War of the Monsters is a Frankenstein storyline published as part of The New 52. Following the timeline reboot in Flashpoint, it establishes his continuity in the DCnU. It's the debut arc of Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli on their Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. volume.
Synopsis
The collected storyline is three separate arcs. War of the Monsters is the initial four-issue arc. Frankenstein appears in a two-part crossover with the OMAC series. The final story is a two-part arc named The Siege of S.H.A.D.E. City.
War of the Monsters
Frankenstein is called from vacation to the Ant Farm, home of S.H.A.D.E.'s microscopic secret headquarters S.H.A.D.E. City designed by Ray Palmer. The newly regenerated Father Time explains that his wife the Bride has gone missing on a mission. She was last seen attempting to clear up a small Washington town completely overrun by an army of monsters with no discernible source. Frankenstein is sent in to finish the job, leading his new unit called the Creature Commandos. This team includes Warren Griffith, Khalis, Nina Mazursky and Vincent Velcoro. In battle at the town they discover a church-full of innocent survivors.[1] It is revealed that the monsters are coming through a wormhole to another dimension, and the townspeople have been sacrificing innocent children to them for years. The dimension underneath our own is named Dead Space, and it contains an entire Monster Planet. Frankenstein leads his team through the portal, and they discover the Bride fighting off endless hordes of monsters.[2] Khalis uses his mysterious powers to slaughter the entire continent, as he is the only Commando not created by scientist Mazursky. The planet consists of a spider continent, an ogre continent and a horde of sea monsters each with their own massive titan. The team slays the spider titan with Frankenstein jumping inside to tear out its heart, and they split up into groups deal with the rest. Father Time threatens the nuclear option if they are unable to prevent Monster Planet from crossing over into our world.[3] The planet itself sends out a telepathic distress signal, and they learn the titans are parasites that have tortured it for eons. To complete their mission, a battalion of G.I. Robots and War Wheels are sent in as back-up. The Commandos completely devastate the planet, massacring the monsters in a giant war-zone. Having slain them, they barely make it back through the portal in time and are forced to leave the robots behind as guards. Their first mission completed, Frankenstein gives his approval of the new team.[4]
Frankenstein vs. OMAC
OMAC
Father Time agrees to help Checkmate's Maxwell Lord in hunting down the rogue OMAC. The two monsters battle through the streets of Metropolis, and Frankenstein nearly executes him before he's teleported away. It is revealed that Time only agreed to help Lord as an excuse to get closer to Brother Eye, hacking into his files while OMAC is distracted.[5][6]
The Siege of S.H.A.D.E. City
On mission in Vietnam, Frankenstein is forced to put down an old friend from the Vietnam War gone rogue named Colonel Quantum. S.H.A.D.E.'s subservient android workers the Humanids begin to develop sentience, thanks to Brother Eye's manipulation of their programming. They plan a rebellion against their masters and release Mazursky's dangerous failed experimental creatures from their prisons.[7] Frankenstein and the Commandos return to put down the Humanid insurrection, and the Bride single-handedly massacres Mazursky's creatures. In the bloody aftermath Father Time reveals that their most dangerous secret has escaped, a monster they didn't even keep files on... Frankenstein's son.[8]
Issues
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #2
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #3
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #4
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #6
- Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #7
Notes
Pandora watches.
- Pandora makes a brief cameo in this storyline to witness the events, as she does every #1 issue published as part of The New 52. She can be seen during War of the Monsters observing the Creature Commandos fight their way through the town.[1] This is following her first appearance at the end of Flashpoint.[9]
- Nina Mazursky's origin story is detailed in War of the Monsters.[2]
Recommended Reading
Links and References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #2
- ↑ Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #3
- ↑ Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #4
- ↑ OMAC (Volume 4) #5
- ↑ Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5
- ↑ Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #6
- ↑ Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #7
- ↑ Flashpoint (Volume 2) #5, see excerpt
