Gris Grimly's Frankenstein

When they arrived at their destination, Frankenstein’s mood lightened enough that his father and Elizabeth noticed a change and were delighted. The next morning, however, it rained heavily and his dark mood returned. Frankenstein wandered in the snow, asking for the spirits to take him, when he came upon his monster. Frankenstein challenged the monster, and each bared their teeth at one another as Frankenstein called the monster abhorrent and swore his revenge. The monster insisted that Frankenstein, as his creator, was bound to him. He added that his existence did not begin with hatred and demanded that Frankenstein listen to his story before deciding to kill him. The monster felt that Frankenstein’s next actions would determine whether he continued to act with violence against humanity or isolated himself from the world forever. Frankenstein realized in that moment that he was responsible for what he created.

The art style shifts to black-and-white panels and virtually absent dialogue. The monster begins to tell his story of its first weeks of life. In the first days, the monster discovered his senses, learned how to eat and drink, and found comfort in the presence of the sun and moon. He smiled at the birds and marveled at the plants and insects around him. When the monster came upon a fire burning in the woods, he learned to use it to cook food. In search of companionship, the monster found a house and entered it, not realizing he would terrify the person living inside. When he wandered into town, everyone reacted with hatred and violence. Wandering through the woods, the monster came upon a husband, a wife, and the wife’s father (who was visually impaired) living a humble and difficult life. He observed them for days, learning about love, compassion, and family bonds and listening to the elderly man play his fiddle.

Wanting to avoid the fear and hate he experienced before, the monster kept his distance from the family but brought them stacks of wood and harvested food to help them in their struggle to survive. As the smiles on their faces grew wider, the monster became happier. He learned that the earth could be a happy place, filled with love and tenderness, but that pain was a necessary part of life, too.

The monster learned how to read, and the more he found out about life and humanity, the more of a stranger he felt. He thought of his creator, wondering why Frankenstein would make something that he hated so much. The monster stared into the cabin and watched the family until one day he knocked on the door while the husband and wife were out. Unable to see the monster, the elderly man let him inside, the monster explained that he was hoping to make friends in this family. He lamented that humanity had rejected him for his appearance, and the elderly man seemed ready to accept him until the couple came home and saw the monster sitting there. The husband attacked him, and the monster fled.

In a fit of rage, rejection, and loneliness, the monster burned down the cabin. Afterward, he felt better and saved a woman from drowning in a nearby lake. However, when he was found with the woman, he was shot, and he fell into a deep depressive state.

After walking to Geneva, the monster came upon William. William proclaimed that his father, M. Frankenstein, would punish anyone who hurt him; upon hearing that William was related to his creator, the monster killed William, hoping to cause the same despair in Frankenstein as Frankenstein had caused in him. Justine was sleeping nearby, so the monster, with a horrid grin on his face, took the locket off William’s neck and placed it on her, framing her as the murderer.

After telling Frankenstein all of this, the monster demanded that Frankenstein make him a female companion to resolve his loneliness.

With their faces aglow from the fire they shared, Frankenstein and his monster discussed this proposition. The monster explained that he wanted a female of his same stature and species who would understand and share in his isolation from humanity. Frankenstein considered this and attempted to imagine the possible consequences. He at first strongly disagreed, staring at the monster with pure disdain, but the more the monster explained, the more that Frankenstein found he had no argument against this request. He knew, too, that he was responsible for this monster and had the power to ease his suffering. Finally, Frankenstein agreed to create a second monster as long as the monster agreed to stay away from humanity once the task was complete. They shook hands, and the monster left without another word. For the rest of the day, Frankenstein felt confused and overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotion.