Tag: Universal Monsters

SDCC Slugfest | News from DC, 2000 AD, Fantagraphics + more

As San Diego Comic-Con looms, we round up news on the show, recent comic announcements and more. Plus: comics at the G1 Climax opener!

With the San Diego Comic-Con coming up on July 23-26, we have news and announcements dropping left and right, so here’s an attempt to keep up with it all. Hit the links for more info.

DC has unveiled its plans for San Diego Comic-Con, which includes a continuation of their decade-long plan to spotlight a different era of the company in their booth, building toward their 100th anniversary in 2035. Last year the spotlight fell on the 1940s, so, given how numbers work, this year will focus on the 1950s — the decade that brought us Supergirl, Legion of Super- Heroes, Barry Allen, Hal Jordan and MAD Magazine.

Their booth will feature a 1950s-style Daily Planet newsstand, and they plan to give away free copies of MAD Magazine #1 facsimile edition, based on the original that debuted in 1952.

Here’s a video DC released spotlighting the comics and characters of that decade:

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Kelly Thompson + Mattia De Iulis reunite for ‘Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives’

The creative team behind ‘Absolute Wonder Woman Annual’ gives the Bride her own story in a four-issue series arriving in October.

Skybound has announced the next series in their Universal Monsters line — Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives, a four-issue miniseries from Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis.

De Iulis will both draw and color the series, with lettering by Becca Carey. The trio worked together on this year’s Absolute Wonder Woman Annual.

The series marks the eighth entry in Skybound’s Universal Monsters line, following Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, the Phantom of the Opera and the Wolf Man, whose miniseries launched last month. Skybound began publishing comics based on the iconic horror characters in 2023, and have done a great job of pairing the right creative teams with each of the characters.

“The original Bride of Frankenstein is a brilliant film exploring the creature’s failed attempts to find friendship and community, and then the desperate act to force others to create that which he cannot find. What it’s not about, however, is how The Bride herself feels about her creation,” Thompson said. “Through The Bride of Frankenstein Lives we get the opportunity to explore not only her search for who and what she is, but her search for the women that were destroyed to create her — all brought to striking vivid life via Mattia De Iluis’s incredible visuals.” 

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Tyler Boss + Martin Simmonds unmask Skybound’s ‘Phantom of the Opera’

The miniseries featuring the infamous Universal Monster will take the spotlight in February.

For more than a century, The Phantom of the Opera has haunted stage and screen. Now the iconic character prepares for an encore in an entirely new medium.

Skybound, in partnership with Universal, will bring Universal Monsters: The Phantom of the Opera, to comics next year. Tyler Boss and Martin Simmonds will bring the Phantom to the printed page in February, following Skybound’s other Univeral Monsters series, featuring Dracula, the Invisible Man and more.

“What separates the Phantom of the Opera from the other Universal Monsters is that it’s the only ghost story of the lot,” Boss said. “With the Paris Opera House as our haunted site, and a production of Faust about to be performed, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect collaborator to breathe life into the Phantom of the Opera than Martin Simmonds.” 

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | ‘Immortal Legend Batman,’ ‘The Knives,’ ‘Mortal Thor’ + more

New comics and graphic novels arrive by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Al Ewing, Pasqual Ferry, James Tynion IV, Dani, Mike Mignola, Dan Watters, Michele Bandini and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what’s coming to your local comic shop this week.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights for this week below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So check with your retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

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Faith Erin Hicks digs up ‘The Mummy’ at Skybound next year

The Universal Monster will rise again in a four-issue miniseries about love and death.

Skybound’s Universal Monsters line will grow next March as they dust off The Mummy for a four-issue miniseries, written and drawn by Faith Erin Hicks.

Skybound has done a great job of matching creators to the Universal Monsters, from James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds’ Dracula to Michael Walsh’s creative approach to Frankenstein. Hicks, who has worked on everything from Dark Horse’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series to her own The Nameless City Trilogy, has an eye for character-driven stories about ancient civilizations.

“What I enjoy the most about The Mummy is the romance underlying all the horror,” Hicks said. “A mortal man defies ancient gods to bring his dead lover back to life and pays the ultimate price, transformed thousands of years later into a walking specter of death. The Mummy is intrinsically a tragic figure driven by his own pain and loss, his understandable human emotions twisted into acts.”

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Michael Walsh will bring ‘Frankenstein’ to comics in August

Skybound announces a third miniseries featuring the classic Universal Monsters.

Skybound has announced a third miniseries in their Universal Monsters line-up, as Michael Walsh will write and draw a miniseries featuring Frankenstein.

Each of the four issues will tell the story behind one of the body parts used to create Frankenstein in the original film — which seems like the perfect approach from the creator and artist of The Silver Coin, an anthology series that follows a cursed coin into different horror stories.

“The story of Dr. Frankenstein and his poor, misunderstood monster is one of the most recognizable and influential horror tales ever told… It’s also one of my favorites,” Walsh said. “The original 1931 film from Universal Pictures is a continuing inspiration for my art and storytelling, so, as you can imagine, I was honored to be able to play in that sandbox. Trying to tell an original story while staying true to the canon of that film was an exciting yet daunting prospect. It’s been some of the most fun I’ve had making comic books, and I know that fans of Frankenstein and horror will have a blast experiencing these characters and iconic scenes like never before.” 

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‘Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives!’ rises from Skybound

Dan Watters, Ram V, Matthew Roberts and Dave Stewart bring the creature back from the depths this spring.

On the heels of James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds’ adaptation of Dracula, Skybound and Universal have announced a second miniseries starring one of the Universal Monsters — Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives!

The miniseries will continue the story from the original movie while introducing some new characters:  journalist Kate Marsden, who is following the trail of serial killer Darwin Collier in the Amazon. Dan Watters and Ram V will team up to write the miniseries, which will feature artwork by Matthew Roberts and Dave Stewart.

“We’re so thrilled to announce our second book in the Universal Monsters line.” Said Alex Antone, editorial director at Skybound. “Dan Watters and Ram V are two of the most exciting writers in comics, and to be able to turn them loose with longtime Skybound creators Matthew Roberts and Dave Stewart has been an absolute treat. And while James and Martin’s Dracula was an adaptation of the original film, Creature is a brand-new story featuring beloved Gill-Man. Each book in the Universal Monsters line will feel different from the last, with each creative team bringing their own unique flavor and passion to these iconic horror characters. I can’t wait to share what else we have planned!”  

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Tynion + Simmonds resurrect ‘Dracula’ at Skybound

The Universal Monsters version comes to comics in October.

Count Dracula returns to comics as part of a partnership between Skybound and Universal Products & Experiences, which manages the Universal Monsters license. James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds will bring Dracula, R.M. Renfield, Mina Seward, Doctor John Seward, Van Helsing and more to the comics page in the four-issue Universal Monsters: Dracula miniseries.

“A few times in my life I’ve had the pleasure of writing about one of the great pop culture icons, but there is something singular about Dracula that made this opportunity too good to pass up,” Tynion said. “The challenge in front of Martin and I is to take the bloody heart of the Universal Pictures classic and find a bold new way to bring the character to life. It’s been one of the most exciting creative challenges of my life, and I am phenomenally excited for you to see the horrors we have in store for you.” 

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