“Frankenstein Underground” #1 could have easily proved to be an embarrassment of riches, but thanks to an incredibly tight script and haunting art it not only succeeds in adding depth to the titular character but cements itself as an essential part of your pull list.
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Ben Stenbeck
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: Mike Mignola
Publication Date:March 18, 2015
Hellboy, for me, has always succeeded on the depth of its cultural insight. At its best it took all of our fears about the monsters of urban myth, and pitted them against humanity. When nothing else would defend humanity, the sheer form of prince of darkness rises up to guide us back to the light in the world.
Mignola captures a monster’s heartache through the opening pages, taking us through the monster’s storied history. His script is quick to remind us, Frankenstein is not a man, he is nothing, or at least perceives himself to be nothing. Yet, he is a marvel, a wonder, a guardian, and he is being hunted.
The brisk narrative brings us up to speed on what the monster is, and just how in the world he gets underground. The walls between worlds are thin, we’re reminded, and as the story goes on Ben Stenbeck does his best to push the world to new heights.
The history of the monster is a visual tour-de-force. Showcasing just how amazing Dave Stewart’s colors are with every panel showing us a different style in a different era. It’s a intoxicating way to open the book, but the work of Stenbeck and Stewart remind you that not everything you thought you knew about Frankenstein was true.
I was truly unsure of how I was going to feel about this book. I couldn’t fathom what else could be said about this character, and I wasn’t sure where the story could go. Luckily, all my fears were quelled within a few pages, and I was left in awe by the final panel.
The comic doesn’t concern itself with exposition overload, instead Ben Stenbeck is left to fill in the blanks of the Monster’s own troubled past. While Mignola carefully moves the pieces of the puzzle you thought you solved into a terrible mess while making you feel for the monster, a monster unlike anything we’ve every seen. There is humanity left on the page, because the struggle feels natural and compelling.
So where do things go from here, I can say that I didn’t expect the title to be so literal, but I can’t really say much else other than buy this book. This is another homerun for Dark Horse, another incredible chapter to Mignola’s world, and a story unlike anything you’ve ever seen from both. It’s compelling from cover to cover, and manages to exceed expectations with haunting art on almost every page. I wish I could read #2 right now, and frankly damning myself for reading this one so damn early.
