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Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Volume 1: War of the Monsters
As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics—The New 52 event of September 2011, it's Frankenstein as you've never seen him before, in a dark new series from acclaimed writer Jeff Lemire and artist Alberto Ponticelli!
Frankenstein is part of a network of strange beings who work for an even stranger government organization: The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive, also known as S.H.A.D.E. Leading his new field team, The Creature Commandos, Frankenstein and company must fight against supernatural threats even more strange and dangerous than themselves.
Collecting: Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. 1-7
Frankenstein is part of a network of strange beings who work for an even stranger government organization: The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive, also known as S.H.A.D.E. Leading his new field team, The Creature Commandos, Frankenstein and company must fight against supernatural threats even more strange and dangerous than themselves.
Collecting: Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. 1-7
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2012
20 people are currently reading
533 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Lemire
1,408 books3,858 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
December 29, 2015
He Who Fights Monsters…
There is no shortage of overproduced, showy, noisy garbage in popular culture these days, but the thing is: even if you turn the volume all the way up to 11, a crappy story is still a crappy story. It does not get any better just because it goes full blast, it only becomes more annoying. If you cannot relate to the characters, it does not matter how “infinite” the crisis - you couldn't care less.
At first glance, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. appears to be that kind of crappy story. It certainly turns the volume up to 11 (and beyond), as it bubbles over with outrageous concepts and silly action, shamelessly parading the patchwork of its own body parts – pulpy b-movie horror and sci-fi, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., etc. Underneath all the zaniness, however, it features a bunch of well-designed (if ridiculous) characters. What is more, it actually has a heart and a sense of humor, and it highlights both with somewhat sketchy and sloppy-looking yet expressive and colorful artwork that feels like the passionate (if slightly misguided) attempt to overcome its own limitations.
So what is going on? Operating out of a miniaturized command center in a three-inch ball hovering over planet Earth, our S.H.A.D.E.y heroes fight off disgusting monsters, bizarre aliens, as well as the products of their own scientific hubris. Our protagonist, the always grumpy and utterly humorless super-soldier Frankenstein, is teamed up with his green-skinned, four-armed, rather cynical Lady (or ex-wife, as she insists), a fanboyish wolfman, a wise-cracking vampire, a female scientist who has transformed herself into a fish-lady, and a mysteriously powerful mummy. In charge of the whole enterprise is Father Time, an ancient being that currently inhabits the body of a tiny uniformed schoolgirl with pigtails and a domino mask. Her motto: “Listen, pal, times are changing. The world’s getting weirder. And you’re a dinosaur. So move aside… My ‘mad scientist buddies’ and I are here to save the day.”
Do yourself a favor and check out this quirky, crazy, wild, hilarious, wonderfully enjoyable little book!
There is no shortage of overproduced, showy, noisy garbage in popular culture these days, but the thing is: even if you turn the volume all the way up to 11, a crappy story is still a crappy story. It does not get any better just because it goes full blast, it only becomes more annoying. If you cannot relate to the characters, it does not matter how “infinite” the crisis - you couldn't care less.
At first glance, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. appears to be that kind of crappy story. It certainly turns the volume up to 11 (and beyond), as it bubbles over with outrageous concepts and silly action, shamelessly parading the patchwork of its own body parts – pulpy b-movie horror and sci-fi, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., etc. Underneath all the zaniness, however, it features a bunch of well-designed (if ridiculous) characters. What is more, it actually has a heart and a sense of humor, and it highlights both with somewhat sketchy and sloppy-looking yet expressive and colorful artwork that feels like the passionate (if slightly misguided) attempt to overcome its own limitations.
So what is going on? Operating out of a miniaturized command center in a three-inch ball hovering over planet Earth, our S.H.A.D
Do yourself a favor and check out this quirky, crazy, wild, hilarious, wonderfully enjoyable little book!
September 1, 2012
Armed with the sword of the Archangel Gabriel, Frankenstein protects mankind from dark menaces as an agent of SHADE!
Whenever I talk about comics, I normally latch on to the ones that are more than just guys in spandex punching each other. Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, is two guys punching each other with the volume turned up to eleven.
Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, combines the best parts of Hellboy and Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD with a helping of the Fantastic Four. Cool ideas are spilling off the page, as are the nearly mindless slugfests when Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos go into action, battling entire planets full of monsters, thinly disguised analogs of Dr. Manhattan, and various menaces contained within Shade City.
Frankenstein reminds me of Hellboy quite a bit. He's a hundred years old and fairly pissed off. The rest of the Creature Commandos are takeoffs of established monster characters like the wolfman and the creature from the black lagoon. It's a whole lot of fun.
Like I said earlier, the background concepts are what make the book, like the Ant Farm, a one inch diameter globe that floats above the earth's surface and serves as SHADE headquarters. Ray Palmer as the head scientist of SHADE, complete with his Atom powers, was one of my favorite parts.
Any gripes? Not really. Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, is a hell of a lot of fun. It's not going to make you forget about Watchmen or Starman but it's not meant to.
Whenever I talk about comics, I normally latch on to the ones that are more than just guys in spandex punching each other. Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, is two guys punching each other with the volume turned up to eleven.
Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, combines the best parts of Hellboy and Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD with a helping of the Fantastic Four. Cool ideas are spilling off the page, as are the nearly mindless slugfests when Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos go into action, battling entire planets full of monsters, thinly disguised analogs of Dr. Manhattan, and various menaces contained within Shade City.
Frankenstein reminds me of Hellboy quite a bit. He's a hundred years old and fairly pissed off. The rest of the Creature Commandos are takeoffs of established monster characters like the wolfman and the creature from the black lagoon. It's a whole lot of fun.
