Frankenstein’s Monster gets a new life as a supernatural detective in Prometheus Graft: The Slayings at Death’s End, a new series by writer George Northy and artist Caitlin Yarsky that launches in December from Oni Press .
The series reimagines Mary Shelley’s iconic creation as Prometheus Graft, a brilliant investigator who has spent decades reinventing himself after his creation. His scars have faded and his once-hulking form has been tamed, but as we all know, you can’t take the monster out of the monster.
“I’ve always adored an Agatha Christie-style whodunnit and wanted to create a classic detective tale with a supernatural twist,” said Northy. “But who to cast as the Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes or Benoit Blanc of this monster mash-up mystery? Then it came to me: The Creature in Mary Shelley’s iconic Frankenstein was brilliant, tortured and a ‘living puzzle’ himself. What if he set out to try to solve the mystery of what he really is—and who exactly makes up his disparate, grafted-together pieces—and, along the way, discovered a talent for solving all manner of occult mysteries? That became our hero detective, Prometheus Graft. In his debut mystery, Graft is invited to Death’s End Castle to observe a peace treaty renewal between clans of vampyrs, witches and werewolves—but instead must solve a series of brutal slayings to avert all-out paranormal war.”
Graft’s latest case takes him to a remote Romanian castle, where an immortal lord has gathered vampires, witches, werewolves and other supernatural beings to renew a peace treaty. When one of the guests is found murdered in the castle’s hedge maze, the treaty quickly falls apart, leaving Graft to solve a series of killings before the conflict erupts into a supernatural war.
“As someone who loves all things supernatural, Prometheus Graftis an absolute playground for me,” Yarsky said. “It’s been a joy creating a look-and-feel for the world with George, who gave me parameters but then let me run wild with whatever inspiration I came across. It’s a real partnership; we’ve worked hand-in-hand to bring readers a story with a unique blend of classic murder mystery, dark fantasy and gothic horror.”
Prometheus Graft: The Slayings at Death’s End #1 features a cover by Yarsky, with additional covers by Eric Powell, Gabriel Rodriguez and Patricia Martín.
The first issue arrives Dec. 9.