Frankenstein Alive, Alive: The Complete Collection (2025)

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FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE! THE COMPLETE COLLECTION. OCTOBER 2025. FIRST PRINTING.

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Originally published as FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE! issues #1–4.

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Introduction by Steve Niles

This introduction has been very difficult for me to write. Bernie Wrightson and I were more than collaborators; more than “I wrote the words, he drew the pictures,” we shared a creative vision. We were also dear friends. When Bernie died last year it left a void in the hearts of so many people he touched through his art. That void was an abyss for those of us who loved him.

The years we worked together were very special. Just about every Friday night Bernie and Liz would come over for pizza, beer and Scrabble. We’d laugh and joke around, which always led to talking about stories. We created Dead, She Said, The Ghoul and Doc Macabre that way. We’d laugh, talk, and then I’d sneak away and write up the ideas we discussed.

For Frankenstein Alive, Alive!, though, Bernie took the wheel. This was his baby. We would talk it through, I’d write some parts of it up and then Bernie would go away and work the whole thing out. It was amazing to watch. It was like he just shifted gears and started turning out some of the most amazing comic pages I’ve ever seen.

In the year leading up to Bernie’s passing it became increasingly difficult for him to work. Realizing he would not be able to complete the final chapter of Frankenstein Alive, Alive!, Bernie worked out a contingency plan… he chose who he felt would be his ideal replacement—Kelley Jones. Replacement probably isn’t the right word, because no one could ever truly replace an artist like Bernie, but Kelley comes damn close.

When IDW approached Kelley there was no hesitation; he came on board and worked from Bernie’s thumbnails and layouts to finish the book. As the pages started to come in, Liz and I were mesmerized at the skill and care Kelley put into them. It was bittersweet, but also in a way, a joyous moment—Bernie’s final project would be complete, and in the way he would have approved.

I wish Bernie could have seen this book. I know he would have been happy flipping through its pages. It is a testament to Bernie’s incredible love for Mary Shelley’s immortal creature that he devoted so much of his remarkable career to celebrating it. Much in the same way that all of us who knew and loved him will, for many years to come, celebrate the heart, passion and talent of Bernie Wrightson.

Rest well, my friend.

Steve Niles 2018

Dedicated to the enduring memory

Bernie Wrightson Frankenstein Alive, Alive Gallery

A meticulous craftsman, Wrightson painstakingly designed his art with great care and thought. The following pages contain thumbnails, layouts, and pencils by Bernie Wrightson from the fourth issue of Frankenstein Alive, Alive that provide keen insight into his artistic process.