Like I said earlier, the background concepts are what make the book, like the Ant Farm, a one inch diameter globe that floats above the earth's surface and serves as SHADE headquarters. Ray Palmer as the head scientist of SHADE, complete with his Atom powers, was one of my favorite parts.
Any gripes? Not really. Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, is a hell of a lot of fun. It's not going to make you forget about Watchmen or Starman but it's not meant to.
February 19, 2024
Frankenstein fights through hordes of monsters along with the Creature Commandos. I seem to have enjoyed this more than most of the other reviewers. Admittedly, there isn't much story here, and the existence of monsters is not explained. Also, the monster incursions are dealt with in one or two issues, so there isn't much development of the story. However, I just like the DC version of Frankenstein, so I would probably read a comic made up of random scenes of him fighting monsters (now that I think of it, that is probably what this is).
March 20, 2013
1.5 stars
I don't get why people like this one. To be fair, I've never read any of DC's Frankenstein stuff before this, so maybe I'm missing information that would tell me why it's a fan-favorite.
It didn't help that there was no explanation of his (DC) origin in this volume. I kept waiting to be introduced to the character through a flashback...at the very least. Alas, no.
As far as I could tell there wasn't much about Frank's personality that was very interesting. He made a lot of Hurmm noises and killed off bad-ass monsters.
Aaaaaand that was it.
The rest of the cast of characters were equally bland.
Again, maybe I would feel different if I had read some of the previous stuff with them in it.
But as far as a reboot?
Fail.
I won't be picking up the next volume.
I don't get why people like this one. To be fair, I've never read any of DC's Frankenstein stuff before this, so maybe I'm missing information that would tell me why it's a fan-favorite.
It didn't help that there was no explanation of his (DC) origin in this volume. I kept waiting to be introduced to the character through a flashback...at the very least. Alas, no.
As far as I could tell there wasn't much about Frank's personality that was very interesting. He made a lot of Hurmm noises and killed off bad-ass monsters.
Aaaaaand that was it.
The rest of the cast of characters were equally bland.
Again, maybe I would feel different if I had read some of the previous stuff with them in it.
But as far as a reboot?
Fail.
I won't be picking up the next volume.
December 8, 2012
Frankenstein is an agent of SHADE - the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive - who fights monsters. This book is called “Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE: War of the Monsters”. That pretty much sums up the book: Frankenstein fighting monsters. The end.
This is DC’s lacklustre take on the infinitely more successful “Hellboy/BPRD” Dark Horse series using the Universal Monsters. So you’ve got Frankenstein, a vampire, a wolfman, a mummy and a creature from the black lagoon fighting a host of weird creatures to save the world but with none of the panache that Mignola and co. bring to their stories.
The first story arc in this book feels like it would made an excellent video game. Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos, as the Universal Monsters are called, head to another planet which is filled with monsters and is headed to invade Earth via a portal as their planet is dying. Frank and his team end up fighting millions of monsters using high tech weaponry and some kind of giant wheel tank with a ton of cool guns which two of the SHADE characters control using computer gamepads. It would be fun to play shoot the monster with the blaster cannon but isn’t fun to read.
This is mostly because this is another reboot where there is no background info to the main character - he’s just introduced as Frankenstein with a big sword. And is also invincible, because the one thing that makes for an interesting story is to have a main character who faces huge numbers of foes and easily defeats them all. There isn’t a single “threat” that is actually a threat to the characters.
Combine that with uninteresting stories - one featuring a crossover with OMAC and another with a red Dr Manhattan rip-off - and you’ve got one action-packed book with no punch to it (pun intended). I don’t know who Frankenstein is and I don’t care. This book was full of superficial over the top action, two dimensional characters, and uninteresting storylines. I love Jeff Lemire’s work but his stuff for the “New 52” has been terrible and unfortunately “Frankenstein” is no exception.
This is DC’s lacklustre take on the infinitely more successful “Hellboy/BPRD” Dark Horse series using the Universal Monsters. So you’ve got Frankenstein, a vampire, a wolfman, a mummy and a creature from the black lagoon fighting a host of weird creatures to save the world but with none of the panache that Mignola and co. bring to their stories.
The first story arc in this book feels like it would made an excellent video game. Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos, as the Universal Monsters are called, head to another planet which is filled with monsters and is headed to invade Earth via a portal as their planet is dying. Frank and his team end up fighting millions of monsters using high tech weaponry and some kind of giant wheel tank with a ton of cool guns which two of the SHADE characters control using computer gamepads. It would be fun to play shoot the monster with the blaster cannon but isn’t fun to read.
This is mostly because this is another reboot where there is no background info to the main character - he’s just introduced as Frankenstein with a big sword. And is also invincible, because the one thing that makes for an interesting story is to have a main character who faces huge numbers of foes and easily defeats them all. There isn’t a single “threat” that is actually a threat to the characters.
Combine that with uninteresting stories - one featuring a crossover with OMAC and another with a red Dr Manhattan rip-off - and you’ve got one action-packed book with no punch to it (pun intended). I don’t know who Frankenstein is and I don’t care. This book was full of superficial over the top action, two dimensional characters, and uninteresting storylines. I love Jeff Lemire’s work but his stuff for the “New 52” has been terrible and unfortunately “Frankenstein” is no exception.
September 17, 2014
i really love this book. hate to see that it's ending soon, though.
*update*
I have re-read this collection, although I believe my initial "Read" was from the individual issues. I did subtract one star from my review, because I think I just got carried away from the initial excitement of the series.
Since I have wanted to read the entire Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. series in one sitting, or at least the two volumes consecutively, I first read through the recent collection of the first appearance of the Creature Commandos. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
*Mini-rant* It is particularly grating to read reviews that say this book is just a rehash/reworking of Hellboy. The Creature Commandos have been around since the very early 1980s, when they were featured in Weird War Tales as a unit dedicated to fighting the Axis enemies in WW2. I'm sure there are some common elements in both (S.H.A.D.E./B.R.P.D), but seriously, there aren't a whole lot of original ideas left in comics or pop culture today. Maybe Hellboy is a riff on the Creature Commandos, hmm? Or should i say, Hrrrm? I think people should do some research before popping off about things they don't know. *rant over*
Anyway, this still reads as a bombastic, thrilling adventure tale. Full of monsters and shady (ha) governmental bureaucrats, this romp is just pure fun. Unlike a lot of comics, which seem to drag the plot out over 6- 8 issues, writer Jeff Lemire gives us shorter story arcs, which work well in a book like this. We see glimpses of the stories of some of the Commandos, and Lemire adds to the original characterization of Frankenstein (called "Lucky" in the original series) by making the silent, sensitive monster verbal and more prone to violence, but still with enough sensitivity to quote poetry. He's obviously not happy to do what he does, but he's a soldier with a job and carries it out with verve. Velcoro and Griffiths are pretty close to their Weird War counterparts, and new members Dr Mazursky (taking the place of Dr Medusa) and the mysterious Khalis add a fresh element but in keeping with the theme of movie monster villains.
The art by Alberto Ponticelli is fantastic and fits this title well. He has a very classic horror comic feel about his work, and even echoes (faintly) the artist most associated with the Weird War Tales, Fred Carrillo. Lots of dark, heavy lines, and monsters that are terrifying in appearance. Thank God we didn't get yet another Jim Fucking Lee knockoff doing this book. Artist J. G. Jones does some amazing covers, many that look like classic monster movie posters. The colors are bright when they need to be, and dark and murky when they need to be. Visually, the book is excellent.
I really liked seeing Ray Palmer here. The Atom in pre-New 52 continuity, Palmer uses his knowledge of shrinking technology in the service of S.H.A.D.E., and even does his first fight in the New 52 using the technology on himself. Lemire also throws in some really cool old-school references with the GI Robot brigade (also from Weird War Tales) and the War Wheel from the Blackhawk series.
Lemire is going for the long burn here, and I think some reviewers wanted to see more about Frank and his origins up front. That's a legitimate concern, but sometimes building up interest in the whats and whys allows a bigger pay off. Myself, I like the mystery of not knowing everything right away. It keeps me interested.
Looking forward to reading the second volume, although it involves a cross-over with the Rot subplot from Animal Man and Swamp Thing, and I remember it slowed down a good bit. Still, this was one of my favorite titles of the New 52 initial launch, and miss reading it on a monthly basis.
*update*
I have re-read this collection, although I believe my initial "Read" was from the individual issues. I did subtract one star from my review, because I think I just got carried away from the initial excitement of the series.
Since I have wanted to read the entire Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. series in one sitting, or at least the two volumes consecutively, I first read through the recent collection of the first appearance of the Creature Commandos. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
*Mini-rant* It is particularly grating to read reviews that say this book is just a rehash/reworking of Hellboy. The Creature Commandos have been around since the very early 1980s, when they were featured in Weird War Tales as a unit dedicated to fighting the Axis enemies in WW2. I'm sure there are some common elements in both (S.H.A.D.E./B.R.P.D), but seriously, there aren't a whole lot of original ideas left in comics or pop culture today. Maybe Hellboy is a riff on the Creature Commandos, hmm? Or should i say, Hrrrm? I think people should do some research before popping off about things they don't know. *rant over*
Anyway, this still reads as a bombastic, thrilling adventure tale. Full of monsters and shady (ha) governmental bureaucrats, this romp is just pure fun. Unlike a lot of comics, which seem to drag the plot out over 6- 8 issues, writer Jeff Lemire gives us shorter story arcs, which work well in a book like this. We see glimpses of the stories of some of the Commandos, and Lemire adds to the original characterization of Frankenstein (called "Lucky" in the original series) by making the silent, sensitive monster verbal and more prone to violence, but still with enough sensitivity to quote poetry. He's obviously not happy to do what he does, but he's a soldier with a job and carries it out with verve. Velcoro and Griffiths are pretty close to their Weird War counterparts, and new members Dr Mazursky (taking the place of Dr Medusa) and the mysterious Khalis add a fresh element but in keeping with the theme of movie monster villains.
The art by Alberto Ponticelli is fantastic and fits this title well. He has a very classic horror comic feel about his work, and even echoes (faintly) the artist most associated with the Weird War Tales, Fred Carrillo. Lots of dark, heavy lines, and monsters that are terrifying in appearance. Thank God we didn't get yet another Jim Fucking Lee knockoff doing this book. Artist J. G. Jones does some amazing covers, many that look like classic monster movie posters. The colors are bright when they need to be, and dark and murky when they need to be. Visually, the book is excellent.
I really liked seeing Ray Palmer here. The Atom in pre-New 52 continuity, Palmer uses his knowledge of shrinking technology in the service of S.H.A.D.E., and even does his first fight in the New 52 using the technology on himself. Lemire also throws in some really cool old-school references with the GI Robot brigade (also from Weird War Tales) and the War Wheel from the Blackhawk series.
Lemire is going for the long burn here, and I think some reviewers wanted to see more about Frank and his origins up front. That's a legitimate concern, but sometimes building up interest in the whats and whys allows a bigger pay off. Myself, I like the mystery of not knowing everything right away. It keeps me interested.
