It Lives! The Modern Prometheus Walks Again
This first issue in the Marvel series that was part of a wave of horror-related titles is a continuation of the original Mary Shelley novel. This issue begins about 100 years after the events of the novel, just before the turn of the century. Captain Walton is a descendant of the Walton to whom the events of the novel were told by Victor Frankenstein. This descendant is in the North Pole on a somewhat secretive quest to retrieve the frozen (a la Captain America) body of the Frankenstein monster. Along the way they are besieged by the harsh weather and pitfalls of the Arctic as well as the sketchy crew's slowly brewing plans for mutiny. It creates some good tension as they bring the frozen beast aboard the ship all the while braving terrible storms, but if you want to see the monster in action, you'll have to be content with flashbacks recounting a very abridged version of the novel's events. Gary Friedrich does a solid job of adapting the Frankenstein story and allowing it to progress. The plot feels organic in relation to the novel, but for a big fan of the Frankenstein monster like myself, I was left wanting a bit more than the mandatory recap and slow exposition. This is perhaps an unfair criticism on my part especially with a first issue. Ploog's art is the best thing about this comic. I first saw the cover as a child in a book about the history of Marvel and it always stuck with me. Considering the various interpretations of the monster that preceded this comic, I think Ploog was brilliant in creating a version unique and simultaneously referential to the various visions that came before. The art is great. All in all, in my opinion, it's a necessary piece in one's Bronze Age comic collection.