Frankenstein couldn’t be in better hands.
Creative Staff:
Story: Mike Mignola
Art: Ben Stenbeck
Color: Dave Stewart
Letters: Clem Robins
What They Say:
Hellboy’s creator takes on history’s greatest monster!
The Frankenstein creature is alone, abandoned, and wandering underground, where he will discover other strange creatures—and dark secrets to the universe.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Frankenstein’s monster is one of the most iconic figures in English literature. Countless adaptations of Mary Shelley’s wonderful book have been undertaken, some amazing—such as the movie starring Boris Karloff—and others ambitious but lacking—such as Branaugh’s movie. The monster’s power is so puissant that he has usurped his creator’s name and is now simply referred to as Frankenstein.
This comic isn’t an adaptation of the original story. It’s more of a continuation, expansion, and induction into the Hellboy universe, and not surprisingly, it works very well. I can’t think of any writer more appropriate to write Frankenstein than Mike Mignola.
The story begins “somewhere in Mexico. 1956” with an old woman praying in an ancient temple. Frankenstein (for brevity’s sake I’m just referring to him this way instead of as Frankenstein’s monster) stumbles in, wounded from a gunshot. She heals him and the two talk, providing the comic with a way of summarizing his story in a solid series of flashback panels all centered around the theme of people hunting and manipulating him.
The woman tells him that it’s no accident he arrived at the temple. The Gods drew him there for a reason. She places him in a dreamlike state so he can commune with them, and while that occurs, the Marquis Adoet de Fabre—an occultist and collector—watches and desires. He sends a demon to trick Frankenstein into entering his realm, but the old woman foils his plans.
The issue closes on a cliffhanger, and much of the story serves to introduce the characters and premise, so as a standalone issue, it reads thinly at times; however, the art, the atmosphere, and the deft way Mignola handles Frankenstein more than make up for that.
Ben Stenbeck does a great job in this issue. His work captures some of the best aspects of Mignola’s style without coming off as Mignola lite. His Frankenstein is properly grotesque and noble, merging aspects of the Boris Karloff monster with suitable Mignola flairs such as the huge bolts that stick out of his neck, chest, and arms. Perhaps best of all, though, is the face. Stenbeck conveys powerful, complex emotions on Frankenstein’s face, which is essential to selling the emotional beats.
Dave Stewarts’ colors also deserve mentioning, as they convey 90% of the atmosphere. There are times when it seems like each panel is dominated by a particular color designed to create the appropriate tone. He adds in other colors as accents, but they stay within a rather small and interconnected palette. It’s quite effective and quite beautiful and serves as an essential element to the story.
In Summary:
Although the story suffers a bit from first-issue syndrome, Frankenstein Underground jumps out of the gate with a strong start. The art is superb, as is the way Mignola handles the monster. As I said before, if there’s a better person to handle this character, I’ve yet to meet them. Mignola stands as a modern master of horror, and I think that we are in for quite a ride.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Dark Horse
Release Date: 18 March 2015
MSRP: $3.50