Looking forward to reading the second volume, although it involves a cross-over with the Rot subplot from Animal Man and Swamp Thing, and I remember it slowed down a good bit. Still, this was one of my favorite titles of the New 52 initial launch, and miss reading it on a monthly basis.
September 1, 2017
As strange as this title may seem...the story actually isn't terrible. I'm being serious. The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive (SHADE) is bascially D.C.'s BPRD. Instead of Hellboy we have Shakespeare quoting Frankenstein and a motley crew of BPRD clones.
Basic gist- a mystical "hole" is spewing forth monsters. SHADE is sent in to stop it. Frankenstein channels his inner-Hellboy and is pretty much indestructible and carries a big sword. The rest of his team include his 4 armed ex-wife (who is a truly annoying personality), a vampire, a werewolf and some mummy. Yup..a full cast creature feature. Again..this story is not as awful as it may seem. It is a pedestrian plot buttressed by some good prose from Frankenstein, some stirring action and some semblance of a plot that is heading somewhere at some point.
Had the stroy stood on its own..I might have even called it good and given it 3 stars. But for this story to then be bogged down by this substandard art-well that is too much. 2 stars. Doubt I'll be checking in on SHADE anytime soon.
Basic gist- a mystical "hole" is spewing forth monsters. SHADE is sent in to stop it. Frankenstein channels his inner-Hellboy and is pretty much indestructible and carries a big sword. The rest of his team include his 4 armed ex-wife (who is a truly annoying personality), a vampire, a werewolf and some mummy. Yup..a full cast creature feature. Again..this story is not as awful as it may seem. It is a pedestrian plot buttressed by some good prose from Frankenstein, some stirring action and some semblance of a plot that is heading somewhere at some point.
Had the stroy stood on its own..I might have even called it good and given it 3 stars. But for this story to then be bogged down by this substandard art-well that is too much. 2 stars. Doubt I'll be checking in on SHADE anytime soon.
December 26, 2013
Summary: See Sam's review. (I should've listened.)
I forgot how bad most peoples reviews were (Anne, Sam) when I saw this just begging to be checked out of the library. (You could almost hear the lonely weeping.) William Thomas' review must've left an impression cause I thought there was a chance this could be fun. Damn my memory to hell.
Piss-poor opening, devoid of energy or momentum, Mr. Lemire. Frank is at least believably no-nonsense, and I start to want to see him kick ass on the generic monster invasion, and then we receive the following line from Lemire: "Not so fast, Frank. You need to wait for your new field team."
What. The. Fuck. You've been briefing your second best field agent on the ridiculous alien invasion situation, and you wait until you're on the ground and the dude is about to grab a frickin broadsword and charge into the life-threatening fray to let him know he's going to be saddled with three other agents he's never heard of, and has no tactical experience with?
Then a generic push-back-the-invasion scenario (lacking any tension or threat to the protagonists), and a counter-invasion into another dimension. Yawn. When does this get good? Wasn't even as good as a straight viewing of Starship Troopers (let alone Verhoeven's intended experience.)
The art's not much better. It's jaggy and action-oriented, but looks pretty sloppy - at one point Frank is about to get swallowed by a monster, and though I can see the word balloon pointing to his location, I am mystified where he's actually supposed to be in the scene.
Oh screw this, there's a stack of more interesting comics to read. No need to slog through this half-baked monster-movie "fun". Hope you enjoyed this more than I did.
I forgot how bad most peoples reviews were (Anne, Sam) when I saw this just begging to be checked out of the library. (You could almost hear the lonely weeping.) William Thomas' review must've left an impression cause I thought there was a chance this could be fun. Damn my memory to hell.
Piss-poor opening, devoid of energy or momentum, Mr. Lemire. Frank is at least believably no-nonsense, and I start to want to see him kick ass on the generic monster invasion, and then we receive the following line from Lemire: "Not so fast, Frank. You need to wait for your new field team."
What. The. Fuck. You've been briefing your second best field agent on the ridiculous alien invasion situation, and you wait until you're on the ground and the dude is about to grab a frickin broadsword and charge into the life-threatening fray to let him know he's going to be saddled with three other agents he's never heard of, and has no tactical experience with?
Then a generic push-back-the-invasion scenario (lacking any tension or threat to the protagonists), and a counter-invasion into another dimension. Yawn. When does this get good? Wasn't even as good as a straight viewing of Starship Troopers (let alone Verhoeven's intended experience.)
The art's not much better. It's jaggy and action-oriented, but looks pretty sloppy - at one point Frank is about to get swallowed by a monster, and though I can see the word balloon pointing to his location, I am mystified where he's actually supposed to be in the scene.
Oh screw this, there's a stack of more interesting comics to read. No need to slog through this half-baked monster-movie "fun". Hope you enjoyed this more than I did.
May 6, 2024
Hm, exceptând numele lui Jeff Lemire, un scriitor excelent din lumea de azi a benzilor desenate, nimic de aici nu-mi spunea nimic. După ce am citit primul volum, pot zice cu siguranță că „Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.” e încercarea DC de a oferi propria replică a universului Hellboy cititorilor săi. S.H.A.D.E. e un soi de B.P.R.D., în mod evident Frankenstein e Hellboy, așa cum Nina Mazursky, un soi de femeie cu trăsături de pește seamănă suficient de mult cu Abraham Sapien cât totul să fie mai mult decât o coincidență. Și mai avem o mumie, un om-liliac, un vârcolac, ce mai, o întreagă menajerie care luptă în secret de partea celor buni contra tuturor monștrilor și creaturilor ciudate pe care Lemire și le poate imagina. Dincolo de trimiterile către Hellboy am regăsit aici puțin din atmosfera din Black Hammer, mai ales atunci cânt privești cu atenție personajele.
