By Zack Quaintance — Since the main Hellboy / BPRD narrative ended last year, there’s inherently been a bit of re-orientation going on with all things Hellboy. This even applies to series like Witchfinder, which have always sort of been their own thing while at the same time doling out connections to the main story, or clearing up bits of continuity. Anyway, this reorientation involves the following: with the main question about what the end of the world will look like and the role Hellboy will or won’t play in it finished, will the stories be able to feel as vital and connected to a larger world as they always have? 

Enter Frankenstein Undone, illustrated as it is by Mignola-verse veteran, Ben Stenbeck. This is a story about a character that exists in Hellboy’s world but is also just about as far as you can get away from the center of the main narrative, which in my opinion makes him somewhat of an ideal choice to star in a story right now, while we as readers adjust to the new normal. And that all certainly shows in this first issue, a sweet and tragic tale that relies heavily on the foundational themes of the Mary Shelley source material of which this character is an homage. 

There is a 1-2 punch here that fosters reader engagement of the start, even (I imagine) for those who have never read another Hellboy comic. Stylistically, this comic has a first page that should feel familiar and enticing to anyone who’s even a little bit interested in Frankenstein as a gothic concept. Second, this is a story that goes big early on with a whole lot of heart, relying on the artwork to make it happen. 

Getting back to the aforementioned Stenbeck, it’s his work that really shines in this comic. Due to having animals play somewhat of a central role, at least to this first issue, there are parts that lack any prose at all, relying on the visuals and sound effects to shepherd reader interest, which it does expertly, deploying tense pacing and clear visuals that ground us effortlessly in the story. Finally, I don’t want to give anything away here — but while this story does stand well on its own, there is a connection to the rest of the Hellboy/BPRD story that shows up in a way that makes me think we’re just getting started.

Overall: Of all the post Devil You Know Hellboy and Hellboy-adjacent comics, Frankenstein Undone #1 is perhaps the most intriguing yet, featuring as it does wonderful visual storytelling from veteran Mignola-verse artist Ben Stenback and intriguing tie to ideas from other facets of this shared world. 9.0/10

Frankenstein Undone #1
Writer: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie
Artist: Ben Stenbeck
Colorist: Brennan Wagner
Letterer: Clem Robbins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.