Atomic Fangirl

Nutshell: A quick refresher for fans of the story, though grown-ups may wish for a tale they can really dig into.  A perfect intro to the story for kids ready to get their classic scare on. Grade: B

Story: A man in the arctic collapses while on a search for “a demon”.  As he recuperates, he tells the sailors who rescued him a strange tale of how he tried to play god and create life.  To nothing but disastrous results, naturally.  You know the deal.

Thoughts: Only 50 pages?  Sweet!  Er, I mean seems like it’ll be a cool abridged version.  The intro even tells readers they can color the pages if they’d like.  (The book is described as for readers 8 and up.  So don’t expect gore y’all.)  Green’s artwork has that coloring book/woodblock print vibe, with plenty of space for your own personal colors, without too much worry about coloring outside the lines due to intricacies.

As far as the story goes, it actually benefits from Green’s edits, moving the pace forward quickly, serving the panel format perfectly.  Victor Frankenstein is still a douchebag that abandons his creation as soon as he realizes that it’s not just a pipe dream, and The Creature’s pain and thirst for vengeance against the “father” that slighted him is palpable.

The story ends rather abruptly, but what do you expect for 50 pages?  Still, the main storyline — man vs. creature he created, themes of overreaching, longing for family/acceptance, and vengeance — are all here.  As a grown-ass woman, I’d have liked a more in-depth graphic interpretation of the tale.  But this Frankenstein is perfect for young readers.  Violence is off-panel, and though the characters are all shades of grey, children will most likely see “moster bad, victor good”.  That’s a decent start; let ’em pick apart narrative later.

Publication 411: TPB published 11/19/2014.

[NOTE: I received a copy of this title pre-publication via Netgalley.  I received no compensation for my review.]