The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 is the start of the latest Universal Monsters series that Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment are producing. Like other Universal Monsters series, this is all part of the comic book publisher’s partnership with Universal Products & Experiences. So far the partnership has given us a lot of great comic books that have showcased the power of the Universal Monsters franchise. That is a lot to live up to but if there is a team that can follow that trend it is Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis. Thompson and Iulis have delivered very good comic books so the creative chemistry is there. Let’s see if they deliver with Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Mattia De Iulis
Letterer: Becca Carey
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN LIVES #1 SOLICITATION
“HERE COMES THE BRIDE…
Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis (Absolute Wonder Woman, The Cull) reunite once again to deliver the most haunting new horror series of the year.
Born in the heart of a thunderstorm, made of stolen flesh, electricity, and monstrous desperation, The Bride lives! With no memory of her past or understanding of what she is, The Bride took her first steps into the world and was…displeased. Now, she must discover where and who she came from and begin what every living thing begins…the process of staying alive.” – Image Comics & Skybound Entertainment
REVIEW
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 comes out of the gate with a statement. It is not looking to just tell another horror story with the Universal Monsters. Instead, Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis are being more methodical with how they are choosing to explore The Bride of Frankenstein. She is a creation made for a purpose. That purpose is one that leads to an unknown path that The Bride must now take in discovering who she is in this world.
It is in the character exploration where we get to understand what will make The Bride of Frankenstein Lives a special series. Thompson and Iulis balance The Bride as someone who is her own character and also a shell of a someone. This helps to establish how The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 sets up the narrative for this series being about self-discovery.
This journey of self-discovery is where the tension in this first issue comes from. Just like The Bride herself we don’t really have all the information of who she was or will be. There is a sense of loss that is created from the moment we first see The Bride being placed in the experiment that makes into The Bride of Frankenstein.
Iulis really does a great job at capturing the sense of fear in the eyes of The Bride. It does so much to help get across she is not to be considered to just be a female version The Monster, who is identified as The Creature in The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1. Capturing the emotions in The Bride’s eyes is from the opening panel is carried on throughout this issue. Iulis gives The Bride a range of emotions that captures the feeling of how she experiences the world after waking up. And it all starts with the expression in her eyes.
Thompson similarly is careful to make sure that The Bride’s inner monologue captures how she is someone who existed before and is a new life. The Bride’s inner monologue is an extension of all the surgical scars all over her body. She doesn’t really know who she is. And the world she enters does not help her at all. Even when it seems she has discovered something you know there is something off about the situation she is in and who she is.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 is a home run of a debut issue. Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis nail the range of emotion The Bride feels from the moment of her creation. The character journey they place her own has a unique sense of tension that you can’t help but want to follow where The Bride’s journey will lead her to. By creating such a story Thompson and Iulis deliver a comic book that welcomes new readers and long time Universal Monsters’ fans.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Click here for the full preview of Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1.
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