also on sale this week, also featuring art by Joëlle Jones, with incredible colors by Nick Filardi, who colored the Madame Frankenstein covers.

Current Soundtrack: Taylor Swift, 1989

ANATOMY OF A MONSTER COVER

Madame Frankenstein #6 continues to get good reviews. Unleash the Fanboy raves:

Jamie S. Rich is a great writer and really shines with this issue. You face a lot of moral questions that are brought to the surface. It is really fantastic. It, also, gives Vincent a conscience, which is something that we haven’t really seen but now we do get a chance to see that part of the character and now we do.

Megan Levens is a really great artist and gives us the emotional looks and feel for this issue. I really do think that she is someone to look out for because of her ability. Each panel is packed with great stuff and you will see that in this issue.

It is, of course, in finer comic book shops everywhere. You can also download the comic from Comixology or direct from the publisher. Both options are now DRM-free.

I love how the cover turned out. So simple, yet so evocative. Take a gander at Joëlle Jones' black-and-white line art.

Joëlle is a great collaborator and always open to suggestions for what we might be looking for. After the elaborate #4 and #5 covers, I thought something more reserved would not only be fitting, but had some idea of how to capture the mood of this issue.

These posters from the film A Kiss Before Dying came to mind.

As you can see, Joëlle took the inspiration and flipped it around. It's the moment before the violent act, and this time from the man's point of view.

The male gaze, indeed.

Here it is again, as you've likely seen it, with Nick Filardi's colors, as well as an alternate choice that he eventually discarded since the previous issue's cover had been primarily blue.

I think the orange was better anywhere. It burns hotter. More passionate and threatening.

Nick has been awesome to work with, he always surprises us.

Current Soundtrack: Jamie T, Carry on the Grudge

IF THE DEVIL IS SIX

Tomorrow is Madame Frankenstein #6 day. And if that weren't enough reason to head to the comic book store, it's also your chance to get the debut issue of Brides of Helheim, featuring art by our cover team of Joëlle Jones and Nick Filardi. Please look at this awesome preview of their comic over at CBR.

Coming Up Comics are all-in for MF. They gave the new issue a 10 out of 10.

You just don’t get stories like this every day. When you do, read them, and then read them again. When they’re this good, this deep, and this enjoyable, you don’t want to skip a moment of enjoying them. Issue by issue, more of the story has been given to us and these characters are more complicated than we had imagined. It’s truly a study on how there is no such thing as being completely bad or completely good, but human.

And for you, the first six pages of #6, just scroll through the gallery below.

Current Soundtrack: Prince, ART OFFICIAL AGE

A LITTLE PARTY NEVER KILLED NOBODY

Madame Frankenstein #5 is on stands this coming Wednesday. It's the crucial part of the middle act. The series is kind of structured in three pieces: issues #1-3, #4-5, and #6-7.

What'cha Reading? has a pretty good overview up until now, free of #5 spoilers, too. 

They have a preview, as does the awesome Comicosity site. Or you can just scroll through the gallery below.

I've added the issue to my webstore, as well, in case you wanted to preorder it during this weekend's sale.

Current Soundtrack: Ariana Grande, My Everything

Preview MADAME FRANKENSTEIN #4, on sale Wednesday

Comic Book Resources has posted a preview of this Wednesday's issue of Madame Frankenstein.

This is our favorite issue so far.

STORY BY Jamie S. Rich * ART BY Megan Levens * LETTERED BY Crank! *  COVER BY
Joëlle Jones, & Nick Filardi * PUBLISHER Image Comics

COVER PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE DATE: Wed, August 6th, 2014

Carnival sideshows! Burlesque dancers! Speakeasies! It's time for the monster's first trip into a public space, and Vincent has chosen a locale where Gail can hide amongst other freaks and denizens of the underworld. Just be careful what happens when another woman gets between the doctor and his creation.

