With the most minimal of dialogue, exposition, and stage direction, we are shown who the Frankenstein monster is, a brief look into his past, and where he is in his life now. What helps, of course, is that Mignola is quite adept at writing characters of the macabre who are more than the sum of their monstrous parts, as seen in his Hellboy and B.P.R.D. Instead, he uses that source material to give a classic depiction of the Monster that’s both recognizable in both form and function, while at the same time using him as our POV man in an environment and circumstances with which he is unaccustomed. Borrowing from the most well-known interpretations of the Frankenstein Monster-Shelley’s original interpretation and actor Boris Karloff’s take in the classic horror film Frankenstein-Mignola, who carries the book’s writing chores, doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel. Mike Mignola seems to recognize this danger and chose instead to stay true to the creature’s roots in his new Dark Horse comic book miniseries Frankenstein Underground. While putting one’s own spin on such an iconic literary figure is all well and good, moving too far away from the original intent of the Monster’s tale of woe and tragedy can lead to the character being muddied and losing what made him so special and resonate so deeply with readers and fans.

When reimagining a classic horror character like Mary Shelley’s Monster from her famed novel Frankenstein, there’s a danger of pulling too far away from what made the pitiful creation who he is and what he represents.

Frankenstein underground