Universal Monsters: Frankenstein by Michael Walsh & Toni-Marie Griffin

Hunh, I think I would have liked this better if I’d known going into it that it was based on the classic movie and not the novel. I know, I know, the “Universal Monsters” bit should have given it away but the Universal bit is in relatively small text on the cover there. I guess I just default hard to literary versions unless explicitly told otherwise, especially since the movie version is, in my memory, less dominant than the book.

This comic book retelling does bring fresh insight to the movie’s story, however, as it examines what makes a monster from a slightly more literal angle than its predecessors. The book begins with a boy grieving not only the loss of his father, but also the circumstances that that loss has plunged him into. Having run away from the home where he’s been placed, Paul is by his father’s grave in the rainy night when he hears voices. He quickly hides but manages to see that two men, Henry Frankenstein and Fritz, are digging up and stealing his father’s corpse.

Paul stows away in their wagon, and is brought to the tower where Henry is intent on bringing life to a creature cobbled together from human parts. Much of the rest of the story is told through Paul’s eyes, barring the flashbacks that seem disorienting at first but make perfect sense once you figure out how they’re all connected. Those aside, the book stays faithful to the original cut of the movie, at least until the end. While I do think the book’s final scene is a better closer than the film’s wedding toast, I didn’t understand who the guy talking to Paul is supposed to be: if you’ve read the book and know who, please do share in the comments!

What makes my confusion especially odd is the fact that Michael Walsh’s art is pretty distinct throughout when it comes to the characters. He captures the old timey feeling of the early 20th century well, with plenty of inspiration from the 1931 movie. In fact, the structure of this riff on the source material is pretty great, with the only weakness being a lack of background on the eyes portion, and especially in how that relates to Maria.

Toni-Marie Griffin uses an interesting palette technique with her colors, focusing primarily on one color for each scene/setting, then using variations of that shade till a transition to another scene. It works beautifully to set the atmosphere and direction but is somewhat undercut by the way the book’s chapters are laid out, with no indicator between where one issue ends and another begins. You can definitely tell that this was originally created as single issues, with little to no thought as to compilation in a trade. Which is not at all a criticism of the original run! I have the greatest respect for artists who work with and to their media. I just think that the editors made a mistake in not separating each issue here by its cover, as that would really cut down on the confusion between what happens in flashbacks and what happens in the book’s present day. Those covers are, at least, included in the extras section in the back, which also boasts a sketchbook and character studies.

Overall, this is a solid reimagining of the movie, and one that definitely refreshed my memory of it. Classics come in all forms, after all (plus, it’s faster for me to read than to watch, lol.)

Universal Monsters: Frankenstein by Michael Walsh & Toni-Marie Griffin was published April 8 2025 by Image Comics and is available from all good booksellers, including