Madame Frankenstein Debuts in May

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:

Cover by Joelle Jones

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).