The daily strip begins August 4th and will run each weekday during the month. The Ballad of Frankie and Vampi is written and illustrated by Frankenstein Mobster creator and Hammer Of The Gods co-creator Mark Wheatley, the award-winning writer-artist behind such creations as Breathtaker, Mars, and Radical Dreamer. The strip is edited by Harris editor Maureen McTigue.

Like the title character, the series Frankenstein Mobster is a potent amalgamation of different elements, all which focus to make for a great story. Horror, action and even humor combine to for a ripping good read.

The Frankenstein Mobster used to be Terry Todd, a crusading cop for whom the law was at least a compulsion, if not more. Life as a good cop in a bad town wasn"t easy, but death is apparently even harder. Now he"s been revived in a patchwork body, and he finds himself sharing his own skull with three unscrupulous mobsters. Obviously, this is one Made Man you don"t want to mess with.

And after his teaser debut in Hammer of the Gods: Hammer Hits China #2, he"s taking his first spotlight dance with Vampirella, everyone"s favorite sexy vampire.

"I"ve been in love with Vampirella since I was a kid living in my treehouse," said Wheatley. "I had one of those six foot tall posters of Vampirella on the wall of my treehouse living room! In fact it was the old Warren horror magazines that started me down the path that lead to creating the Frankenstein Mobster."

"Here"s my theory about comics," said McTigue. "It"s not brain surgery. You bring in the people who you think can do the job and you let them do it. As an editor, you help them along, if they come to some sort of block or need the assistance you can provide. In this case, this is Mark"s project and I"m along for the ride. If I could be of any assistance, he has been free to use me, but I just get to enjoy this one from the sidelines and cheer the project on."

Frankenstein Mobster and Mark Wheatley will be center stage in Harris Publications first issue of their revived Vampirella magazine. With a cover by Wheatley and an interview with the creator, there will be a big dose of "body building" this October.

"Working with Harris Publications and Maureen McTigue has been a very rewarding experience. Maureen is an exceptional editor and a great cheerleader! Drawing Vampirella has been a real flashback to my adolescence and she and my Frankenstein Mobster fit together like sewn together bodyparts," Wheatley laughed.

He said the idea to do a crossover as a daily strip grew out of the high traffic on Wheatley"s Sunny Fundays site, which has attracted thousands of readers for online strips such as Liberty Meadows, Hammer of the Gods, The Body, Doctor Cyborg and Atmos the Variable.