Review: Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 1- War of the Monsters

Quick Summary

Pros: The concept here is unique and allows for some creative storytelling elements. The combination of horror and action works well and is exciting.

Cons: The pacing goes too fast throughout the book. The artwork is lackluster.

Overall: This is a fun book that focuses on Frankenstein taking down a wide variety of mystical or downright creepy enemies. It centers around a satisfying blend between horror and action and uses this as the staging ground for a number of entertaining battles. However, the book is hampered by the pacing, which is too rapid and does not allow emotion to develop. This collection should appeal to anyone looking for some cool monster fights, as long as they don’t care about deeper meaning.

Story

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 1: War of the Monsters, by Jeff Lemire, is a unique concept that ends up being a clever mix between action and horror. One minute, readers will see the creation of horrifying monsters; the next minute they will see Frankenstein using his sword to cut through these same monsters. This mix makes for a satisfying adventure that is both fun and creepy. The only problem is that the pacing is a bit rapid and prevents some scenes from being as emotional or meaningful as they otherwise would have been. The pacing problem forces the book to almost completely rely on action and horror as its main positives.

(spoilers start here)

The main storyline here follows Frankenstein’s missions as an agent of S.H.A.D.E., a clandestine organization tasked with defeating the weirder threats that endanger humanity. It is a unique concept that allows the series to dive into some horror based plotlines that would otherwise be unavailable to other series. This includes stories about an invading dimension of monsters, nuclear heroes living in exile, and sentient humanoid clones. The entire narrative here is packed with horror and tales that are just downright creepy.

This horror is then merged with a general sense of action, as Frankenstein’s enemies are always willing to put up a fight. This leads to epic battles where Frankenstein’s impressive power levels and indominable will allow him to best any enemy that crosses his path. The best moment here is when Frankenstein faces off against a titan as big as a mountain and is able to destroy it from the inside. All of this action makes War of the Monsters more enjoyable and adds a lot of fun to the mix.

Unfortunately, the pacing for these stories is too rapid for any of them to feel meaningful in any way. Frankenstein’s interactions with the dying hero in Vietnam should have been emotional, as he was literally putting an old friend out of his misery. However, it happens so quickly that readers are never able to forge a connection with the dying hero, thus removing most emotion from the scene. The relationship between Frankenstein and his wife also feels like something that should be significant but simply is not. Hopefully, the next volume will slow things down a bit so that emotion can creep into the book, instead of just having the volume rely on action the whole way through.

(spoilers end here)

Art

War of the Monsters also suffers from art that feels lackluster overall. Alberto Ponticelli’s artwork is structurally sound and provides a nice complement to the book’s tone. It helps bring out the creepy nature of the horror while also managing to be energetic in action scenes. However, there are more than a few places where characters look distorted and their proportions seem very off. This leads to some scenes that look comedically strange, which takes away from the moment. This book does not look downright bad, but it also fails to provide a significant source of visual appeal.

Continuity

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 1: War of the Monsters starts the Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. New 52 series. This means that this is the first volume in a brand new continuity, so there are not many references to previous books or specific character histories. This makes it a great starting point for new fans.

The story here continues in Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 2: Secrets of the Dead (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• This collection contains a mini-crossover with the OMAC series. The OMAC side of this altercation is detailed in OMAC #5, collected in OMAC Vol. 1: OMACtivate (Review). This OMAC chapter details the same exact fight but from a different perspective.
• Frankenstein’s past in Vietnam appears to be a vague reference to Watchmen.