This September, it reaches bookstores Frankestein is alive!, sequel to the adaptation of the classic Mary Shelley. Masterfully illustrated by the great Bernie Wrightson, it has the script by Steve Niles. Next, we leave you the introduction of Niles himself to make a mouth.
I wrote the words, he drew the images
It has been very difficult for me to write this introduction. Bernie Wrightson and I were more than collaborators; more than "I wrote the words, he drew the images«, We shared a creative vision. We were also great friends. When Bernie died last year he left a void in the hearts of many people whom he touched with his art. That emptiness was an abyss for those of us who loved him.
The years we worked together were very special. Almost every Friday night, Bernie and Liz would come home to eat pizza, drink beer and play Scrabble. We joked and laughed, which always led us to talk about stories. we create Dead, She Said; The ghoul Y Doc Macabre that way. We laughed, talked and then slipped away and wrote down the ideas we had commented.
However, for Frankenstein is alive!, Bernie took the helm. This was his baby. We developed in detail, I wrote some parts and then Bernie went home and resolved the whole thing. It was amazing to contemplate. It was as if he were changing gears and starting to present some of the most amazing comic pages I've ever seen.
The year before Bernie died, work began to be increasingly difficult. Realizing that I could not complete the final chapter of Frankenstein is alive!, Bernie devised a contingency plan … he chose the one he believed would be his ideal substitute … Kelley Jones. It is likely that substitute is not the right word, because no one could replace an artist like Bernie, but Kelley is quite close.
When IDW contacted Kelley, there was no hesitation; He got on board and worked on Bernie's miniatures and sketches to finish the book. When the finished pages began to arrive, Liz and I were amazed by the skill and care Kelley had put into them. It was a bittersweet moment, but also, in a way, jubilant … Bernie's final project would be complete, and in the way he had approved.
I wish Bernie had seen this volume. I know he would have been glad to leaf through it. It is a testament to the incredible love with which Bernie paid tribute for much of his remarkable career to the immortal creature of Mary Shelley. Almost in the same way that all of us who know and love him will honor, for many years, the heart, passion and talent of Bernie Wrightson.
Rest in peace, my friend.
Steve Niles