Monday, March 17, 2014

Comic of the Week - Monster & Madman #1

Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Damien Worm
Publisher: IDW
Release Date: March 13, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Steve Niles delivers another masterful tale of horror in his new 3 part series, Monster & Madman. An alternate take on two of two most famous horror characters from the past, Frankenstein's Monster and Jack the Ripper. 

The first issue tells the alternate version of events of Frankenstein's Monster. How he escapes the clutches of his master, and tries to escape his fate by starting his life anew. 

Rather than a standard story of horror or suspense, what we get here is a story of pain, suffering and misery, but ultimately hope for change. The Monster is torn with anguish, the pain of life, the pain of the past, and the pain of realising what he is, a monster. However, through the course of the journey which takes the Monster from the icy waters of Norway and onto the high seas, we come to find that monsters come in all forms, and looks can be deceiving.

The artwork by Damien Worm is absolutely masterful. Sketchy and bleak but beautiful and haunting, he sets the tone perfectly for a story told through the eyes of a monster. The ugliness of the world, of those that inhabit it, and of the monster himself is conveyed perfectly. 

The last page of this issue sets the story for the second character in the title, the Madman, Jack the Ripper. I'm curious to see how this will play out, but in a way I'm actually a bit sad we aren't getting an entire series dedicated to Frankenstein's Monster. I really like this take on the character and would definitely like to see more. Nevertheless, this is a great issue and very highly recommended.

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