I’ve read quite a few volumes of Manga Classics and I can only give praise, its a really good way to introduce new and old fans of the original work, to Mary Shelley famous book Frankenstein, in here we learn the story of doctor Frankenstein and what brought to his life the object of his life work, the Frankenstein monster… I enjoyed the artwork, got really interested in reading the source material, and really I can’t recommend it enough.

I say from young teens to everyone else, this is a great way to introduce people to the original story, and the drawing actually looks good.

Thank you Netgalley and Udon Entertainment | Manga Classics, for the free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.

Not a groundbreaking adaptation. I enjoyed the art style, but it doesn't feel like a manga per se, even by old school standards. There is so much text, so much telling, when comics/mangas are the perfect medium to show not tell.. It didn't suck me in. That being said, the agony is well translated all through the manga.

The original Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is one of my all-time favourite books, so when I saw this come up, I had to check it out, although I must admit being a Manga version I was a bit worried that it would be a toned down version, or a strange adaptation.

But this version was outstanding.

This book has the same essence as the original 1818 story, which is a great achievement, especially considering almost every movie adaption have been unable to do it.

The artwork complemented the story perfectly, and despite not being familiar with Manga format, I found it very easy to follow.

I commend M Chandler and everyone who worked on this, the result is nothing short of exceptional, and has inspired me to check out other books in the Manga Classics series, books that I’ve heard off but have been hesitant to pick up due to their older writing style.

I Highly Recommend this book to anyone, who, like me, loves Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or anyone who is not a strong reader or someone who finds the thought of reading such an old book daunting, this book is a easy and ideal way to experience this classic story.

The Manga Classics version of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, was a wonderful graphic adaptation of the original book and followed the original storyline and was written in the same literary style. It was an enjoyable read, and a great way to get into classic literature if you have issues reading that style of book!

This is a manga adaptation of the original novel from 1818 - and it shows. M. Chandler Linus Liu, the authors of this one, used the old fashioned dialogue, which made the whole thing extremely clunky to read. I guess if you’re a fan of it, you like this one, but I prefer a less “staged” way of talking.
The story is pretty much what we know nowadays: Victor thinks himself above God and sets out to create life all by himself. He robs some graves, takes a sewing class or two, does a Benjamin Franklin and BOOM! Life. Just that he thinks it’s ugly and runs away. The “monster” then haunts him until he agrees to make him a girlfriend. But Victor being Victor he changes his mind right before the finish line, which enraged the monster. The Monster goes on a killing spree focused on the people closest to Victor until the good ol’ doctor decides to hunt the monster down. Eventually, they get lost in a cold place, Vic tells his tale to a good samaritan and then dies. The Monster says his goodbyes and disappears into the cold night.
The art style is what sold me on this one. I like that we get an actual monster and not just a guy covered in some scars. The proportions of the monster are all over the place, he runs like a gorilla, really cool. There were a couple of really cool panels in there, when Vic says something completely out there, even though he thinks it’s totally normal. True horror stuff right there. But I also have to critique one thing here: there were also points in the story where Vic screams for no reason? Like, he randomly screams part of his tale, completely unprompted, and then goes on as if nothing happened. That struck me as odd.
Overall a good and true adaptation in my opinion. Mind you: this is NOT a retelling!

I have read a condensed version of this classic and reading a manga version was quite entertaining. I had to first figure out how to read this for it to start making sense (yes, there’s a way to do it) and from then on, I was hooked to the story. The illustrations were visually satisfying and I loved the gothic feel.

Frankenstein

Author:- M.Chandler

Review...

I have always loved the classical monsters since I was a child & anything with them involved I am interested to read, I loved the art work and also really enjoyed the story 😊 & I will be buying this to add to my collection.

Frankensteins story has always been one about so many factors that is a issue with society.

We fear what we don't understand.
Loniness and isolation
Abandonment

A accurate retelling in a classical style. I quite enjoy how well they managed to capture frankenstein with a few exceptions that honestly don’t matter in the end. I was delighted I over the style being very 80/90s dramatic manga and it fit the story well. I think this is a perfect read for people wanting to get in to the classics but don’t wana start with the books

The single most faithful adaptation of Frankenstein I have ever seen. Don’t let the cover fool you, the art in this book is beautifully and thoughtfully done. I would highly recommend this book to fans of the classic novel or those who are trying to read it and running into some difficulty.

My thanks to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for giving me access to a digital copy of the book to review.

Thank you for NetGallery. I absolutely loved this. It's crazy seeing how this followed Frankenstein closer to how it was originally written and the graphics, oh man! I enjoyed it. I can't wait to read more in the series.

I honestly don’t know if I’ve read the original Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. I’m sure I’ve seen some TV episodes and movies that have focused on this classic tale, but that’s about it. So, obviously, I jumped at the chance to take in a manga adaptation.

I’ve read a number of classics in my life. From novels to novellas to short stories and even poetry, when you have a degree in Literature, it’s pretty standard to have delved into a number of literary classics. Since graduating with my degrees though, I’ve definitely strayed away from classics for the most part, only doing the occasional re-read.

That is why I enjoy this line of Manga Classics. It allows me to indulge the part of me that misses those college days where I did more regularly read classics, while also not getting bogged down in some of the writing style indicative of the time periods these stories were originally drafted and released.

