Status Updates From Frankenstein (Manga Classics)

"The monster is a terrible creation sewed together out of scavenged bits of corpses, both human and animal." A-ha! I was right about the gorilla look of the creature's face in a few panels!

The author's and artist's notes are interesting. The artist believes similarly to Del Toro that love is the key in this story; either demanding too much in the case of the monster or not giving enough in the case of Victor.
I did not know that Mary Shelley had to write two versions of this story and that this manga is an adaption of the original. I also did not catch that Victor hates ugly people from the start.

At the end of the story, the creature declares that it will kill itself rather than let another person recreate the experiment. This aspect of the story is not often seen in some of the adaptions. It's usually a struggle between Frankenstein and the creature that results in both of their deaths. Or in Del Toro's version, it must live out in the frozen wastelands where no one ventures.

Even now, after Frankenstein dies, the creature mourns the loss of his creator and all chances of happiness. The captain of the vessel rebukes and condemns the creature still despite hearing how it regrets its actions but also how it questions his reasoning as every time that the creature has done good for humans, it is met with revulsion and repulsed from society. Does it not deserve pity for its lonely existence?

So, now that Victor's tale has been recounted, he is still fit enough to continue his travel onboard the icebreaker. Still, it looks like his constitution is wasting, and he is getting weaker while remaining in the frozen north for weeks.

He has been delirious and imprisoned for all of the deaths that surround him. Did he honestly think that a judge or magistrate of the law would believe his tale of bringing the dead to life?

The stress of it all looks to have killed Victor's father by a stroke or heart attack.

Frankenstein believed that he would be the one who would die on his wedding night. But he did not count on the creature's cruelty and malice that is equal to a man's.

His words and his sincerity over the loss of his friend should be enough to convince these people that Frankenstein would appear to be innocent, even though he blames himself for making the creature that killed him. Again, a forensic examination would be enough to prove that he is not the perpetrator.

Frankenstein believes that he is to be one to die on his wedding night from his interpretation of the creature's words. He does not fully realize that the creature is to make him as miserable and alone as itself.

Frankenstein's remarks on the creation of another being now come to the fullest. Not only does he realize that he is going to make another creature who is capable of reason and thought and will possibly reject any predetermined promise made on it. It could also reject the creature. And what if they have children?
Question: You went to make a creature from dead parts so alive that it is capable of reproducing?

We actually get to see a bit more of the "materials" and the process that Frankenstein uses to redo his experiment.

In the book, it is on Frankenstein's travels through the English countryside and eventually ending in Scotland that he makes his final experiment to create the creature's companion. Meanwhile, in Del Toro's adaptation, the creation of the creature is done in Scotland.

His promise to the creature and the thought of making another monster is making Frankenstein as gloomy and miserable as the creature itself.

"Oh, hey, son. You look sad. I have an idea that might cheer you up. I noticed that you and your cousin who lived with us have always been close. Well, I consent to a marriage between the two of you. How does that sound?"
In case you needed further proof of how dated this story is.

Here is a full panel of the creature's asymmetrical look. It's actually vertical than horizontal. His right arm is the one that is beefy-looking while his left is thinner.

And now we get to the crux of the creature's reason for being here (besides revenge on Frankenstein): he wants a companion. The creature believes that by having another being made in the same way as him, then he will no longer be lonely. It's very Biblical in that sense. There's just one problem: there's no guarantee that a female companion will want to be with the creature. I believe this was a point in the movies.

I don't think I noticed it before, but the look of the creature is very asymmetrical. Its upper body is strong and buff, but its legs are long and thin. It reminds me of football players with padding.

The creature commits its first murder: that of an innocent child. All because he said that he is related to Frankenstein. This is something that is largely left out of the adaptations.

As the saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished." Even though the creature saves the young girl from the stream, he gets shot by the human hunter.

Having received no kindness or blessing from humanity, the creature is going to do what all creatures do: commit violence. It has declared that all of humanity is its enemy, and so it will treat them as such.

The old man is quite insightful just by using tone, word usage, and inflection of the creature in their conversation to glean information and the wants and needs of it. It's also impressive that the creature's senses can pick up the steps of the family from outside the cabin at a short distance.

The creature takes its first steps, literally, into bridging the divide between it and the cottagers. While in the book, it does not last long, barely a page or more, in Del Toro's movie, the creature develops a relationship between itself and the old man for a prolonged period.

The bottom right panel on this page reminds me of Mister Hyde's form in the graphic novel "The League of Extroardinary Gentlemen." Very ape-like with the curling mouth and pronounced canines.

And now we get to how the creature developed its grammar and vocabulary: by reading "Plutarch's Lives," "The Sorrows of Werter," and "Paradise Lost." An interesting selection. I wonder why Mary Shelley chose those three? In the last book, the creature found a kinship with the fallen angel, Lucifer.

Damn! Imagine having to journey by horse across strange, foreign countryside with only a name of a remote location to go by and no knowledge of the local language!

I like how Mary Shelley developed this scenario to help the creature to learn language, which is another barrier between it and humans. She introduces a foreign woman, a fiancé to one of the family members, and has it so that the creature learns language through observation and repition of what he hears. In Del Toro's movie, this scenario is changed from the bride to a small child who is learning at home.

The creature recognizes that it is alone and longs for companionship, but it cannot have it due to its mistreatment at the hands of people before. So, only a small wooden wall is the barrier between him and this small family. While he must be content to keep himself separate, that doesn't mean that he can't find ways to aid them.