Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein is a graphic novel adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic novel Frankenstein. It is illustrated by Gris Grimly, whose adaptations of classic literature are known for their detailed and emotive artistic style, as well as a dark and often gothic approach to art and literature. Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein was originally published in 2013 and is an examination of The Need for Purpose that defines being human, as well as The Cost of Unthinking Ambition that can result from this need. Frankenstein’s personal decline demonstrates How Misery Makes a Monster and why Taking Responsibility for One’s Choices is essential to living a moral life.

This guide is based on the 2013 Balzer + Bray paperback edition of the graphic novel.

Plot Summary

An explorer named Walton writes home to his sister, Margaret, in England as he and his crew board a vessel and set off to see the North Pole. Walton hopes to be the first to step on new land and to make grand discoveries. Along the way, he and his crew spot a gigantic man riding a sled being pulled by dogs; soon after, they find another man alone on the ice. The man is named Victor Frankenstein, and he crashed in pursuit of a monster he created. He resolves to tell Walton of his life experiences to warn Walton of the dangers of unthinking ambition.

Frankenstein’s story begins in his youth; his mother died of scarlet fever, and Frankenstein spent most of his time immersed in research on alchemy and everlasting life. After growing up, he left his family and cousin (an eventual wife), Elizabeth, to pursue an education in natural philosophy. He excelled in university and won the favor of a professor who allowed him the use of his laboratory. Frankenstein decided to use this laboratory to find a way to reanimate the dead. He studied bones and corpses, eventually figuring out the death process and using that knowledge to create life. Frankenstein sewed together bones and organs in a painfully awkward fashion but soon succeeded in creating a living, thinking being. However, he found himself unable to bear the sight of his own creation, so he fled from it. His closest friend, Henry Clerval, took care of him as he fell into emotional turmoil.

After recovering, Frankenstein received a letter from his father revealing that Frankenstein’s youngest brother, William, had been murdered and that Justine, a young woman adopted by the Frankensteins who served as William’s caretaker, was charged with the crime. Frankenstein rushed home to console his family and grieve with them. They all attended Justine’s trial together, and because she was found with the same locket that William wore, she was convicted and sentenced to death. Certain that the monster killed his brother, Frankenstein felt responsible for both William’s and Justine’s deaths and became overwhelmed by guilt. He thought about revenge, and his will to live diminished, save for his commitment to Elizabeth. Frankenstein’s father took him and Elizabeth on a small trip to lift their spirits, but Frankenstein couldn’t shake his dark mood.

During this trip, the monster found and confronted Frankenstein, demanding that Frankenstein hear his story. The monster told Frankenstein about how he began his life rejected and alone. Nevertheless, he was initially benevolent and curious in his efforts to learn about himself and the world. He learned to read and to understand his senses, and eventually, he found a small family that he observed closely in order to learn the ways of humans. However, when he attempted to help and befriend them, he was judged for his appearance and attacked. Enraged by his loneliness, the monster burned down the family’s home. After finishing his story, the monster demanded that Frankenstein create him a female companion to end his loneliness. Despite misgivings about what could result if he agreed, Frankenstein couldn’t help sympathizing with the monster and promised to do what he asked.

Frankenstein returned to Geneva, hating the thought of creating another monster who could do just as much or more damage than the first. He planned to marry Elizabeth in two years, after the completion of this final project, and he moved to a remote town in Scotland to finish the work. When the task was almost complete, Frankenstein spied the monster watching him work through the window and decided to destroy the second creation. The monster confronted Frankenstein, warning that he would bring despair into Frankenstein’s life and vowing to return on his wedding night. Afterward, Frankenstein cleaned out the cabin and took the remains of the creature to the sea to get rid of them. He fell asleep in his boat and drifted to Ireland, where he was accused of the murder of his own best friend, Henry. Frankenstein knew that the monster was responsible but served time as he awaited trial. He was eventually proven innocent and freed but as a prematurely aged and totally changed man.

In the following months, Frankenstein felt like he had murdered his loved ones but tried to proceed with his life as planned. He married Elizabeth, but the monster killed her on their wedding night. His father soon died of a broken heart, and Frankenstein was alone in the world. He took it upon himself to seek revenge against the monster and not to rest until he had killed him. It was in pursuit of the monster that Frankenstein was found by Walton and his crew and taken aboard their ship.

After telling his story, Frankenstein falls ill and approaches death. Before dying, he warns Walton to pursue a life of tranquility rather than put himself and his loved ones in danger for the sake of ambition and reputation. After Frankenstein dies, Walton mourns him, and the monster appears to take Frankenstein away. The monster claims to feel guilt and regret for those he killed but also continues to blame Frankenstein for all that went wrong. He carries Frankenstein’s body away with the promise that he will go north and die in peace, far away from the rest of humanity.