This is a hypnotically disturbing take on a tale that manifestly has the ability to unman reason in the face scientific and spiritual hubris. More than at any period in the publishing history of Mary Shelley's book the tale of the young genius Frankenstein holds a mirror to society and the monsters that we create and allow to run amok. This version of the story really gets down and dirty in the filthy muck of creation as Frankenstein dismantles corpses and reanimates the jigsaw results. It is a gruesome practice and is difficult to observe, for Junji Ito pulls the reader right in. It is quite loathsome at times, in much the same way as some find the work of Giger. Even in the less graphic moments, consider; page#41, a grave yard caretaker is going about his business when he hears a noise from one of the crypts. "Wh..whos there?" he asks and out of the shadows, into the torch light, without saying a word, steps Frankenstein the sepulcher creator. He has something slung over his shoulders, a suggestion of stolen limbs, giving off God only knows what stench. But it is his eyes staring from that pale haunted face which most alarms. They are the eyes of a man who has raked his hands through the buried remains of the deceased, buried in a fever of corrupt flesh that can not bring forth anything good. It is a striking image, one that causes the caretaker to scream in fear.
It is a superb sequence, one which takes the reader on a trip down the highway to hell.
The Catholic side of my brain is waving a finger at me in admonishment.
The hand made monster is hideous, clever and cruel as only a man can be. It is a towering monstrosity which suffers much and inflicts much suffering, especially upon its creator and those he loves, both walking a dark path filled with pain.
Mary Shelley's book is a bleak vision, reflecting many of the hardships endured and witnessed by its young author. No one gets out alive. The savage conceit perpetrated by the arrogant scientist bringing forth all the monsters of the Id.
Frankenstein is a story that has been told over and over and over again, it has been adapted to the point where sometimes it feels only loosely connected to the source material. Junji Ito introduces us to a breathless new vision of Frankenstein yet remains utterly faithful to the original.
