Frankensteinian : ROBOT-13

“If something is created that can think and reason,” writer Thomas Hall posits, “what would that creation think about itself?”

In ROBOT-13, a new comic book by Hall and artist Daniel Bradford, fishermen catch a strange steampunk robot in their nets, a thing with spindly legs and a domed aquarium head with a skull floating inside. The robot snaps to life and turns out to be as bewildered as anybody as to its origins.

Writer Hall describes the story as “Frankenstein meeting Homer’s Odyssey”. The discarded Robot 13, torn from its sea grave, is propelled into “a Hero’s journey… to find out who he really is”, with giant monsters from Greek Mythology thrown in for good measure.

Daniel Bradford provides energetic art in a Mike Mignola mold, down to layouts and the color palette. There are two covers to choose from, one by Bradford (seen here at top) and, alternately, a painting by Jeff Slemons.

ROBOT-13, published by Blacklist Studios, premieres at New York’s MoCCa Festival in June, and R-13’s mythic quest for identity will unfold on a quarterly basis.

Blacklist Studio website.

R-13 MySpace page.

Thomas Hall’s blog.