Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Damien Worm
Release Date: 21st May 2014

The final issue of the 3 part Monsters and Madmen series has arrived!

The task of tying together two already existing (and universally known!) stories is not the easiest of tasks for any writer; however, master of dark literature Steve Niles has managed to pull together the true story of Jack the Ripper and the Mary Shelly’s fictional masterpiece Frankenstein.

Alone in the world, Frankenstein’s monster worked at sea – using his unnatural size and strength to his advantage. However, when docked in London, his appearance makes him an outcast – and he is forced to be taken in by “Doctor Moore”. A man the monster can see is not all he pretends to be. Issue #3 uses dialogue reasonably sparingly, with the entire issue being narrated by an unnamed 3rd person. The entire Monster and Madman trilogy has focused largely on the quality of life vs life argument. A topic that has recently hit the news again with two elderly women have travelled to a Switzerland euthanasia clinic.

Equal to the fantastic writing is the art of the three-part story. The abstract pages of shadowy figures on greyish backgrounds help to greatly compliment the mood of the story. Similar to that of the Steve Niles written “30 Days of Night” book. The contrast of the greyish surrounds to the red and white splashes when the book gets violent also help to increase the effect of the bloodshed, leaving the reader with a slightly repulsed feeling at the back of their throats. Excellent work.

It is when this story read all together the true quality of both the writing and art in this book becomes apparent. A strong outing from IDW. It would appear the highly successful Niles/IDW relationship isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! …good.

Rating: 3/5.

---

The writer of this piece was: Blair Stevenson
You can also find Blair on Twitter.