Current Soundtrack: Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj, "Bang Bang;" Beyonce & Nicki Minaj, "Flawless Remix"

BRAND NEW TOY: MADAME FRANKENSTEIN #2 on sale tomorrow, June 4!

The second issue of our comic book Madame Frankenstein lands in comic book shops tomorrow.

More details here at the Image page, and here is a nice review of the comic.

We also got pick of the week.

Preview the first six pages below or over on Comic Book Resources.

Current Soundtrack: Lily Allen, "Air Balloon" remixes; Paul Weller, More Modern Classics

I'VE COME FOR MY AWARD

Oh, awards season.

Look, let's be honest. We all bitch and grouse about how they don't mean anything and it's a popularity contest or whatever, but we all want to win one when it comes down to it. I kept my fingers crossed reading over the Eisner nominations last month. Everyone probably did.

While a committee decides on the Eisners, there are other award ceremonies where the nomination process is more open.

There are the Harvey Awards, which industry professionals can vote for. Ballots accepted until May 19.

And there are the Eagle Awards, recently renamed for Stan Lee, that any reader can have a say in. Put in nominations here until May 16.

No big sales pitch here. I'm just going to make a list of books I worked on and that my friends worked on that you might consider. It's hard to remember what's what in any given year, so I'm going to jog both of our memories. In most cases, you can vote for any of these in the major categories: series, writer, artist, etc. I'll make notes if maybe you should consider something else.

* Battlepug digital comic, and vol. 2 collected edition by Mike Norton (writer/artist), Allen Passalaqua (colorist), and Crank! (letterer) [self-published/Dark Horse Comics]

* A Boy and a Girl graphic novel by Jamie S. Rich (writer), Natalie Nourigat (artist), and Ed Brisson (letterer) [Oni Press]

* The Double Life of Miranda Turner digital only series by Jamie S. Rich (writer), George Kambadais (artist), Paulina Ganucheau (colorist), and Crank! (letterer) [Monkeybrain Comics]

* FF by Matt Fraction & Lee Allred (writers), Michael Allred (artist, incl. covers), and Laura Allred (colorist) [Marvel Comics] 

* Helheim miniseries by Cullen Bunn (writer), Joëlle Jones (artist, incl. covers), Nick Filardi (colorist), and Ed Brisson (letterer) [Oni Press]

* It Girl and the Atomics #s 6-12 by Jamie S. Rich [writer], Mike Norton [7, 8, 9, 12], Chynna Clugston-Flores [6, 12], and Natalie Nourigat [10, 11, 12] (artists), Allen Passalaqua (colorist), Crank! (letterer), and Michael & Laura Allred (covers) [Image Comics]

* Revival by Tim Seeley (writer), Mike Norton (artist), Mark Englert (colorist), Crank! (letterer), and Jenny Frisson (covers) [Image Comics]

* The Sixth Gun by Cullen Bunn (writer), Brian Hurtt (artist, incl. covers), and Bill Crabtree (colorist) [Oni Press]

* Spell Checkers, vol. 3: Careless Whisper graphic novel by Jamie S. Rich (writer), Nicolas Hitori de and Joëlle Jones (artists), Warren Wucinich (letterer), and Joëlle Jones (cover) [Oni Press]

* Please also consider George Kambadais for Best New Talent and It Girl and the Atomics #6 as Best Single Issue.

These are, of course, not everything published last year, not all of my friends, and not even all of some of these folks' work. But its a good core of friends and colleagues. Keep them in mind!

Current Soundtrack: This week's episode of Survivor

SECOND BITE OF THE APPLE

Did you know there was a Madame Frankenstein Facebook page? If you're on Facebook, please give us your thumbs up!

Also, Image Comics has released their June solicitations. It includes Madame Frankenstein #2, featuring this amazing cover by Joëlle Jones and Nick Filardi.

