Frankenstein: Puffin Graphic Classic
Mary Shelley, Gary Reed, Frazer Irving (Illustrator), Mary Wollstone ShelleyOverview
Victor Frankenstein, a Swiss scientist, has a great ambition: to createintelligent life. But when his creature first stirs, he realizes he has constructed a monster. Abandoned by its maker and shunned by everyone who sees it, the monster turns on its creator and haunts Dr. Frankenstein with murder and horrors to the very ends of the earth. Artist Frazer Irving's cinematic and moving portrayal of the doctor and his creation is sympathetic and powerful.
Synopsis
Victor Frankenstein, a Swiss scientist, has a great ambition: to createintelligent life. But when his creature first stirs, he realizes he has constructed a monster. Abandoned by its maker and shunned by everyone who sees it, the monster turns on its creator and haunts Dr. Frankenstein with murder and horrors to the very ends of the earth. Artist Frazer Irving's cinematic and moving portrayal of the doctor and his creation is sympathetic and powerful.
George Galuschak - KLIATT
Here is yet another adaptation of this challenging novel. I will begin this review with a confession: I do not like Shelley's novel, an overly wordy book with a truly odious main character (not The Monster). However, there is something about Frankenstein's themes—guilt, cowardice, overstepping one's boundaries, and fear of childbirth—that still resonates strongly today, and this graphic novel does a good job of both condensing and capturing the spirit of the novel. The artwork, done in b/w by Frazer Irving, is dark and atmospheric; it eloquently conveys the characters' anguish. Gary Reed's adaptation is well done, if a trifle sketchy. This graphic novel should not be used as a substitute for Cliffs Notes, or even for reading the book. To give an example: the murder of Frankenstein's brother by The Monster is mildly confusing, because we've never been introduced to the character (Justine, a servant) who gets blamed for the murder. Overall, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a fine choice for libraries with graphic novel collections; note that it contains violence and depictions of monsters being reanimated from the dead. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2005, Penguin, Puffin Graphics, 176p. illus., Ages 12 to adult.
Editorials
VOYA
Jumping on the graphic novel bandwagon, this series launches a line of graphic novels based on classics. The text of each of these first three offerings is true to the original work but abridged. Although the format can make literature more accessible, it can also, in some cases, lend an air of hipness to a work as well. Black Beauty is a children's classic, but the gorgeous, fluid, black-and-white drawings in this version make the story more appealing to an older crowd. Frankenstein lends itself best to the format. The stylized drawings covered with washes of grey add to the atmosphere of fright and horror about what the good doctor has wrought. Red Badge of Courage is the least appealing adaptation. Although Crane's writing is elegant, it can be daunting to a middle schooler unused to nineteenth-century turns of phrase. A graphic novel could have been just the thing to make this work more accessible; instead it somehow makes Crane's story more muddled. In fact his writing was apparently too uncomplicated for the editor of this GN because in a section telling how the work was adapted, readers are shown a variation of a battle sequence that is compact and true to Crane's writing. The editorial notes tell the artist to expand it by several pages. Overall these books are fun adaptations of great literature. The black-and-white art in all three is terrific, and keeping the original text ensures high quality stories. At the end of each book, there are sections titled "The Making of . . ." where the artist explains how she or he planned the breakdown of the story and how the art layout was determined. There are also galleries of alternate covers as well as early sketchesof the main characters. It is a nice look inside the process of adaptation and the creation of a graphic novel. The books would be a good choice for the library or media center both to grow a graphic novel collection and to bolster the literature collection. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J G (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Graphic Novel Format). 2005, Puffin, 176p., Trade pb. Ages 11 to 15.—Geri Diorio
KLIATT
Here is yet another adaptation of this challenging novel. I will begin this review with a confession: I do not like Shelley's novel, an overly wordy book with a truly odious main character (not The Monster). However, there is something about Frankenstein's themes—guilt, cowardice, overstepping one's boundaries, and fear of childbirth—that still resonates strongly today, and this graphic novel does a good job of both condensing and capturing the spirit of the novel. The artwork, done in b/w by Frazer Irving, is dark and atmospheric; it eloquently conveys the characters' anguish. Gary Reed's adaptation is well done, if a trifle sketchy. This graphic novel should not be used as a substitute for Cliffs Notes, or even for reading the book. To give an example: the murder of Frankenstein's brother by The Monster is mildly confusing, because we've never been introduced to the character (Justine, a servant) who gets blamed for the murder. Overall, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a fine choice for libraries with graphic novel collections; note that it contains violence and depictions of monsters being reanimated from the dead. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2005, Penguin, Puffin Graphics, 176p. illus., Ages 12 to adult.—George Galuschak