Review: Frankenstein Undone #2 (of 5)
It has been a while since I last looked in on Mike Mignola’s Frankenstein series. With the publishing delay that has hit the comic book industry, the book that was originally in Previews back December 2019, hits the stores, giving me a chance to reacquaint myself with one of my favourite creators.
Frankenstein is in a bit of a bind. Creator dead, alone after leaving the “safety” of a crew and now stuck in the frozen north. Still it’s not all that bad; along with his memories and his desire for redemption he finds a more immediate purpose. However, with this book acting as the bridge between the Mary Shelley classic and Frankenstein’s place in the Mignola-verse, there is danger lurking both seen and unseen!
Both Mignola and co writer Scott Allie return from the previous Frankenstein Underground series. This consistent approach is a bit of a god send. To often a series may start well, then when the next run rolls around something is lost in transition. Mignola has been crafted his corner of Dark Horse for ages now, with a plethora of characters from Hellboy, Abe Sapien and of course B.P.R.D. Taking on an existing character, especially one that is so instantly recognisable with a pretty well known origin is a bold move. Mignola and Allie do well within the creatures mandate; guilt whilst looking for redemption in a world that fears him. But as I said during the previous run, for me there has to be more. Thankfully, the introduction of various characters allow for different interactions for Frankenstein. Some will be good for him, others bad whilst some will try to exploit him for their own need. It is these elements that makes this an interesting read.
Also returning for another tour of the undead is artist Ben Stenbeck. Looking back at my last review, I was a tad hard on Stenbeck for taking onboard certain Mignola-isms. Those are still prevalent here, though my be less so. It is as if Stenbeck is adding traces of his own style. The angular elements of Frankenstein suit this style well. Stenbeck manages to curve out his lines for the other characters which adds a visual contrast that sets the monster apart form humanity. The Mignola vibe is even stronger when it comes to the colors, provided this time around by Brennan Wagner who does a great job with the shadows. There is a brightness in place that I didn’t expect, to be honest; it is another example of visual contrasts. Letters are supplied by Clem Robins who gets to have lots of fun with sound effects over font style given that, at times, there is a scarcity of dialogue.
This book s enjoyable for a number of reasons. Granted, Mignola has a lot of credit with me; if I was being honest, I didn’t quite get the last Frankenstein series. Maybe Mignola and Allie realised that for the monster to have context that there had to be more than just him wondering the world. Ironically, for a prequel book, this series feels more open than what is yet to come.
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 4 Stars
Written by; Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
Art by; Ben Stenbeck
Colors by; Brennan Wagner
Letters by; Clem Robins
Published by; Dark Horse Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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