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

I was not expecting this. I was expecting a story from the old Frankenstein movies I've seen growing up. Instead, this is more of a story that deals with the man who created the monster, and how it impacts himself and those he loves. It is a lesson to humanity as we leap into the unknown of ever-advancing technology, making one to consider what we are doing in our society. Are we on the same slippery slope as Frankenstein was? Do we have the wisdom to stop for a while and really consider what our so-called advancements are achieving? Or do we simply not care, striving only for money and fame? Definitely a story that caused me to reflect. Highly recommended.

Experience Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' in a chilling new light with Manga Classics®. Victor Frankenstein's ambitious pursuit of creating life takes a dark turn when he abandons his monstrous creation in terror. The manga adaptation brings this classic tale to life with dynamic visuals, capturing the loneliness and vengeance of the rejected creature. A must-read for fans and newcomers alike.

I have not read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It is one of those books that always seemed too difficult to attempt. When I came across Manga Classics Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, M. Chandler, and Linus Liu on Netgalley, I remembered long ago when I was a kid, the older kids passing around the Illustrated Classics to complete high school reports. The Manga seemed like a good way to try Frankenstein again.

The book is 336 pages long. It is, as best I can tell, the complete story. The artwork is the manga style. It is detailed. The faces are individualized. They clearly show emotion and physical state. The objects in the story are also detailed. Frankenstein’s monster is incredibly detailed. He truly looks put together of various parts more so than any other representation I have seen. I enjoyed the book. I am looking forward to reading more of the Manga Classics. I received a copy of Manga Classics Frankenstein from Netgalley. After reading it, I have written an honest review.

*thank you to NetGalley for giving me access*
4 stars
I have read Frankenstein before for my Literature class and I didn't like it that much... However, the manga was a lot better than the novel in my opinion. One of the problems I had with the novel was that it wasn't always clear to me who was speaking or where we were, which is obviously not an issue in a manga.
From what I can remeber, the text was quite faithful to the novel and I would highly recommend this to people who have or want to read classics.

A faithful adaption of the Frankenstein novel that retains the integrity of the story and its themes. I also generally like the manga/anime style as it emphasizes more emotional moments and this manga is no different. The art style is detailed and the reader can easily distinguish between different characters. This is a wonderful manga to read as a companion to the novel.

It was nice to be able to read a classic and manga form. The illustrations are beautiful and it was very easy to read.

This isn't a straight adaptation but more of a modern retelling while still keeping the language, which I love. With these fantastic Manga classics, anyone can access these fantastic stories. Frankenstein is such a dramatic story, far more drama than horror, and this version brings to life the feelings and trauma of what is happening. It's truly amazing to me how these drawings can evoke so much emotion, directly related to this tragic story.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This is an exciting adaptation of the original story in a new format that will expand the audience of the original story. By turning these classics into manga you not only make them more accessible but also more exciting for many readers. Loved them and think they would be a great addition to any library. Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this title for me to review.

It was nice to read another classic in manga form. The art was well executed and I liked the story within a story within a story which was easy to understand.

At one point, they're travelling from London to the Scottish Highlands but the art showed Denmark, Vienna and Poland so I would think that they wouldn't make a mistaking like that.

Overall, a good read.

Frankenstein has long been a favorite story of mine, and I'm always excited to re-experience it in another medium. The manga illustrations were not only beautiful and detailed, but highly evocative. Victor Frankenstein's ambition and lust for power were starkly laid bare in black and white, with several panels of him gazing with unnatural fervor at the reader, and others where he's shadowed and haunted. It's a look that can truly only be achieved in sketches to create a sketchy character (I couldn't resist the weak wordplay), and this manga does well to capture it.

Of course, the Creature is rendered in detail just as gorgeous and horrifying, inspiring sympathy yet looming over the plot as a shadowy figure. The artist strove to create a "monster" still capable of showing the full range of despair, anger, envy, and hope the Creature feels, and several times I found myself near tears from his words and expression.

I cannot forget to zoom out from the characters and just... talk about the LOOK of the manga, how it can switch with ease between well-lit, almost romantic stylings to skewed perspectives and Gothic trappings. It's devotedly faithful to describing the novel's full events and is incredibly in keeping with the spirit of its themes and times. I highly recommend it to those familiar with Frankenstein and those who have yet to experience the story for themselves.

Btw, if you were curious, notes at the end of the book confirm this is based upon the 1818 version of the text, which I hold to be superior to the 1831 text and I know many other Frankenstein fans do as well.

It was an amazing book. The illustrations were amazing, it brought the story to a new light. I felt so bad for both the monster and Frankenstein. A must read for manga and classics lovers

Excellent artistic depiction of the Mary Shelley Classic. Crisp black and white art with easy to read dialogue bubbles. The manga format lends itself well to this beloved Gothic story.

A Manga retelling of a classic gothic novel, this YA work is part of a wonderful series that introduces a previously untapped audience to some epic stories. The author and illustrator also portray the original work's main themes with little but efficient text and creative artwork. Who is the monster and who is the man?

Net Galley Feedback

Well done! Love the bonus stuff and questions that are designed for teachers. The art is great, the story matches the original. I have read Frankenstein a few times and the manga still showed me things I had missed before. I think this will be perfect for classrooms to give students who don't enjoy traditional books an alternative.

4 stars

I have read a few Manga Classics by now and enjoyed most of them. I love how accessible they are and at least the medium is going with the times and again, thus making the classics that “everyone should read” (according to old white men) more accessible to both older and younger generations.
The art style again was very fitting and beautiful. I sometimes felt like I was missing bits of it as though I had skipped a page or such, but I’m hoping that was a bug in my eARC.
While the medium was accessible, the language was less so, I believe most of the original language of the classic was kept. It was not as hard to understand as Romeo & Juliet though. Still, I believe more people would enjoy the Manga if the language itself were made more accessible as well, especially children and people learning English as a second or foreign language.
Of course the themes of Frankenstein are still very current and Frankenstein having to deal with the consequences of his actions and hubris could (and should) serve as a lesson to many, especially as only innocents are hurt. As such, the book is oe of the more relevant classics in my opinion and I am very glad to see it adapted into a Manga.

All in all a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I recently taught the OG Frankenstein to my students, and while it is one of my favorite classic texts, they had a lot of trouble getting into it.

After reading this version, I can definitely see myself using it in class for some of my students who need additional support and prefer visual cues!

The adaptation is incredibly faithful to the original text, with only a few minor changes. Even the language remains incredibly similar, which I really enjoyed because I think it helps keep the integrity of the text.

The art is also wonderful, and I greatly enjoyed the author's commentary on the back on the process of adapting the novel. I could also see myself integrating that into my class as well.

A beautiful modern twist on a classic horror story. It’ll never beat the original but it was a beautiful modern retelling. I loved it.

A dark and horrifying graphic novel adaption of the classic novel focusing on Victor Frankenstein's youth and ambition to further his scientific knowledge of the human body, and his monstrous creation that seeks out its own humanity and place in the world, as he haunts Victor to the ends of the earth.