Sure to send a shiver down any reader’s spine, Image Comics’ new series Madame Frankenstein is an all-new vintage-style horror drama series from Jamie S. Rich and newcomer Megan Levens. In 1932, Vincent Krall sets out to create his perfect woman by reanimating the corpse of his recently deceased lover. But he soon begins to realize that perhaps man was not meant to peer beyond the veil between life and death.

In a release Rich said about the series:

I have always been fascinated by the Frankenstein legend and the deeper mythological meanings in Shelley’s original novel, so when Megan came to me with her concept for a My Fair Lady-style appropriation of the concept, it took me all of two seconds to say yes. There seemed to be so much potential there, both in terms of exploring the thematic depths of the story and playing around with the look and feel of classic horror. The downfall of Victor Frankenstein was that he played God and tried to build his own version of man. His hubris was in thinking too highly of his own capacity for creation. Our mad doctor’s bigger mistake is underestimating the power of women.

The time period and setting also helped to inspire the artwork in Madame Frankenstein. Levens in the same release described it:

I’ve always been strongly drawn to the moody, old-Hollywood glamour of the classic Universal monster films, and I felt that aesthetic would be a perfect match for the elements of horror and romance in this story. The period of the early 1930s gave me so much to work with visually, as the architecture, costumes, and even minute details like glassware and wallpaper helped ground the fantastic elements of the story in a reality that still feels a bit removed from the world of the reader. But the aspect of those films that appealed most to me was that they derived their sense of horror from the emotions of the characters. Even the monsters were shown feeling fear, love, and loneliness… and a monster you can empathize with is perhaps the most terrifying of all.

A dark exploration of one man’s manic obsession to build the perfect woman, Madame Frankenstein is a terrifying retelling that would do Shelley proud. The first issue of Madame Frankenstein arrives in stores on 5/7 and will be available for $2.99. Cover A by Joelle Jones and Nick Filardi can be pre-ordered using Diamond Code MAR140478. Cover B by Christopher Mitten can be pre-ordered using Diamond Code MAR140479.