Frankenstine Agent of S.H.A.D.E #8

Frankenstein and Lady Frankenstein are on a mission to find there son, a search that leads them to castle Frankenstein. Frankie and his estranged wife both thought their offspring was dead, so it’s a mission filled with both dread and hope. It was at the end of the last issue Farther Time revelled he was still alive, further fracturing the relationship he/she has with both Frankie and his ex-wife.

 The story of how their son came to be is told in a quick flashback, were we see Lady Frankenstine go from excited to greving mother in two pages. The falshback also goes some way to explaining why the once happy couple are now not so happy, I suppose killing your genetically created child at the point of birth would put a strain on any relationship. I use the term birth lightly as he actually smashes out of a glass birthing matrix and attacks Lady F, which causes Frankie to act shall we say rashly.

 

Back to the present and the Frankenstein’s are wandering the castle looking for their son, with Lady F telling Frankie he has to give him a chance this time. Now given that their son has lets say anger issues, and his last meeting with his parents ended up with him been shot in the head. It’s no real surprise that things soon go drastically wrong, and battle ensues when they all meet up in the castle lab. However when the full picture is revelled their son is show to be a tragic figure who is ruled more by instinct than free will, a situation made more tragic by the fact he seems to know this but cannot do anything about it.

And as Frankie and his son fight it out Lady F deals out her own version of tough love, one you will not find in any child rearing manual that I know of.

At the end of the book we are left with the Frankenstein’s relationship in tatters, and a SHADE organisation that is falling into chaos as Ray Palmer threatens to have its funding pulled.

It’s a credit to Jeff Lemire that two creatures such as Frankenstein and Lady Frankenstein, can be written in such a way that your heart goes out to both of them. And when Lady F kisses Frankie and tells him that she loves him, but then walks away seemingly forever, you are left in no doubt the despair been felt by the big man. His final words ‘’SHADE is all I have now. Lets go home’’ convey just how far he has fallen, as he realises any hope he had of winning back his wife died in the castle, ironically the place they were both given life.

The art work by Alberto Ponticelli, Inks by Walden Wong and colouring by Jose Villarrubia, all play there part in make this top class issue. Jeff Lemire is leaving this book at issue 9 to Justice League Dark, his replacement Matt Kindt has big shoes to fill.