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Spoiler Warning:
Hey kids! Hello!
Just a small review this week. But it’s a good ‘un! It’s
Hogmanay over here, otherwise known as New Year. So I’m preparing
to get:
· Stinking Drunk
· Paralytic
· Unsober
Everyone have a great new year! Enjoy yourselves…and grow up! Comics?
I mean come on…
 If
you read my review of DC’s Frankenstein book a few weeks ago, you’ll know
the respect and love I have for the character of Frankenstein’s monster.
The DC book was plagued with problems, mostly trying to be too smart for
it’s own good and drowning in it’s own clichés. The character of Frankenstein’s
monster was bastardized beyond redemption, and it just didn’t work. Grant
Morrison, shame on you!
Luckily, R.D Hall gets it. He’s not fucking with the history or trying
to make Frankie a gun toting badass. What Hall is doing however is making
an already interesting story more engaging by introducing some new elements
we haven’t seen before. In this new chilling tale, we see Frankenstein’s
monster cut a bloody swathe through the people of the small town in which
the original Frankenstein tale took place. He is collecting the bodies
of his victims, and is hell-bent on finding his creator, Victor Frankenstein
in order to fulfil his monstrous plans. I wont go into the details, but
suffice to say it’s going to be a bloody, gory ride. You’d think that
the grim story and the machinations of the monster would allow the story
no comedic touches, but there’s lots of humour throughout the book. These
come in the form of two local detectives, on the trail of the monster
responsible for the killings in the community. Detective Kraft and his
associate Mr.Wollstone bring some much needed laughter to the rather gritty
pages scattered throughout the book.
The motivation of the monster is something we’ve seen before, but it
has been tackled in an interesting way
which separates it from the Frankenstein mythos just enough for the story
to stand on it’s own two feet. We see a fantastic struggle between creator
and monster as they discuss the moral implications of continuing the monster’s
evil plans. The end result of this struggle brings a new element to the
story, a twist that sets up the second issue beautifully.
The artwork is also top-notch stuff. The pencils are fantastic, and remind
me of the work of Josh Medors (one of my favourite artists). The characters
have a very unique look, and Jerry Beck employs fantastic storytelling
techniques throughout. The design of the monster is a little more exaggerated
than the classic Frankenstein’s Monster design, but it still houses that
great look we all know and love. This is my first introduction to Beck’s
work, but I’m going to make sure I find some more. My only real problem
with the art is that the inking is a little O.T.T in places. Sometimes
it seems a little thick…. y’know? Do you know? Of course you do! This
isn’t to say that the inking is sub-par, far from it. Tony Bledso has
done an admirable job on the book and mostly the pencils and inks go hand
in hand. Don’t worry Tony I love you! Another favourite of mine, Jay Fotos
provides the colouring with spectacular effect. Jay has been kicking around
the industry for years, providing exceptional colouring to books like
the Spawn and Fused series. The palette chosen by Jay is perfect for this
book. Lots of dark earthy colours abound!
Yes folks, this is a winner. A real champion! A fantastic first issue!
It’s…um…GOOD!
Grade: A
Talk about It came from GAV! here. |
