Fans ofThe Matrixand the Wachowskis may not know that the duo has a history in comics, even once starting their own comic book company. Launched after the release ofThe Matrix ReloadedandThe Matrix Revolutions, Burlyman Entertainment was formed for the Wachowskis to create stories without having to worry about Hollywood.Doc Frankensteinwas their first original comic, and it just might be their masterpiece.
Written by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and drawn by Steve Skroce,Doc Frankensteinreleased its first issue in November 2004. Reimagining Frankenstein’s monster as a world-renowned scientist and adventurer who has survived to the present-day,Doc Frankensteinwas a pulp-infused thrill ride that contained all the action and philosophy one would expect from the Wachowskis.
Unbeholden to film budgets and logistical realities, the Wachowskis and Skroce let their imaginations run wild on the page. It wound up taking longer than anyone expected for the series to complete its story, butDoc Frankensteinstands as a defining work in the Wachowski canon.
Doc FrankensteinIs the Wachowskis’ Under-Appreciated Masterpiece
First Released Between 2004-2007 in Single Issues
We meet the titular character in the first issue, in whichDoc Frankensteinhas just defeated a giant monster. From there, we learn thatDoc has acquired vast wealthsince his creation in the early 1800’s, setting up his own utopian society as he attempts to help push humanity forward into the next century. Doc is joined by Tex, a werewolf bounty hunter he first encountered in the Old West, and his lover Monica, a fellow scientist/adventurer who is also handy with a machine gun. Doc also works with Vickie, the teenage descendent of Victor Frankenstein, and Einstein, a resurrected, genetically-modified Dodo bird.
Doc Frankenstein was originally devised by artist Geof Darrow, who gave the idea to the Wachowskis and Steve Skroce when he launched his seriesShaolin Cowboyat Burlyman Entertainment.
Unfortunately, his progressive approach rubs some the wrong way, including the Catholic church, who send an army to eradicate Doc and his friends. This being a comic book that unabashedly leans into the ridiculous, the Catholic church is revealed to have their own army at their beck and call, with high-tech super-jets and their very own arsenal of atomic weapons. Doc finds his life upended when his organization is destroyed, and he is captured by the Catholic army and forced to question everything he knows whenhe’s rescued by something that can’t be explained by science: a fairy.
The Wachowskis Started Their Own Comics Company withDoc Frankenstein
The MatrixLed to a Different Kind of Sci-Fi Masterpiece
The Wachowskis weren’t exactly new to comics when they launchedDoc Frankensteinin 2004. The filmmakers got their start at Marvel in the early nineties, working on Clive Barker adaptations before taking thewriting reins ofEctokid, one of the original superhero titles created for Barker’s Razorline imprint. That was where theWachowskis were first introduced to Skroce, who they would later hire as a storyboard artistwhen creatingThe Matrix. As such, Skroce was a natural fit for the sisters’ grand return to comics, and every page is filled with the kinetic action that madeThe Matrixa blockbuster success.
Unfortunately,Doc Frankensteinwas plagued by delays almost immediately after it was first launched. Only six issues were released between 2004-2007, before the series went on an indefinite hiatus owing to the Wachowskis’ film work. Itseemed likeDoc Frankensteinwould enter the long list of the great unfinished works in comics, as the years went by and the story remained unfinished. But in 2019, a hardcover collection of the entire six issues and 64 brand-new pages of story was released,finally providingDoc Frankensteinwith the long-promised conclusion to its story.
From the Old West to WWII,Doc FrankensteinChronicles the Creature through History
Based on the NovelFrankensteinby Mary Shelley
In her introduction to the 2019 collection, Lana Wachowski talks about the journey of creatingDoc Frankenstein, and it becomes clear that the comic is one of theWachowskis’ most personal projects. The long-awaited conclusion takes the story to some unexpected places, but fans of the Wachowskis will likely see howDoc Frankensteinfits in with the rest of their oeuvre. What started out as an action-packed, pulp thrill ride ultimately transforms into a treatise on love and acceptance, givingDoc Frankensteinan added depth that may not be immediately apparent at first glance.
Doc Frankensteintakes a subtlety-by-way-of-sledgehammer approach, which may be too overwhelming for some readers. The creators take wild tonal swings that don’t always work, but it’s a reading experience that is all too rare. Fromnew takes on classic monsters to Old West shootouts to the blasphemous, secret origin of Yahweh Himself,Doc Frankensteinthrows in not just everything and the kitchen sink, but every other metaphorical appliance you may think of tossing in. Honestly, the series is all the better for it, as readers get to experience a pure dose of the Wachowskis’ imagination, unburdened by what’s achievable on-screen.
Doc FrankensteinExplores the Conflict Between Science and Religion
Much Like the Original Novel
The Wachowskis haven’t made any more comics since the completion ofDoc Frankenstein, and it would appear that Burlyman Entertainment is now well and truly defunct as a publisher. IfDoc Frankensteinis their swansong in the world of comics, it’s one hell of a goodbye, as the story is filled withall the elements that have defined the Wachowskis’ entire career. As the perfect blend of so-called “high” and “low” art,Doc Frankensteinbrings all the action, ideas, and heart that made the Wachowskis’ work unlike anything else out there.
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One short comic story telling the tale of the robot who inadvertently started a revolution proves that the Matrix franchise needs more prequels.
The completion ofDoc Frankensteinshows that, every once in a while, good things come to those who wait. Yet for fans who didn’t know that the Wachowskis had their very own comic book, the entirety ofDoc Frankensteinis now collected in a handsome volume that can be read in a single sitting. For fans ofThe Matrixlooking for more of what made the Wachowskis such a powerful creative force in popular culture,Doc Frankensteinis the perfect recommendation and an absolute must-read.
Doc Frankensteinis available now from Burlyman Entertainment.
The Matrix
The Matrix is a sci-fi action franchise that launched with the Wachowskis' 1999 film. It depicts a dystopian future where humanity is unknowingly trapped in a simulated reality by sentient machines. The protagonist, Neo, discovers this truth and that he is “The One,” a being that will lead a rebellion against the machines and restore freedom to humanity.
