Mike Kaluta’s Frankenstein predates the much more famous version by Berni Wrightson. Kaluta and Wrightson were old friends from their “The Studio” days. Wrightson’s artwork for the classic Mary Shelley novel recently sold for a million dollars. My obsession for Mike Kaluta’s work is well established. Kaluta’s take is older and appeared in The Phantom Stranger #23 (January-February 1973). It was a back-up story to the lead.
This seven and a half pager, “The Spawn of Frankenstein” was written by Marv Wolfman. It has a scientist named Victor who is obsessed with recreating Frankenstein’s work. The man admits that the five year search for the frozen Adam has cost him time away from his wife and friends.
Once back in the States, Victor tries to convince his department head that new research into raising the dead is a good idea. Klaus calls it ghoulish. Victor calls Klaus a fool and resigns from the faculty.
Vic comes home and tells his wife, Marie, all about the meeting. He is headed for the lab but Marie begs him to stay home. Victor can’t be dissuaded and heads off. Marie picks up the phone and calls her friend, Rachael, who happens to be the girlfriend of Dr. Terence Thirteen, ghostbreaker.
Using a funky machine (And Mike loves to draw funky machines!) he zaps the dead monster, bringing it back to life.
Dr. Thirteen and the two women go to Victor’s lab, where he has resurrected the equipment Frankenstein once used. They split up since the place is huge. Rachael accidentally stumbles into the experiment…
The monster leaps up off its slab and destroys the machine. Thirteen mistakes the monster’s action, thinking it killed Victor and attacked Rachael. The ghostbreaker attacks Adam with a metal lever.
The building begins to fall in. The visitors hurry to leave but part of the roof collapses. Again Thirteen think Adam is trying to kill them all. He is surprised to find the creature holds up the roof to allow them to escape.
Dr. Thirteen rushes Rachael to the hospital. The doctor says she is in a coma and may never recover. Thirteen swears his undying hatred for the creature, vowing to destroy it. Now you have to wait until Issue 25 when Marv and Mike do it all again. Kaluta moved on from the strip but did do the cover for #26. Steve Skeates and Bernard Bailey took over in #27-29.
Now I admit there isn’t a whole lotta Northern stuff going on in Mike Kaluta’s Frankenstein, basically the first page. That aside, I love the little bit Mike did do. It reminds me once again that Frankenstein, the first major horror novel was a Northern in its frame. And I mean, if you need an excuse to look at wonderful Mike Kaluta art, why not this?
