Penny Dreadful draws upon many public domain characters.
The illustration which featured at the start of each issue was an integral part of the dreadfuls appeal, often acting as a teaser for future installments
 Describing penny dreadfuls as "a 19th-century British publishing phenomenon", the BBC adds, their "very disposability (the booklets bargain cover price meant they were printed on exceptionally flimsy paper) has made surviving examples a rarity, despite their immense popularity at the time

