‘Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #1 – 4’ (review)

Written and Illustrated by Michael Walsh
Published by Image Comics

The Universal Monsters comic books series from Skybound and Image has really wielded some interesting results.

I had read the Dracula series and really liked it.

It took what I knew from the original Dracula movies and sort of formed a new adventure stemming from what is already there in a unique way. It was very interesting and I love the way it all came together in the end. It did leave me wondering what could be done next.

Luckily, this series came about. And it comes courtesy of a really great creator in Michael Walsh.

Walsh has been under appreciated and underrated for many years and it good to see him get more in the spotlight.

Walsh takes the story and does one hell of a job reimagining it for this comic. A lot of what he does is much like the previous creative team did for the Dracula book. (Note: I have not read the Universal Monsters: The Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! series yet).

They take what is there and they spin it in a brand new way. It is wonderful to see.

The idea behind the book is that each chapter of the book focuses on one of Frankenstein’s body parts. Each chapter tells that body part’s particular story and makes a compelling narrative. It gives us a good look at aspects of the Frankenstein legend that we haven’t considered before, and we can see where those parts come from and what they mean for the main character. It is a new take that I enjoyed quite much.

The first chapter introduces us to Doctor Henry Frankenstein as a character. We get to see who he is and what his intentions are. Walsh does a great job developing a fully formed character here. We get to see him robbing a grave of a highly decorated police Officer. Why is he doing this? He needs the necessary parts for this monster. This draws the attention of the deceased son and then things really get out of control. The whole thing leads to a really dark ending of this chapter and we get to see more of the monster getting formed. As horrifying as this chapter is, it is only the beginning of this horror tale that never lets up.

The second chapter of this book focuses on Fritz. Fritz is Doctor Frankenstein’s assistant who has been tasked with helping the good doctor find some body parts so they can make a new human being. We get to see some of the process behind that which is fascinating and well thought out. Then, there is an encounter that happens between a police officer and a murderer that puts the whole thing in a tailspin. It is an intriguing chapter that doesn’t let up on the tension.

The third chapter focuses on Elizabeth Lavenza who is the fiancé of Doctor Frankenstein. She gets him a very strange kind of gift and it is exactly what he wants and needs. However, she starts to have second thoughts and now thinks that she may have done the wrong thing. Can she make things right? It doesn’t turn out too well for her in the end .

The final chapter shows the final confrontation between the Doctor and his creation, the Monster. Yet, it is unlike anything we have seen before. The two face off and they are in a different position than what we normally see them as. Everything is sort of inverted by the time we get to this final chapter and it is very interesting to see how Walsh lands the end of this story. I love how the book ends for sure as well. It is different than most Frankenstein stories, but it is just as horrifying as they normally are. It is incredible how Walsh was able to maintain that balance, and he seems to do so effortlessly and effectively throughout the book.

For his part, Michael Walsh has created one hell of a book. He is one of best and most consistent creators of horror content out there and this book proves that once again. It is well written and beautifully drawn.  The whole piece is atmospheric and I enjoyed it very much.

I hope when the rest of this Universal Monsters line comes out, that they are as strong as this book is right here.

RATING: A