One of the most classic monster tales centers around Mary Shelley's Frankenstein...so fitting for a spooky season, don't you think? I covered the original with my daughter a couple years ago during our homeschooling theme 'Monsters in Literature' (such a fun theme with tons of possibilities, btw). So I was more than a little curious to see how these authors adapted the tale into a middle grade graphic novel. The cover with the cat already makes it clear that there are some interesting twists taken.
Ready to see how this one goes and if it does a decent job at bringing classics to kids?
FRANKENSTEIN
A Graphic Novel
by Mary Shelley
Adapted by Lorenzo Coltellacci & Michele Botton
Illustrated by Federica de Cotis
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Classic / Graphic Novel
176 pages
COMING OCTOBER 20th!!!
A young scientist challenges the rules of reality when he crafts life from flesh and bone! This full-color, kawaii graphic-novel adaptation reimagines Mary Shelley's classic for middle-grade readers.
Victor Frankenstein pushes the boundaries of science to create life from scratch—only for things to spiral out of control when his creation proves too much to bear. Now, haunted by his mistakes, Victor must make peace with, or destroy, what he made before it comes after everyone he loves.
This classic comes to life in a brand-new graphic-novel format with full-color, kawaii-inspired art.
- A faithful retelling adapted for middle-grade readers
- Full-color art in a cute, cat-like kawaii style
- An accessible entry point to a literary classic
- Great for classrooms and reluctant readers
Discover the story for the first time—or rediscover it with a fresh twist!
MY TIDBITS
With care, heart, and humor, this retelling of the original story comes across in a grabbing way which will have readers understanding some of the moral questions behind Mary Shelley's original novel.
This version begins by taking Mary Shelley's opening letters from Captain Robert Walton and, instead, uses these to ground this book with the captain and his crew at sea as they get stuck in the ice. The reader gets to know the captain and the crew a bit, and receives the first glance of the monster from the distance. This creates a wonderful beginning to let the reader ease into the world and gives them a bit of distance to Victor Frankenstein's tale, which the authors than use as needed buffer to bring across some major messages of the original novel. Plus, the captain and his crew add enjoyable personality and a touch of humor. When Victor is brought on board and tells his tale, the crew's eagerness to hear it is palpable...and there's more humor built in with subtle hints of Victor's self-serving personality, which also speed along the heart of the read.
To keep everything interesting and concise for this age group, only the major highlights of Victor's tale are shown. These make the sufferings of the monster clear and garner pure sympathy. The monster is shown with a hideous appearance, but he soon will win over readers with that longing gaze the illustrations bring across so well. Every mishap stays very age appropriate and doesn't leave room for doubt at who is responsible for the ridicule the monster endures. This, of course, leaves other important food-for-thought found in the original tale forgotten and forcibly clears away any fog of doubt at the complete innocence of the monster. Still, it works nicely and delivers the main gist across fine with the age group kept in mind.
The graphics carry a lighter, comic style than I expected, which works nicely to make sure this tale never grows dark in the slightest. Instead, everything is kept cushioned and light-hearted to make sure even sensitive readers feel at home. And it has enough tension to keep the pages turning, too.
It's a nice twist to the original tale, which never forgets the intended age group and delivers the main idea in a way they are sure to enjoy.
And here they are...
Lorenzo Coltellacci is the author of several graphic novels and picture books published in French and Italian, including a graphic novel biography about Escher. In 2019, he founded his own independent comic book label, Coltello Comics. He has a degree in Foreign Languages and International Cooperation and works in digital communication.
Michele Botton was born in Piove di Sacco (PD). He studied screenwriting for comics at the International School of Comics in Padua. For BeccoGiallo, he published the graphic novels Abe Sada, il fiore osceno and Bukowski.
Federica de Cotisis an illustrator based in Italy. She has worked on books like Treasure Island: A Graphic Novel.
Michele Botton was born in Piove di Sacco (PD). He studied screenwriting for comics at the International School of Comics in Padua. For BeccoGiallo, he published the graphic novels Abe Sada, il fiore osceno and Bukowski.
Federica de Cotisis an illustrator based in Italy. She has worked on books like Treasure Island: A Graphic Novel.