Though not as successful, Marvel's version of Frankenstein has always held a place of high esteem for me. It also is a series that underwent the most severe fall from grace. The classic story by Mary Shelly we all know, it's one of the most famous stories in all of English literature. The saga of the character on film and in comics is also pretty successful, with more than a few excellent movies made about these characters and several fine comics as well. Marvel's first few issues of The Monster of Frankenstein as it was first known is among those.
In the first four issues of the comic Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog join forces to retell Mary Shelly's epic tale. They do so with gusto and more than a few alterations to fit their own specific needs for future storytelling. The saga is moved forward in time to the late 19th century for the reader and that is accounted for with Marvel tried-and-true frozen in ice gimmick. They will actually use it twice with the Frankenstein monster. Ploog is joined by inker John Verpooren after the debut issue and the two of them produce work which I think ranks among the very best Ploog created for Marvel. Verpoorten help give Ploog's pencils a heft they sometimes lack.
In the fifth story the Monster heads out on his own and chances upon a seemingly helpless girl being burned at the stake by some angry villagers. Feeling empathy the Monster intervenes but learns later that was perhaps a mistake.
The title changes to The Frankenstein Monster with the six issue, the last by Ploog. Here the Monster thinks he encounters the last living Frankenstein but once again he is frustrated when things are not what they seem to be.
Then John Buscema joins the team and in tandem with Friedrich produces perhaps my favorite of all the tales in this series, a three-part encounter with Dracula himself. In a trilogy of mayhem which hearkens back to the old "Monster Rally" movies from Universal we see the Monster and Dracula mix it up a few times. We see the Monster fall in love and we see that despite a seeming victory he suffers a great loss. This one has frightened villagers, gypsy witches, and just anything one would ask for in a classic Frankenstein tale.
In a fourth story drawn by John Buscema the Monster does indeed meet the last Frankenstein who assisted by immensely powerful giant hunchback Ivan wants to change out the Monster's brain to make him more obedient. One detail worth noting is that due to a bite from Dracula, the Monster had lost the power of speech. This makes him more like the movie versions, but it sadly takes away much of the power of the stories.
But with the assistance of Ivan the Monster escapes those schemes leaving the castle after a terrific struggle. Frankenstein himself doesn't live long enough to see his own heir born.
Doug Moench takes over on scripts and Val Mayerik handles the artwork as they quickly get the Monster frozen yet again. He will not awaken again until 1974 by some sketchy scientists, one of whom reminded for all the world of Dr. Sivana. These events tie into things already presented in Monsters Unleashed and the action picks up after that, with a mute Monster roaming the streets of the modern world. What could go wrong?
The next stop for the Monster is in Giant-Size Werewolf where he of course battles the furry star of that comic. By the end after a ferocious battle against a devilish cult he falls once again into the water amidst a flaming house. Moench and Don Perlin do the honors.
The Monster's next stop is New York City and he gets mixed up mad scientist type, his worried spouse and their troubled teenage son Ralph Caccone who will become the Monster's sidekick for a good long while. Ralph's Dad cooked up a monster from spare parts and that beast kills the parents.
Next the duo are intercepted by a private dick named Eric Prawn and soon after fall into the clutches of the last living Frankenstein (1975 variety) and his mammoth helper Zandor.
Turns out Frankenstein is part of a larger outfit called ICON (International Crime Organizations Nexus) who want the Monster for too. Frankenstein wants to change out the Monster's brain yet again but Prawn helps Caccone and the Monster to escape for a short time until ICON arrives. But it turns out the previous Frankenstein was an imposter and the real last Frankenstein is a woman who is also a scientist. She wants to help the Monster. We are treated to a reprise of the Monster's origin and the images are from the movies not the book. The slow descent of the character is well and truly along.
Lady Veronica Frankenstein helps the Monster some by giving him voice back, so he's not just some passive lump while others talk around him. The Monster without his voice is played too much like Man-Thing and that's not at all smart for the character in my estimation. ICON attacks again, this time with a robot named Berserker who battles the Monster until they realize they have common goals.