MADAME FRANKENSTEIN #2 (OF 7)
story: JAMIE S. RICH
art: MEGAN LEVENS
cover: JOELLE JONES & NICK FILARDI
JUNE 4 / 32 PAGES / BW / T+ / $2.99

Now that he has built his creature, Vincent has to start teaching her how to be a lady. Meanwhile, his rival, feeling guilty over the death of their mutual love, begins to investigate what’s going on down at the lab.

Current Soundtrack: Mos Def & Marvin Gaye, Yasiin Gaye: The Departure

THE DAY YOU DIED

The official May solicitations for Image Comics are now up over at Comic Book Resources, including lots of great titles like M.P.H. with art by Duncan Fegredo and the Chew/Revival crossover.

And, of course, this...

MadameFrankenstein-01-3b85c.jpg

MADAME FRANKENSTEIN #1 (of 7)
story: JAMIE S. RICH
art: MEGAN LEVENS
cover A: JOELLE JONES & NICK FILARDI
cover B: CHRISTOPHER MITTEN
MAY 7 / 32 PAGES / BW / T+ / $2.99 
In 1932, Vincent Krall sets out to create his perfect woman by reanimating the corpse of the love of his life. He'll soon discover, however, that man was never meant to peer beyond the veil between life and death. Mixing vintage horror with mythic drama, this new series by writer JAMIE S. RICH (You Have Killed Me) and smashing newcomer MEGAN LEVENS is guaranteed to send chills through even the warmest of hearts.

 

Current Soundtrack: Phantogram, Voices

MADAME FRANKENSTEIN IS ALIVE…WITH HORROR AND DRAMA

Vincent Krall sets out to create the perfect dame, and gets a monster instead

Sure to send a shiver down any reader’s spine, Image Comics’ new series MADAME FRANKENSTEIN is an all-new vintage-style horror drama from Jamie S. Rich (You Have Killed Me) and newcomer Megan Levens. In 1932, Vincent Krall sets out to create his perfect woman by reanimating the corpse of his recently deceased lover. But he soon begins to realize that perhaps man was not meant to peer beyond the veil between life and death. 

“I have always been fascinated by the Frankenstein legend and the deeper mythological meanings in Shelley's original novel, so when Megan came to me with her concept for a My Fair Lady-style appropriation of the concept, it took me all of two seconds to say yes,” said Rich. “There seemed to be so much potential there, both in terms of exploring the thematic depths of the story and playing around with the look and feel of classic horror. The downfall of Victor Frankenstein was that he played God and tried to build his own version of man. His hubris was in thinking too highly of his own capacity for creation. Our mad doctor's bigger mistake is underestimating the power of women.”

The time period and setting also helped to inspire the artwork in MADAME FRANKENSTEIN. “I've always been strongly drawn to the moody, old-Hollywood glamour of the classic Universal monster films, and I felt that aesthetic would be a perfect match for the elements of horror and romance in this story,” said Levens. “The period of the early 1930s gave me so much to work with visually, as the architecture, costumes, and even minute details like glassware and wallpaper helped ground the fantastic elements of the story in a reality that still feels a bit removed from the world of the reader. But the aspect of those films that appealed most to me was that they derived their sense of horror from the emotions of the characters. Even the monsters were shown feeling fear, love, and loneliness… and a monster you can empathize with is perhaps the most terrifying of all." 

A dark exploration of one man’s manic obsession to build the perfect woman, MADAME FRANKENSTEIN is a terrifying retelling that would do Shelley proud. The first issue of MADAME FRANKENSTEIN arrives in stores on 5/7 and will be available for $2.99. Cover A by Joelle Jones and Nick Filardi can be pre-ordered using Diamond Code MAR140478. Cover B by Christopher Mitten can be pre-ordered using Diamond Code MAR140479.

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Joëlle Jones & Nick Filardi cover

Joëlle Jones & Nick Filardi cover

Christopher Mitten cover

Christopher Mitten cover

Inks, page 1

Inks, page 1

Inks, page 2

Inks, page 2

Promo Image

Promo Image