Arta e simpatică, poveștile aduc a film pulp-horrror de categorie B, în principiu te distrezi citind și nu iei mai nimic în serios. Totul e strident, strigător la ochi și exagerat, așa că e o poveste pentru fanii genului și nimic mai mult. Mă îndoiesc că tot ce e aici are vreo importanță la nivelul universului DC sau al rebootului New 52, dar e o călătorie plăcută pentru cine are răbdare cu așa ceva.
Arta e simpatică, poveștile aduc a film pulp-horrror de categorie B, în principiu te distrezi citind și nu iei mai nimic în serios. Totul e strident, strigător la ochi și exagerat, așa că e o poveste pentru fanii genului și nimic mai mult. Mă îndoiesc că tot ce e aici are vreo importanță la nivelul universului DC sau al rebootului New 52, dar e o călătorie plăcută pentru cine are răbdare cu așa ceva.
June 16, 2014
Great read stuffed with action and a butt load of fun!
So I'm a big fan of Jeff Lemire, he's doing great work in Justice League Dark and his run on Animal Man was magical. Though this title doesn't have the depth and emotion that the others have, it makes up for it with all out fun. What we have here is a series that has been stripped back to the basics, it's fast paced and action packed. I had previously seen Frankenstein in the Rotworld crossover as well as recently in Justice League Dark and I really liked his character. This book proves how awesome he is, ruthless in battle with an old school gentleman's attitude. I don't know why I put off reading this title for so long. I had read a lot of not so good reviews, along with the fact it was cancelled after 18 or so issues it didn't give me that much reason to try it. So I wasn't expecting much when I began, which turned out to be good cause it caught me completely off guard.
Frankenstein is a member of S.H.A.D.E (disgustingly close to S.H.E.I.L.D) another secret government agency. They operate out of a 3 inch microscopic ball floating in the sky, fighting off weird monster-type threats against the world. So right off the bat the premise shows it's something different. His teammates consist of a mummy, a werewolf, Frank's ex wife lady Frankenstein, a fish lady and a vampire/bat guy. All pretty out there, but somehow it worked well. The team gave great banter throughout the adventures that made it a real joy to read. The art is unique, although it's not my favourite style I'm use to it after reading All Star Western, which has a similar style.
Im really looking forward to wrapping up the series in the second and final volume. If your up for something quirky and fun, then this one for you!
So I'm a big fan of Jeff Lemire, he's doing great work in Justice League Dark and his run on Animal Man was magical. Though this title doesn't have the depth and emotion that the others have, it makes up for it with all out fun. What we have here is a series that has been stripped back to the basics, it's fast paced and action packed. I had previously seen Frankenstein in the Rotworld crossover as well as recently in Justice League Dark and I really liked his character. This book proves how awesome he is, ruthless in battle with an old school gentleman's attitude. I don't know why I put off reading this title for so long. I had read a lot of not so good reviews, along with the fact it was cancelled after 18 or so issues it didn't give me that much reason to try it. So I wasn't expecting much when I began, which turned out to be good cause it caught me completely off guard.
Frankenstein is a member of S.H.A.D.E (disgustingly close to S.H.E.I.L.D) another secret government agency. They operate out of a 3 inch microscopic ball floating in the sky, fighting off weird monster-type threats against the world. So right off the bat the premise shows it's something different. His teammates consist of a mummy, a werewolf, Frank's ex wife lady Frankenstein, a fish lady and a vampire/bat guy. All pretty out there, but somehow it worked well. The team gave great banter throughout the adventures that made it a real joy to read. The art is unique, although it's not my favourite style I'm use to it after reading All Star Western, which has a similar style.
Im really looking forward to wrapping up the series in the second and final volume. If your up for something quirky and fun, then this one for you!
July 2, 2012
A steep departure from Lemire's other work, this book is basically Mignola's Hellboy by way of Phillip K Dick. It's nothing but pure fun. It doesn't have any of the undertones we are used to in his other books, nor does it have the metaphysical weight. And that's what makes this book so special.
Lemire's just let's loose and has a blast with this reboot of the 1948 Bob Kane creation of DC's Frankenstein. Only in this, Frank's the hero (a nearly spitting image in tone and powers to Hellboy), and commands a squad of creature commandos (who look like the ragtag group of BPRD agents). The similarities to Mignola aside, this book is just a quick, mindless blast. If you're expecting the heavy, depressing but extremely humanizing Lemire stories you've come to know in Sweet Tooth or Animal Man, you're in for a let-down. This book is zany science fiction meets Monster Squad, with a mummy, a vampire and a wolfman. And god I'm hoping someone kicks that wolfman in the nards.
Alberto Ponticelli is new to me but I love what I see. Everything about his messy style of line and nonlinear take on each panel, each stroke of the pen even, matches the characters and story perfectly. The book reminds me of mid-90's Vertigo books in overall tone and I like that. I like the sloppy, highly stylized and sometimes confusing artwork because it matches the writing so well. Until issue 7, at least, where it seems that Ponticelli abandons his style altogether for a more cartoonish look, which is completely baffling to say the least.