In the final issue of the color run the Monster loses his buddy Berserker, and falls into the clutches of yet another Lady Frankenstein, this one named Victoria and this one wants vengeance. She's helped by a gaggle of half-men who wiggle all through the comic.
Soon after he got his own color comic book, the Frankenstein Monster took up residence in Monsters Unleashed. To keep a distinction between the two series, the stories here were set in the modern day. Eventually the color series will coincide with this but for a long time there were two continuities, and I loved that fine at the time. The first installment features some fine art by John Buscema and Syd Shores with Gary Friedrich scripting as well.
For several bloody installments the Monster's brain keeps getting switched in and out. It proves a distraction to him needless to say.
Win Mortimer joins the art team as eventually the Monster gets his own mind back into his body, though it took quite a bit of doing.
Doug Moench and Val Mayerik eventually take over the Monster's doings in the magazine as well as the color comic. Mayerik's art always looks better when he inks himself and I think he is particularly well served by black and white.
The Monster is still mute through most of these stories which I think really limits the ability of the storytellers to stretch the yarn. He's presented most often a sometimes benign ally to those he deems worthy, but he is capable of horrible violence when provoked. Again, the goal seems to be make the Monster more like the one in the films and less like the verbose creature in the original novel.
But the Monster's search for someone who will accept him on his own terms is frustrating to say the least. He often finds himself among others of a freakish physical nature.
In the last Monsters Unleashed issue he tries to help a girl save people aboard a train but it all goes tragically wrong despite the best intentions.
Rip Off
Got the collected edition, as well as the original 18 colour issues. I loved the two-part Frankie/Drac battle, as John Buscema made the Monster more akin to the Universal version, though I think the face was modified in the first part before publication. If only JB had drawn all 18 issues, the series might've been more successful.
ReplyDeleteI do love those Dracula-Frankenstein issues, but that said, as the Monster became less and less vocal (more like the movies) he became decreasingly interesting. He became an observer in his own comic too often. I'm a Buscema fan for certain but I do also love those early Ploog issues.
DeleteA few years ago I finally got around to reading Mary Shelley's original novel (in e-book form) and I really enjoyed it. In the novel Victor Frankenstein is an utterly selfish jerk who creates the monster and then wants nothing more to do with it. By contrast the monster is a gentle creature who just wants companionship and acceptance but is driven to commit murder by human intolerance and rejection. The ending of the novel is very poignant as the monster builds his own funeral pyre and climbs onto it.
ReplyDeleteI've read the novel many times. The most recent was last year about this time when I read the edition graced with the art of Berni Wrightson. I have elaborate theories about the story, but as you correctly state, the "Monster" is a tortured soul who despite doing terrible things commands our sympathy.
DeleteI remember reading somewhere that the Monster's face had to be altered in early issues because it was too close to the Universal/Karloff version, which was protected even if the original novel was public domain. This was an issue that Hammer also had to deal with in their films. Marvel (and Skywald, who did a wild series with Tom Sutton art) still dared to come pretty close.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds familiar. I cannot see that they are that much alike myself, but Universal was crazy about that sort of thing. If anything I thought it got more like the classic look as the series tumbled along.
DeleteI only ever had issue 17 of "The Frankenstein Monster" but read and enjoyed some of these stories in the UK "Dracula Lives" comic ( the cover to issue 1 was an edited version of issue 8 of "The Frankenstein Monster", with Frankie taken out). One of my favourite Marvel black and whites was issue 2 of "Monsters Unleashed" issue 2 with John Buscema's excellent Frankie art and a very nice Jesus Blasco illustrated tale.
ReplyDeleteThose Marvel black and white mags were very good in retrospect. The more of this stuff I've read this month the more I miss them.
DeleteNah, you're mistaken, McS. The first issue of the UK Dracula Lives didn't use the cover of Frankie #8. It was a similar idea with Drac emerging from his coffin, but from a completely different angle.
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