Skybound‘s Universal Monsters comics have been an interesting mix so far. Dracula retold the movie’s story. Creature from the Black Lagoon presented a sequel. But writer/artist Michael Walsh’s Frankenstein, which releases this week, is the boldest take so far. And it breathes new life into a story that’s been told a million times, in a million different ways.
The conceit of the book is that we’ll get to see, over four issues, how the unloving corpse parts of Frankenstein’s monster came to be connected to the classic green body of the beast. But what Walsh does here, at least in the first issue, is present a sort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead for the original Universal monster movie, focusing on the son of the man whose hands are used for the monster.
Without getting too heavily into spoilers, as the son creeps his way through scenes from the film instantly familiar to anyone who knows any iteration of Frankenstein, it contextualizes the movie correctly… As a tragedy, not a monster movie. And it also flips the frequent refrain that “Frankenstein is the Doctor, not the monster.” In Walsh’s vision, Dr. Frankenstein is the monster, chopping up corpses that used to be human beings. They used to have lives, and people in those lives. Now they’re spare parts to feed a depraved scientist’s ambition.
The book is also stunning to look at. It ranges from dark cemeteries to airy castles, to dank dungeons, Walsh expertly captures them all. He’s ably aided, too, by Toni Marie Griffin’s stark colors throughout. As he did on The Silver Coin and Creepshow, Walsh knows that dread can come from a single panel, from the shadows on the wall. It’s the aesthetic of the Universal Monster movies, intricately translated to the still comic book page.
Don’t worry, there’s real horror here too, in between the pathos. And given how Walsh covers a good chunk of the movie’s running time in the issue, it will be interesting to see how he tackles the different parts of the movie (and the monster) as the series continues. But as is, this is a spectacular start to the best of three already excellent books in the Universal Monsters series. Fire bad. But this book: good.
Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #1 hits stores on August 28, 2024.
Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #1 Rating:
Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #1 Official Synopsis:
MINISERIES PREMIERE
A MODERN-DAY HORROR VISIONARY RESURRECTS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC MONSTERS
Award-winning creator MICHAEL WALSH (THE SILVER COIN) presents an electrifying new vision of the horror classic. Each issue of the limited series tells the shocking story behind one of the body parts used to create the unforgettable monster in the original film.
In this first issue, Dr. Henry Frankenstein begins his unholy quest to create life by robbing the grave of a decorated police officer. But little does he know that the corpse has a son who is mourning a father—and that this young boy will forever change Frankenstein’s life.