Writing: B-
Art: B
Lemire's just let's loose and has a blast with this reboot of the 1948 Bob Kane creation of DC's Frankenstein. Only in this, Frank's the hero (a nearly spitting image in tone and powers to Hellboy), and commands a squad of creature commandos (who look like the ragtag group of BPRD agents). The similarities to Mignola aside, this book is just a quick, mindless blast. If you're expecting the heavy, depressing but extremely humanizing Lemire stories you've come to know in Sweet Tooth or Animal Man, you're in for a let-down. This book is zany science fiction meets Monster Squad, with a mummy, a vampire and a wolfman. And god I'm hoping someone kicks that wolfman in the nards.
Alberto Ponticelli is new to me but I love what I see. Everything about his messy style of line and nonlinear take on each panel, each stroke of the pen even, matches the characters and story perfectly. The book reminds me of mid-90's Vertigo books in overall tone and I like that. I like the sloppy, highly stylized and sometimes confusing artwork because it matches the writing so well. Until issue 7, at least, where it seems that Ponticelli abandons his style altogether for a more cartoonish look, which is completely baffling to say the least.
Writing: B-
Art: B
November 16, 2012
Pure Fun. An action-packed comic with a great sense of humor and outlandish characters and situations. Frankenstein is a super-solder working out of a miniaturized command center in a three-inch ball floating in space. He aided by a suck-up werewolf, a wise-cracking vampire, a mysterious mummy,a female amphibian woman and his four-armed, green-skinned ex-wife. Did I mention his boss is an ancient being inhabiting the body of a tiny schoolgirl? Granted, the art is rough and edgy and first seems unsuited to the subject, but after an issue, it reminded me of the style of many issues of "Creepy" and "Eerie." As with a few other "New 52" titles, the art changes in the last issue included in the collection, which is off-putting, but many readers may prefer the cleaner style. Overall a wonderfully enjoyable book.
July 21, 2012
I've never read any of the DC Universe, so I can't comment on whether the comic remains true to its origins. I don't believe that it matters, honestly.
I found the story to be action packed, tongue in cheek funny, deeply moral and at times oddly heartwarming. Frankenstein kicking ass with a Mummy, a Vampire, a Wolfman,a Fish Woman an estranged Mrs. Frankenstein, and Father Time? That sounds like the basis for a pretty great comic to me!
I found the story to be action packed, tongue in cheek funny, deeply moral and at times oddly heartwarming. Frankenstein kicking ass with a Mummy, a Vampire, a Wolfman,a Fish Woman an estranged Mrs. Frankenstein, and Father Time? That sounds like the basis for a pretty great comic to me!
May 21, 2012
I always loved DC's take on it's superpowered organisation's. Rucka's run on Checkmate was brilliant and whilst this is, at face value, a much more fight instead of plot based comic there's loads of depth in S.H.A.D.E. As with most of the New 52 there's a little tweak to what we know with the inclusion of a not-yet-costumed-hero Ray Palmer but every one else was for me pretty much new anyways. The new Creature Commandos are intriguing and fit perfectly alongside Frankestein (there's a vampire, a werewolf, a mummy and a sea monster :) ) I hope the next volume carries on the cracking tales.
January 11, 2023
Was not expecting to like this, sort of a knock off Hellboy, but Lemire did not disappoint.
August 10, 2012
A fun action adventure series featuring a band of super powered heroes based on classic universal monsters. This series is enjoyable with lots of good action and interesting characters. They only really delve into one of the creature commandos, but I have high hopes for the continuing series. The next arc hints at more development for the title character and his ex-wife. The action is nicely offset by humor. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes action or comedy or horror motifs.
June 11, 2012
This was hands down not only one of the worst graphic novels I've ever read, but the artwork was atrocious.
May 1, 2018
It's a shame how promising this series started. The opening story, in which Frankenstein and his SHADE comrades have to battle an entire planetful of monsters, is an over-the-top, rip-roaring energy blast of comics nonsense that's just dumb enough to be fun. I could overlook it's incredibly clunky setup, dearth of character development, and utter waterfall of exposition if it was just going to be an insane mash-up of horror creatures and sci-fi technobabble. Unfortunately, by about the 3rd issue (of 7 in this collection), it completely loses any of the energy that made it fun and absurd and grinds to a boring crawl.
I reached a point where I was actively dreading having to read the rest of this. Lemire starts dumping new information into the mix out of absolutely nowhere in an attempt to keep the plot interesting. There's no build, no further character exploration, no foreshadowing (minus one very obvious twist you can see coming from Jupiter). This series seriously nosedives and stays there.
I mean, Lemire doesn't even bother to tell us who half the characters are. They're just "werewolf," "vampire," "mummy." Nothing defining them or giving them a reason to be here. They're just avatars for horror ideas as old as time, and whenever they were "onscreen" I felt annoyed and let down.
Also, don't expect any sort of driving narrative. The first couple of issues make it seem like there's going to be one, but then it falls apart in a real hurry.
Overall, this is a thoroughly skippable mess that I can't imagine gets any better. I won't be reading the next volume. It's all the more upsetting since it's Jeff Lemire, who's usually pretty great.
I reached a point where I was actively dreading having to read the rest of this. Lemire starts dumping new information into the mix out of absolutely nowhere in an attempt to keep the plot interesting. There's no build, no further character exploration, no foreshadowing (minus one very obvious twist you can see coming from Jupiter). This series seriously nosedives and stays there.
I mean, Lemire doesn't even bother to tell us who half the characters are. They're just "werewolf," "vampire," "mummy." Nothing defining them or giving them a reason to be here. They're just avatars for horror ideas as old as time, and whenever they were "onscreen" I felt annoyed and let down.
Also, don't expect any sort of driving narrative. The first couple of issues make it seem like there's going to be one, but then it falls apart in a real hurry.
