New Universal Monsters Comic Book Series'

[darkmonkeygod]

I just read the third issue of Creature and I take back everything I've said so far, but only so I can say with greater emphasis that this is an irredeemably stupid comic. Sub-par art, yes, but an astonishingly moronic story. It's nearly unfathomable to me that this actually exists. No matter how it ends, what a colossal waste of efforts, ink, paper, money, and - most important - what a disservice to the Creature.

Even if the last page of issue three turns out to be the result of the beaten-to-death-if-it-ever-had-life "anoxic brain damage" suffered by the main character, it's as if the writers want to sabotage the very idea of the Creature with their hacked out inanity. Everyone involved in this should be ashamed of themselves, but whomever it was at Uni that approved this should be drummed out of the industry entirely. Perhaps they'd be qualified to deliver groceries, but certainly they're unqualified for brand management and anything involving creativity.

As objects, the comics are neat to have because of their generally well executed covers, but what an inexcusably dumb story.


I know, I know... but what do I really think? 

[Rex fury]

I have to agree. I wonder if the same folks who approved the Dark Universe had a hand in this. Perhaps they got wind of DC's plan to launch the animated Creature Commandos and thought hey we can have a commando of our own... At least he wasn't wearing a cape!

What really perplexed me was the three pages of positive letters printed in the back. Not one took a shot at critical comment.

RF

[Mike Scott]

Not one took a shot at critical comment.

Did you think they'd publish the bad reviews? 

[Mike Scott]

Got the last of the Creature comics, today. Still haven't read any.

[darkmonkeygod]

Still haven't read any.

I recommend against. 

[Mike Scott]

I recommend against. 

I'll just look at the pretty covers.

[darkmonkeygod]

I'll just look at the pretty covers.

Smart move.

The story in the comic played out pretty much as I thought it would and I'll once again and for a final time state just how insipid, uninspired, lazy, and outright dumb I found it. "We're the real monsters, man!" What a sorry joke.

[MikeSTZillak]

Read Frankenstein today. Huge improvement over the Creature and Dracula series. It does retell the original movie like Dracula but unlike it, it does so from new POVs that are interesting and not boring at all.
The artwork is also stunning and feels like old school Horror posters at times. It also nails the Universal Monsters vibe which was lacking in the previous minis too.

[darkmonkeygod]

Read Frankenstein today. Huge improvement over the Creature and Dracula series. It does retell the original movie like Dracula but unlike it, it does so from new POVs that are interesting and not boring at all.
The artwork is also stunning and feels like old school Horror posters at times. It also nails the Universal Monsters vibe which was lacking in the previous minis too.

That's great to hear! It is written and drawn by a much more accomplished creator, Michael Walsh - with art assist in some fashion from Toni Marie Griffen. Michael clearly has a passion for the Monster and, most importantly, gets it in terms of not being the sort of fool to mix peanut butter and sour cream in the fashion the architects of the Creature Lives series did.

[John Pertwee]

I was happy with the new Frankenstein comic. Great new take on the story so far.

[MikeSTZillak]

So one of the writers for the Creature comic series had an AMA on r/DCComics and was asked a bit about the series: https://old.reddit.com/r/DCcomics/comments/1ff7ya9/im_comics_writer_dan_watters_in_advance_of_my/lmtcsq4/

"Hey, I have a question about the Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives miniseries.

A while ago, Ram V said that only the first film was considered canon to it ignoring the sequels. My question is that was it a purposefully done retcon for the story or was it a contractual thing from Universal to only use the first film?"

It was for story purposes. The rough outline was in place and approved before I came on board, but setting is important for a story, and the sequels drifted away from the Black Lagoon itself. We wanted to return to the idea of the creature as an ethereal myth-like being, which is really at the heart of the original.

[Mike Scott]

So, are they all done with these, including extra covers?

[darkmonkeygod]

So, are they all done with these, including extra covers?

These being... UM comics or just Creature or...?

[Mike Scott]

These being... UM comics or just Creature or...?

Boff

[John Pertwee]

Frank has three more issues to come out and then the hardback complete book will come out for Creature, and we assume the complete Frank story will come out later. As of today, nothing further has been announced.