Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Storm Surge #2
Writer: Chuck Dixon (adapting from Dean Koontz)
Art: Andres Ponce
Colors: Mohan
Lettering: Bill Tortouni
Cover Art: Andres Ponce
Cover Colors: Mohan
I’ll be the first to admit it: I never read most of Dean Koontz’s work. The only examples I have looked into have been some volumes of his Odd Thomas book series, and never any of his comic-related work. Still, I can’t help but see some of his marks in this issue. The singular entity controlling the supernatural, the mix of the unnatural ends with somewhat realistic technology. Koontz is a natural fit to this type of tale in a way I never thought of before, as shows in “Everything that Rises Must Converge, Part Two of Six.”
The decompressed telling of Mary Shelley’s classic horror story is rather intriguing, though I wonder if the idea was that of Koontz or of Chuck Dixon. The tale shown in this issue is three-sided. We have Doctor Victor Frankenstein with his infamous experiment, along with a variety of humanoids he created that seemed to function as proto-monsters. We have an unliving creation of his, Karloff, reduced to nothing more than a head, but nonetheless having a role that appears similar to Igor in some versions of the story; alongside him there is Erika, a visitor from another universe with its own Victor Frankenstein and its own Karloff. Last, we have the couple leaving their son in his room while they went out to find Doctor Frankenstein in the midst of a New Orleans hurricane. This method of telling seems very different from the typical route of only showing various elements of the creature and his creator’s perspectives in a way that makes me wonder how the story will develop each of these actors in the tale.
Transplanting the story to what appears to be modern day New Orleans seems like an odd choice, but I remain interested in seeing how it moves forward, especially with the aforementioned couple’s son being a reader of comic books himself. Will it relate a meta-fictional perspective, or just be a background factor? The reasoning is difficult to tell.
The use of various other monsters required a different reason for Doctor Frankenstein’s experiment: the quest for immortality. I am not sure what to think of this change, given it makes the doctor go from a misguided scientist to a completely amoral likely villain. However, the change is likely closer to what other readers would know of the Frankenstein story, so perhaps it is for the best that he take a more villainous route.
I have to commend Andres Ponce and Mohan on the artistry of the issue. Facial expressions are top notch, and the environment as a whole shows the disturbing nature of such a tale. My only wish is that moments when characters are shouting had their mouths open more, or more emotion on their faces. Every other time, the art is very well done.
On the whole, this issue makes me very interested in continuing to read, to find out more about this version of Frankenstein’s monster.
If it helps, Koontz’s version is actually a continuation… This Victor Frankenstein is the same scientist from Shelley’s book. His experiments worked, and he’s still around. I did read the first issue of this mini series, and I’m still waiting for Deucalion, the “monster”, to show up (he’s still around too, and determined to stop his creator).
Thanks. First issue of it I read, so it’s good to know.
Book series is pretty cool, probably one of the better from Koonts in a while… The bad thing is that he hasn’t finished it, and it’s been like five or six years (at least) since the last book came out…