A Monster’s Quest to be Human: Frankenstein Alive, Alive! by Bernie Wrightson
Bernie (formerly stylized as “Berni”) Wrightson rose to prominence in the world of comic books with his work on horror stories for Creepy and Eerie, both published in black-and-white magazine format by Warren Publishing. He co-created DC’s Swamp Thing with Len Wein for House of Secrets 92, and his artwork on the first thirteen issues of Swamp Thing is horrifically beautiful. He won critical acclaim for his lavishly illustrated edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, where his designs for both Frankenstein and the monster seem to be based on his earlier short piece, The Muck Monster.
Bernie returned to Frankenstein’s monster with his friend and collaborator, author Steve Niles, in the four-issue Frankenstein Alive, Alive! Here, the monster is haunted by the specter of his creator and seeks peace for his tormented soul in the lava flow of a massive volcano, where he is encased in stone before being dug up years later.
He makes friends with another “scientist” who happens to be using dubious methods based on old-timey, bunk science to make some kind of elixir of eternal life. This guy has an impossibly massive house full of libraries, laboratories, specimens, and skulls, joined by castle-like cavernous tunnels of stone and wood—all deliciously rendered in exquisite detail as only Wrightson could do.
Eventually, the scientist’s methods bring the monster to a moral dilemma which pits his loyalty to his new friend against his developing sense of ethics, a choice that represents a situation many of us have experienced at least in spirit if not in the sense of the literal facts of this story. While Bernie died before completing the first issue, his hand-picked successor Kelley Jones did a marvelous job working from Bernie’s rough layouts and thumbnails to bring the final issue to life—not with as much intricate detail as Bernie, but certainly with the right mood and compositional style for the occasion.
This visually splendid work has two minor shortcomings. First, it begins with what appears to be a framing sequence apparently set in 1930s-era America during the Great Depression before proceeding to tell the main tale as a flashback. But we never return to the framing sequence at the end, which feels a little off despite the emotionally satisfying ending to the central story. Second, external circumstances relieve the monster of the full duty of resolving his ethical dilemma. While the resolution is dynamic and well-told, I can’t help but feel that having the choice made for him does a disservice to the monster by robbing him of the responsibility of making a tough call on his own.
Regardless, Frankenstein Alive, Alive! is a great work that showcases the talents of an artistic master still working at peak ability right up until his final year, and it’s perhaps the most awesome of many horror collaborations between Wrightson and Niles. You can often find the original single issues or the collected paperback edition, though the digital edition has the advantage of displaying the double-page spreads without any gutter or staples interrupting the incredible artwork.
Collector’s Guide: Enjoy Frankenstein Alive, Alive! in the increasingly rare single-issue format, the more readily available paperback edition, or the inexpensive digital edition.
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