Title: Frankenstein: The Graphic Novel
Author: Martin Powell and Patrick Olliffe
Date of First Publication: June 1, 1990
Place of Publication: Malibu Graphics
Type: Graphic Novel
Characters: Adaptation
Themes: ALL THEMES
Critical Summary: Martin Powell and Patrick Olliffe’s version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein matches up in the general sense of “science gone horribly wrong,” but the most interesting feature of the adaptation is with Victor’s character, who is a resolute and prideful man bent on discovering the key to immortality. In Shelley’s original text, Victor is a scientist who hopes to advance the reach of the scientific community. He’s not necessarily conducting the experiment for personal gain. It can be argued that in Shelley’s text Victor is more quiet, timid, and eventually horrified by his own actions. The Victor in Powell’s rendition is quite the opposite—he is confident to the point of arrogance, full of pride at his own knowledge, and unremorseful up to the point where he brings the Creature to life.
A product of being obsessed with his own mortality, Victor in Powell’s version doesn’t stop to question himself before bringing the Creature to life. His goal of finding the secret to immortality has given him a sort of tunnel vision, to the point where he stops listening to his friends and family. And even when he does, it is far too late because he has already shown the Creature who he is—and that notion of humanity ultimately stays with the Creature through the duration of the novel. Powell is taking Shelley’s novel and exploring a new facet of it—what we do with a character (Victor) who starts developing unhealthy psychological habits because of him trying to achieve his potential. The Creature, much like in Shelley’s novel, becomes an outward reflection of Victor and the kind of person that he is.
The style of Powell and Olliffe relies very heavily on visual representations of Victor and the Creature, often going pages without dialogue or monologue. The reader is offered a clear-cut picture of the kind of person each character is by including detailed illustrations which reflect deep emotion. A lot of detail goes into illustrating the faces of different characters, and these illustrations demonstrate the emotional tone throughout the graphic novel. Since this version draws direct inspiration from Mary Shelley’s original 1818 text, many of the themes carry through. We see the mad scientist, and the posthuman Creature, as well as the Byronic hero—only in a new way that really highlights the humanesque struggle of the Creature.
Administrative Notes: Annette Morrison, CSUF; Dr. David Sandner, CSUF (editing)