The Bride of Frankenstein Lives: Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis Revive a Universal Monster Icon
The Bride lives.
Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics, in partnership with Universal Products & Experiences, have announced Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives, a new four-issue horror comic series from Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson and Eisner Award-nominated artist Mattia De Iulis.
The new limited series arrives in comic book shops on October 28, 2026, just in time for Halloween, and places one of Universal’s most iconic monsters at the center of her own story.
For more horror comic news, previews, and upcoming releases, visit Comic Book Addicts and our New Comics section.
Here Comes the Bride
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 begins with one of horror’s most unforgettable ideas: a woman born from stolen flesh, electricity, pain, and monstrous desperation.
But this time, the story is not only about the creature who demanded her creation.
It is about The Bride herself.
With no memory of her past and no understanding of what she is, The Bride opens her eyes into a strange and dangerous world. She must take her first steps through fear, confusion, and survival while searching for the truth behind her own existence.
Who was she before?
Whose lives were destroyed to create her?
And what does it mean to be alive when your life was assembled from the dead?
That is the haunting question at the center of this new series.
Kelly Thompson Gives The Bride Her Voice
Kelly Thompson’s premise immediately makes this comic stand out. The classic Bride of Frankenstein story has always carried tragedy, beauty, and horror, but The Bride herself has often been treated more like a symbol than a fully explored person.
This new series changes that.
The Bride of Frankenstein Lives gives her the center stage, allowing the character to search for identity, memory, autonomy, and meaning. It is not just about surviving the world that made her. It is about reclaiming a life that was never freely given.
That makes this limited series feel less like a simple monster revival and more like a reckoning.
Thompson has already proven she can balance action, emotion, character voice, and genre storytelling across superhero and horror-leaning work. With The Bride, she has a character perfectly suited for a story about agency, creation, trauma, and self-discovery.
Mattia De Iulis Brings Gothic Horror to Life
Artist Mattia De Iulis gives the preview pages a cold, haunting atmosphere that fits the material beautifully.
The early pages lean into darkness, lightning, stone towers, surgical rooms, bandages, and uneasy light. The Bride’s awakening feels clinical, painful, and deeply unnatural, while her face carries both innocence and fear. The visuals make her feel human before the world around her understands that she is.
That detail is important.
The horror here is not only in the experiment. It is in the way The Bride is forced to wake up inside someone else’s design.
De Iulis’ artwork gives the book a moody, cinematic texture, making Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 feel like a gothic horror story built for modern comic readers.
Skybound’s Universal Monsters Line Keeps Growing
The Bride of Frankenstein Lives is the latest launch in Skybound and Image Comics’ growing Universal Monsters line.
The series follows a strong run of modern monster revivals, including Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives!, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Phantom of the Opera, and Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolf Man.
Each new limited series pairs major comic book talent with one of pop culture’s legendary horror icons. That approach has helped the line feel both classic and fresh, giving longtime monster fans a reason to return while inviting new readers into these worlds.
With The Bride now stepping into the spotlight, Skybound’s Universal Monsters line gets one of its most emotionally rich subjects yet.
Why Horror Fans Should Watch This One
The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 has a strong hook for horror readers, classic film fans, and comic collectors.
It is a monster story, but it is also a story about identity. The Bride is not simply being resurrected for shock value. She is being positioned as the lead character in a mystery about memory, body, autonomy, and survival.
That gives the series a sharp emotional edge.
The best Universal Monsters stories endure because they are not only about fear. They are about outsiders, misfits, loneliness, rejection, and the pain of being misunderstood. The Bride fits that tradition perfectly, and this new series appears ready to explore those themes with purpose.
Cover Lineup
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 will feature a major cover lineup for collectors.
Cover A: Mattia De Iulis
Cover B: Joshua Middleton
Cover C: Artgerm
Cover D: Luana Vecchio Connecting Cover
Cover E: Joshua Middleton 1:25 Incentive
Cover F: Rosemary Valero O’Connell 1:50 Incentive
Cover G: Christian Ward 1:75 Incentive
Cover H: David Talaski 1:100 Foil Incentive — $5.99
Cover I: Blank Sketch — $5.99
Cover J: Artgerm Foil — $5.99
Cover K: Ryan Sook Die Cut Foil Hairiant Cover — $5.99
Comic Book Details
Title: Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1
Series: Issue #1 of 4
Publisher: Skybound Entertainment / Image Comics
Partner: Universal Products & Experiences
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Mattia De Iulis
Price: $4.99, unless otherwise noted
Release Date: October 28, 2026
Digital Platforms: Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play
Final Thoughts
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 looks like one of the most important horror comic launches of the Halloween season.
Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis are not simply bringing back The Bride. They are giving her a story, a voice, a mystery, and a reason to exist beyond the shadow of Frankenstein’s Monster.
That is what makes this announcement exciting.
For longtime fans of Universal Monsters, this series offers a new perspective on one of horror’s most recognizable figures. For new readers, it delivers a gothic horror mystery with a strong emotional core and striking art.
The Bride was created in a storm.
Now she gets to decide what comes next.
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 arrives in comic book shops on October 28, 2026 from Skybound, Image Comics, and Universal Products & Experiences.
Join the Conversation
Are you adding Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 to your Halloween pull list?
Do you want more Universal Monsters comics that give classic horror icons a modern voice?
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