Every title has them, and readers usually dread them: FILLER ISSUES. Yes, filler issues–those pesky little one-shots that typically present aimless, meandering storytelling provided by writers/artists who are just jonesing for a break before the next massive, 12-issue story arc. When we hate them, it’s usually because we readers believe the creative team has simply phoned it in, while we’re still forking out the same $2.99 we would normally pay for an issue about which we DO care. A comic is usually considered “good” if the filler issues are kept to a minimum.

A comic is great when even the fillers are “can’t miss” issues. Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. belongs in this elite category.

Everyone (well, everyone who reads Frankenstein) knows that this is Jeff Lemire’s farewell issue, and if there was ever a time for a writer to “phone it in,” it would have been now. Lemire chooses instead to tell an engaging, almost philosophical tale centered on Frankenstein’s brief engagement with some creatures of the Rot (from Animal Man). Lemire’s Frankenstein is one of the most interesting characters in comics today; his existential contemplations add a layer of depth to an otherwise brutish exterior, and Frankenstein is all the more fascinating for it. This issue is a shining example of what has made the book work under Lemire for the last nine issues, and one can only hope that Matt Kindt can shoulder the weight now thrust upon him. Alberto Ponticelli’s art is a perfect fit for the book, and with the lighter inks, the book pops as it never has before.

This book is located well off the beaten path, and is at the top of my read list each month. If you love comics, you owe it to yourself to give this book a try–or another, if you only visited at the beginning.