Overall, this is a thoroughly skippable mess that I can't imagine gets any better. I won't be reading the next volume. It's all the more upsetting since it's Jeff Lemire, who's usually pretty great.
March 12, 2020
I loved this book! In this tale, Frankenstein, immortal and unstoppable has been recruited by S.H.A.D.E., the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive. This is a group of malcontents and strange people. Wolfmen, Witches, even Bigfoot have been members of S.H.A.D.E.
This group does the things even the Justice League Dark knows little about. Paranormal incursions? Living planets of dead people? Elemental forces bent on destroying all reality? MONSTERS!
All this and more Frank and crew go into battle against. He works with the weirdos, including a mummy possessing earth shattering power.
And his wife......who hates him
Frank and the Creature Commandos go into battle against monsters who appear on Earth. They follow them back to their homeworld and deal with them as best they can.
Frankenstein in this book is almost a force on nature, and yet speaks and responds to others in a caring and compassionate way. He is almost like a knight, dutiful and unrelenting. This book is a warm embrace to books of ages past, and it is worth your time if you want something that aint Avengers or Justice League. Wonderful experience!
Danny
This group does the things even the Justice League Dark knows little about. Paranormal incursions? Living planets of dead people? Elemental forces bent on destroying all reality? MONSTERS!
All this and more Frank and crew go into battle against. He works with the weirdos, including a mummy possessing earth shattering power.
And his wife......who hates him
Frank and the Creature Commandos go into battle against monsters who appear on Earth. They follow them back to their homeworld and deal with them as best they can.
Frankenstein in this book is almost a force on nature, and yet speaks and responds to others in a caring and compassionate way. He is almost like a knight, dutiful and unrelenting. This book is a warm embrace to books of ages past, and it is worth your time if you want something that aint Avengers or Justice League. Wonderful experience!
Danny
July 13, 2021
So many ideas that are half-used and others that are half-assed. Ugh.
July 10, 2024
It's fun but not great. Cool idea though
April 1, 2015
Eh. I feel like there are lots of parts to this that I want to like, but it doesn't come together as a cohesive enough whole to make me enjoy it. Starting off with a dead dog not two pages into the first issue is a bad start (and what put me off the series when it began in single issues), but the first four issues meander all over the place, throwing in SHADENet jargon wherever they fancy, and the resolution of the story doesn't really thrill me at all.
The OMAC single issue is just a pointless crossover, although it does lead into the last two issues which I genuinely enjoyed. These two issues are the best of the volume, dealing with an uprising within SHADE and spinning off into the next storyline in volume 2.
Now to get down to brass tacks. I like Frankenstein. I like the idea of SHADE. I like Lady Frankenstein, and the Creature Commandos especially. I even like Father Time. So I really can't put my finger on why this title just underwhelms me. The art's a little undetailed for my taste, a far cry from Ponticelli's work on Dial H, but he does pencil all 7 issues here, and all 10 issues in volume 2, so drawing an entire series is something no other artists in the New 52 can boast about, I don't think.
It's annoying that I can't work out what I didn't like. Maybe volume 2 will shed some light on it.
The OMAC single issue is just a pointless crossover, although it does lead into the last two issues which I genuinely enjoyed. These two issues are the best of the volume, dealing with an uprising within SHADE and spinning off into the next storyline in volume 2.
Now to get down to brass tacks. I like Frankenstein. I like the idea of SHADE. I like Lady Frankenstein, and the Creature Commandos especially. I even like Father Time. So I really can't put my finger on why this title just underwhelms me. The art's a little undetailed for my taste, a far cry from Ponticelli's work on Dial H, but he does pencil all 7 issues here, and all 10 issues in volume 2, so drawing an entire series is something no other artists in the New 52 can boast about, I don't think.
It's annoying that I can't work out what I didn't like. Maybe volume 2 will shed some light on it.
December 29, 2014
I don't have too many guilty pleasures in comics but Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. was one of them. Getting back into comics at the beginning of The New 52 (3 years ago now), I had no idea why Frankenstein was in the DC Universe, much less why he was given his own book. But, I am a sucker for horror comics, and the idea of my favorite Universal Movie Monsters (Black Lagoon creature, a Mummy, a Vampire, a Werewolf, Frankenstein) coming together to fight other monsters was too tempting to pass up.
I suppose one's level of expectations are important when going into a book, which is why some could have walked away disappointed. Personally, I wasn't expecting Shakespeare monologues or writing expected out of say, the Metal Gear Solid series. I was hoping for monsters kicking ass, taking few names, and some humorous banter. This was all delivered.
Although Lemire would eventually leave the title right before it was cancelled, I enjoyed his work in the first volume. I am more disappointed that DC cancelled this book (among many other "Dark" or "Edge" titles) due to the lack of diversity in books that it affords the company. I love Batman (and collect all his books) as much as the next comic fan, but we don't need 52 different Batman titles as humorous as it would be.
I suppose one's level of expectations are important when going into a book, which is why some could have walked away disappointed. Personally, I wasn't expecting Shakespeare monologues or writing expected out of say, the Metal Gear Solid series. I was hoping for monsters kicking ass, taking few names, and some humorous banter. This was all delivered.
Although Lemire would eventually leave the title right before it was cancelled, I enjoyed his work in the first volume. I am more disappointed that DC cancelled this book (among many other "Dark" or "Edge" titles) due to the lack of diversity in books that it affords the company. I love Batman (and collect all his books) as much as the next comic fan, but we don't need 52 different Batman titles as humorous as it would be.
