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

THE CRADLE OF THE BEST AND OF THE WORST

NOW IN THEATERS...

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, an excellent second mission for Marvel's most vanilla hero.

Ernest and Celestine, the adorable Academy Award-nominated animated feature from France.

The Face of Love, a mature drama about romance and grief starring Annette Bening and Ed Harris.

The Great Flood, a fascinating abstract documentary about the Mississippi floods of 1927, soundtrack by Bill Frisell. 

In the Blood, a very much not at all good action picture with Haywire-star Gina Carano beating up more bad guys. And a few maybe-not-so-bad ones, too.

This weekend Portlanders also have an opportunity to catch Orson Welles' film noir twister The Lady from Shanghai.

And next Thursday, the one-man show Romantic Macabredy: Short Films of Dave Hanagan, a collection of cinematic pranks and genre subversions. 

WATCH IT AT HOME...

The Great Beauty, last year's scintillating Oscar-winner from Italy, showing an aging author searching for meaning. Nope, nothing to identify with here.

* Sleep, My Love, a romantic suspense film from Douglas Sirk, master of melodrama.

*  Young at Heart, pairing Doris Day and Frank Sinatra to blend some of her nice with his naughty.

Current Soundtrack: Lewis Black on WTF with Marc Maron