Frankenstein (DC Comics)

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character_name=Frankenstein
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Detective Comics" #135
(May, 1948)
creators=Edmond Hamilton
Bob Kane
Based upon the character by Mary Shelley
real_name=Uses Frankenstein in tribute to his creator
species =
homeworld =
alliances=Seven Soldiers of Victory
S.H.A.D.E.
aliases =
supports =
powers=Extreme strength, unliving and thus unkillable.|

Frankenstein is a DC Comics character who is based on Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's original Frankenstein's monster, but is physically and mentally more reminiscent of the classic Universal representation of the character. He was created in 1948 by Edmond Hamilton and Bob Kane in a Batman Detective Comics story.

A later reworking was developed by Len Wein as the "Spawn of Frankenstein" concept. The monster fell under the thrall of Count Dracula. They often battled against Superman, Batman, or the Phantom Stranger.

Frankenstein's latest revamping was created by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke in 2005 and is similar to Doc Frankenstein. He is a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and bears a resemblance to the creature as portrayed by Boris Karloff in the 1931 film directed by James Whale.

Fictional character biography

Frankenstein is an undead body composed of parts from several corpses stitched together, created by Victor Frankenstein some time in the 19th century. He was assumed dead in Europe when he sank beneath the ice, but he survived and swam to America, having 'many adventures'. In 1870, he fought Melmoth, the Ringmaster of the Circus of Maggots, and stopped him from destroying a town with maggot-hominids. Exhausted, he sank into the ground.

In 2005, a high school student, called 'Uglyhead' by all the other children, acquires telepathic abilities, which he uses to torment his peers. At the senior prom, the now-docile students are killed by the Sheeda maggot-hominids. This causes the return of Frankenstein, who makes short work of the maggots and the boy, before burning down the school to cover the bodies. Afterwards, Frankenstein makes his way to Mars through an Erdel Gate, where he confronts Melmoth once again. Frankenstein frees the children Melmoth has enslaved to work in his gold mines, and feeds Melmoth to the flesh-eating, praying mantis-like horses of Mars. Yet before he is consumed, Melmoth reveals that it was not lightning that brought the monster to life, but several drops of his own immortal blood, sold to Frankenstein's creator, that still course through Frankenstein's veins.

In the third issue of the series, Frankenstein meets an old acquaintance greatly resembling the "Bride" in James Whale's "Bride of Frankenstein", albeit with four arms. She is now an agent of the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive (S.H.A.D.E., a parody of Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D.), a secret government agency who temporarily drafts Frankenstein as well. Of their previous relationship, she says, "It's nothing personal, but you were never my type."

In the final issue, he stows away on a time-ship which brings him to the Sheeda realm in the distant future. There, he destroys their world-destroying fleet, kills the Sheeda-Queen's time-yacht's steersman, and hijacks her ship to the present. Once in the present, though, Klarion gains control of Frankenstein using a witch-brand and forces him to take the castle back to the future.

He appears briefly in "Infinite Crisis #7", which takes place one week after the Frankenstein miniseries. He is seen fighting against General Wade Eiling.

Frankenstein is armed with a three-foot-long sword, which he claims once belonged to the Archangel Michael, and a large antique pistol, which he calls his 'steam-gun'.

A character called Young Frankenstein has appeared in Teen Titans as a member of the team during the "Lost Year" covered by "52". Young Frankenstein was apparently killed by Black Adam during WWIII, but actually survived as shown in the Infinite Halloween Special and Countdown to Mystery #2.

Frankenstein and S.H.A.D.E appear in Final Crisis #3, also written by Grant Morrison.

Powers and abilities

*Superhuman strength
*Unliving and thus unkillable.
*Mental access to the S.H.A.D.E. database via a surgical implant.

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=spawnoffrankenstein DCU Guide: Spawn of Frankenstein]