November 18, 2013
La criatura creada por Mary Shelley para su novela Frankenstein o el moderno Prometeo sigue, y seguirá, dando mucho juego tanto en el mundo del cine, la literatura y la televisión. Pero también en el mundo del cómic, como demuestra el tebeo que ahora tenemos entre manos, y que no es otro que Frankenstein: Agente de S.H.A.D.E., una serie de aventuras, acción y toques sobrenaturales que pretende hacernos pasar un buen rato más que interesante por su inicial premisa de poner un grupo de monstruos clásicos al servicio de la organización gubernamental secreta de S.H.A.D.E., o el Comité de Defensa Avanzada Superhumana. El propio Frankenstein (todos sabemos que ese no era su nombre, pero la cultura popular de este siglo le ha bautizado como tal), surgido de las páginas del númeo 135 de Detective Comics y de Los siete soldados de la victoria de Grant Morrison, lidera este grupo de monstruos, o bien trabaja en solitario en algunas ocasiones, pero siempre al mando de su padre, el cual cambia de cuerpo cada década.
Sigue leyendo: http://www.laespadaenlatinta.com/2013...
Sigue leyendo: http://www.laespadaenlatinta.com/2013...
January 8, 2014
Until I read Blackest Night a few years back I didn't know there was a Frankenstein monster in the greater DCU. I completely forgot about him - with good reason - until I picked up his New 52 reboot.
Agent of SHADE picks up fast, and moves quicker from there. The initial "War of the Monsters" arc is epic comic-action with a team of Universal-Monster movies in place of superheros. I'm not complaining there. I was digging Khalis the mummy and his mysterious powers throughout. Oh, and there's a tie-in with the O.M.A.C reboot too (but just avoid that one).
Basically this gets a 4 because it's quick, dirty, simple comic book that's action-horror flavored (a personal favorite of mine). Story line had enough plot elements to keep me engaged and wanting more, but didn't overload me with a whole bunch of half-assembled DC Frankenstein lore to put together. Rather, it's filling that stuff in along the way. Some of the other B-squad DC books should takes some note of this series.
Agent of SHADE picks up fast, and moves quicker from there. The initial "War of the Monsters" arc is epic comic-action with a team of Universal-Monster movies in place of superheros. I'm not complaining there. I was digging Khalis the mummy and his mysterious powers throughout. Oh, and there's a tie-in with the O.M.A.C reboot too (but just avoid that one).
Basically this gets a 4 because it's quick, dirty, simple comic book that's action-horror flavored (a personal favorite of mine). Story line had enough plot elements to keep me engaged and wanting more, but didn't overload me with a whole bunch of half-assembled DC Frankenstein lore to put together. Rather, it's filling that stuff in along the way. Some of the other B-squad DC books should takes some note of this series.
October 31, 2012
Pretty okay.
I have to say, when are we going to learn that we can't just create humanoid beings, enslave them, and then be surprised that they are sentient? I mean, come on. It always goes the same way:
"Don't worry, they don't have thoughts or feelings. I know they look very human and act human in every way conceivable, but trust me, they are totes unaware."
Then one of them makes a brave escape and we all say,
"Ah, shit. Well...okay, next time we'll totes do it right."
Let's just stop with that crap. Because really, what's the line where a being can be a helpful, self-directed slave, yet not have any sort of consciousness? That line is finer than Elizabeth Shue in Adventures in Babysitting. Because she was fiiiiiineeeeeee...
I have to say, when are we going to learn that we can't just create humanoid beings, enslave them, and then be surprised that they are sentient? I mean, come on. It always goes the same way:
"Don't worry, they don't have thoughts or feelings. I know they look very human and act human in every way conceivable, but trust me, they are totes unaware."
Then one of them makes a brave escape and we all say,
"Ah, shit. Well...okay, next time we'll totes do it right."
Let's just stop with that crap. Because really, what's the line where a being can be a helpful, self-directed slave, yet not have any sort of consciousness? That line is finer than Elizabeth Shue in Adventures in Babysitting. Because she was fiiiiiineeeeeee...
July 26, 2015
So-so. It could have been better than it was. I've met all the major characters before in my New 52 reading but am not really familiar with any of them except Ray Palmer. I like Jeff Lemire as an author, but the writing is actually pretty dumb for the first story which takes up most of this book. Towards the end of that arc I started to get into the S.H.A.D.E. team and then the plot and writing was much better for the second arc. Has a lot of little tie-ins and references to the whole DC 52 universe that made it fun. The ending is a cliffhanger that makes you want to read some more and I've got the others so will continue on.
November 8, 2014
I kind of liked it, just for the sake of all the unexplained weirdness thrown at us in the book. The microscopic SHADEnet headquarters, Father Time in the body of a little girl with a mask, the various creatures, etc. I agree that it would be nice to know a little something more about Frankenstein and his various team members (like why did the fish woman do that to herself?), but not knowing didn't hurt the surface level enjoyment of the giant battle scenes. But there should probably be more to a lasting series than just this anyway.
February 27, 2014
Jeff Lemire - writer
Alberto Ponticelli - illustrator
The plot is really silly, almost corny in a way. The art is extremely sloppy and the coloring is pretty sub-par. I kept waiting for this book to take off and it just...didn't.
Not recommended.
2/5
Alberto Ponticelli - illustrator
The plot is really silly, almost corny in a way. The art is extremely sloppy and the coloring is pretty sub-par. I kept waiting for this book to take off and it just...didn't.
Not recommended.
2/5
December 29, 2014
I always loved the idea of the creature commandos so I'm enjoying the read even though I would love some more time devoted to character development and background on some of the guys. So far it's pretty much been massive battle after massive battle.
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