This year marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley‘s classic novel Frankenstein, a current selection in PBS The Great American Read, which shines a spotlight on America’s 100 favorite novels. A campaign has been going on for months, where people have been voting for their favorites from the list, with the winner to be revealed on the digital series’ grand finale on October 23, 2018.

For the occasion, PBS Digital Studios has released a short, educational video called “Rethinking Frankenstein’s Monster,” hosted by Dr. Emily Zarka for the digital show Monstrum. The video explores the famous monster, who, fans of the novel already know, is a much more complex being than people realize, as well as gives a short history of Mary Shelley and her inspiration for the novel.

Victor LaValle’s Destroyer #2 (of 6)
Written by Victor LaValle
Art by Dietrich Smith
Colors by Joana Lafuente
Letters by Jim Campbell
Cover by Micaela Dawn
BOOM! Studios
Release Date: June 21, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

I seldom like modern twists on what I would consider a classical piece of literature, even when I’m not a huge fan of the original work. There is something almost perverse about modifying something that old. However, I will be the first to admit that sometimes what I think is going to be a modification or a reboot is instead an invigorating chapter or work unto itself. Case in point, Victor LaValle’s Destroyer #2 is a spectacular sequence of events that do not in any way tarnish Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Never would I have thought this would entrance me so.

This weekend, Universal will launch the start of their brand new Dark Universe monsters franchise with a reboot of The Mummy. Directed by Alex Kurtzman, the film will bring together some of our favorite classic monsters in an all new shared universe involving Universal Monsters. It will be followed up by the Bill Condon-directed Bride of Frankenstein, starring Javier Bardem; Creature of the Black Lagoon from screenwriters Jeff Pinkner and Will Beall; The Invisible Man, starring Johnny Depp; and Van Helsing, from Prometheus scribe Jon Spaihts, Arrival writer Eric Heisserer, and Dan Mazeau.

But that is just the beginning. Because Kurtzman says there are more Dark Universe films on the way. In a new interview, the man responsible for building this new Universal Monsters shared universe says Dracula, Frankenstein, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Phantom of the Opera are being developed. More on the story below.

Bernie Wrightson, the comic book artist and illustrator who co-created the character Swamp Thing, died today after a long battle with brain cancer, according to his wife Liz, who posted the news to his official site. He was 68.

Born on October 27, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland, the artist was best known for co-creating along with writer Len Wein the DC Comics character Swamp Thing in 1971 (its first appearance was in House of Secrets #92 and illustrating the Swamp Thing comic book series in the early 1970s.

Just like any shared universe, there are huge stars attached to the lead role. Universal’s Monsters Universe is really shaping up to be something that could stand beside competing studios and their shared universes. Tom Cruise will be playing a Navy Seal who must battle a rampaging mummy (Sofia Boutella) in the Iraqi desert in the reboot of The Mummy. Russell Crowe will make a cameo appearance as Dr. Jekyll, and Johnny Depp will be The Invisible Man. The Wolfman, which has Aaron Guzikowski (Prisoners) penning the script, is currently eyeing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to play the titular character.

Now there is word, that another major actor will be joining the classic monsters universe. Reports are that Javier Bardem will play a Frankenstein role in the rebooted universe. More on the story below.