I read manga quickly, and aside from combat/battle/fighting scenes, I find them very easy to follow. So a classic novel that might take me at minimum a few hours can be read in about 45 minutes in a manga format. It’s the same information, but easier to digest and comprehend thanks to actually being able to see the setting or character appearance, etc, instead of reading lots of flowery sentences describing such things.

This manga adaptation of Frankenstein is definitely the most foreboding, terrifying, and dark of the Manga Classics that I’ve read so far, which is keeping with the vibes of the story. And okay, aside from Frankenstein’s monster, the rest of the characters are in that kind of cute manga style. Although, I’d say the monster doesn’t look too terrible or horrifying, but he is different enough from everyone else that he definitely stands out.

The eerie feeling and slowly creeping horror and tension just build through these pages, and you can feel this panic and terror just grow the deeper you get into the story. It was absolutely compelling, and I just wanted to keep reading. I’m not typically a horror or suspense type of reader, but I found myself needing to keep going with this one. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, even when I suspected it was going to be terrible.

I’m glad I read this, and hopefully I have some more Manga Classics reviews coming to the blog soon.

Although Frankenstein is a classic, I find it hard to become interested in it. I read the original in college as a requirement and struggled then. I did enjoy the illustrations in the manga version; however, I was slightly disappointed that it was more Americanized art vs. other manga classics that have skewed more towards Japanese style Mangas. I give this book 3 stars simply because the story was still hard for me to stay interested and the art wasn't as good as other manga classics.

I have been a huge fan of the Manga Classics series since the author and publisher started releasing them many years ago. As a junior high teacher of English Learners, it has helped me bring more and more classics into the classroom.

I appreciate that M. Chandler chose the original 1818 version of Frankenstein, I actually had no idea there were various versions and I've read the latest one, which means that this manga does slightly differ from the one I teach. But I'll still use this book.

The pictures are stunning and match the text but are far from being surface -level drawings. You can see the emotion on Victor or the monster's faces!

Huge shout-out to the author, Manga Classics, and the publisher for this early release copy. I can't wait to order some books for my students!

Really dry, very boring, the artwork is so dingy. There is way too much text and not enough action. This is a graphic novel and it should show me the story rather than tell it to me with background pictures. Nothing about this version made it easier to understand or more fun to read than the source material.

I love the manga version of my favorite classics. And I am slowly collecting the am. And I can’t wait to read all of them.

A classic tale, now with awesome illustrations. I thoroughly enjoyed it, i think this is a perfect gift for anyone that likes art and horror.

I recently got to read an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from Manga Classics and Udon Entertainment. It was very well done and told a version of the story that I realized I had never heard before!

M. Chandler who adapted the story, chose the original 1818 version of Frankenstein stating that “Shelley’s vision for the story would never be clearer than it was then.” (Digital page 331 of 336)

Narratively, this story is told by our characters telling the story to each other. Our story jumps from being told by Victor Frankenstein, Captain Walton, and the Creature himself. Through the artwork, Linus Liu is able to differentiate what you’re seeing enough so that it’s never really confusing to which narrative you’re hearing at any given moment.

I liked the design for the Creature that Liu chose. As a monster pieced together from various corpses, he was deformed and grotesque to be effective and still be able to draw your pity at times.

The story also really makes me want to read this original story in book form one day. These classic horror/monster stories are a lot of fun.

I really enjoyed this adaptation, and it honestly makes me want to check out another one from them. Perusing their website, I think I would be interested in definitely checking out the Dracula adaptation. Then, maybe either some other classic books or Shakespeare would be a fun time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Another great Manga Classic! The art is crisp and clean but still manages to convert the horror with shading and pencil strokes. This is a great version to get younger readers into the classics.

Horrifying and visually gothic, Manga Classics has brought Mary Shelley's gothic masterpiece to life in their adaptation of Frankenstein. Blurring the lines of man and monster, Manga Classics Frankenstein is an enjoyable read that stays faithful to Mary Shelley's original text with only a few understandable deviations that work in the graphic novel format.

Overall, Manga Classics Frankenstein was a brilliant read with beautiful, disturbing illustrations perfect for any horror and graphic novel fan. Those who love Mary Shelley's original masterpiece will love how Manga Classic stays faithful to her words and will like how the novel has been brought to life.

Thank you, NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Frankenstein (Manga Classics) art by Linus Liu, 324 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Udon Entertainment, 2020. $20.
Language: PG (9 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Natural philosophy is Victor’s subject matter of choice, and, when he goes to university, he learns to apply other sciences, like chemistry, to the philosophy he loves. Determined to bring theory to life, Victor literally animates a being—a monster. Years of study culminates in a decision that haunts Victor the rest of his life.
Shelley’s Frankenstein is as much about Victor’s and his monster’s thoughts as it is about their actions, and Shelley tells several stories inside of each other. The illustrations by Liu show readers the turmoil inside and outside of these characters and help readers clearly keep track of who is telling which stories. I like this manga version as much as I enjoy the original text.
Victor and his family are Swiss, Agatha and her family are French, Safie is Turkish, and Robert is implied English. The mature content rating is for partial nudity and disturbing images. The violence rating is for corpses, gun use, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen