CODEX OMNIVERSA

Frankenstein

In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Few people know that it was based on a true story…

Around the turn of the century, in Central Europe, young Victor Frankenstein worked out of his ancestral castle, building a man of parts from dead bodies and bringing him to life. We all know how that ended…

Frankenstein’s “monster” escaped and Victor followed him to the Arctic, where he disappeared beneath the ice and was assumed dead. But, he of course survived and swam to America. 

In 1870, he had a notable fight with Mr. Melmot, saving a town from destruction by the alien’s maggot-hominids. He was exhausted afterward and sank into the ground. It won’t be the last we see of him…

Cyrus Gold

After witnessing the murder of his father at the hands of a rival mobster, Cyrus Gold grew up a killer himself. In 1870, he murdered a man named Jeremiah Newman so he could be with his wife, Pearl. In 1875, he murdered a man named Dugan. And in 1881, he murdered his own mother and dumped her into Slaughter Swamp. 

The souls of the dead rose from the swamp and haunted Cyrus until he met a similar fate 11 years later and was killed in Slaughter Swamp. It won’t be the last we see of him…

LADY JANE

In 1851, Aleister Huston died, leaving his wife, Alicia, a widow, and his children, fatherless..

When the row home into which she moved with the children burned down, she raced inside to save them. Instead, she caught fired and fell into the river. 

She soon rose from the water as a new plant elemental and became a member of the Parliament of Trees as “Lady Jane.” You guessed it, it won’t be the last we see of her…

Catching-Up with Dream

In 1859, Dream indulged the fantasies of Joshua Norton and let him believe he was “Emperor Norton I of the United States and Protector of Mexico.” One of his accomplishments was proclaiming Mark Twain as the official storyteller of the U.S.

On January 8, 1864. Norton died in San Francisco. Two days later, his funeral was attended by 10,000 people. Death herself led him to the afterlife.

The time came for Dream’s regular 100-year meeting with Hob Gadling. When Gadling made the presumption that Dream was lonely, he offered his friendship. It backfired, though; Dream was offended and stormed away.

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