How “Young Monsters in Love” reflects the human condition
What is it that draws humankind to the weird allure of horror and science fiction? Stories of ghosts and ghouls permeate our culture in ways that are hard to explain. Spooky stories told around a campfire enrapture youths while a horror movie Netflix binge can frighten even the most courageous adults. Perhaps we, as humans, just enjoy being scared. Or… maybe there is something about these tales of mystery that is intrinsically relevant to the human condition.
Many out there know that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story about a monster created by a mad scientist. But to say this defines Frankenstein and call it day would be a disservice to Shelley’s work. Through the plight of Frankenstein’s monster, we see the story of a creature who did not ask to be created with the flaws they possess. We see a creature who rages against their lot in life despite the hopelessness of the situation. Anyone with a physical, mental, or emotional abnormality can instantly connect with this, even if they don’t realize it right away. By disassociating reality from concepts too complex or painful to process, horror and science fiction turn these concepts into something more tangible and relevant.
This is where Young Monsters in Love succeeds. Every story in this book tells something about life, but does so in a unique way. There are stories about vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons, and even one about a sentient gorilla who is in love with a brain in a jar. Yet each of these stories tells something more than what is on the surface.
For example, the first story in this collection is about a longtime Batman villain by the name of Man-Bat. Man-Bat is really Kirk Langstrom, a scientist who occasionally uses a formula to change into a villainous monster, much like Jekyll & Hyde. In this story, Langstrom’s addiction to the formula causes him to experience hallucinations, in which his monstrous alter ego speaks to him. The illusion tells him that he needs the formula and that the formula is the only thing in his life that feels good. In the end, Langstrom is able to control his addiction and resist the temptation of Man-Bat.
Quite clearly, this is not just a story about a man battling a science fiction disaster. This is a story about addiction and how hard it can be to overcome. Langstrom’s problem relates to anyone struggling with drugs, alcohol, or simply bad habits. Things like addiction are sometimes hard to talk about, so turning them into allegorical hallucinations makes them easier to confront. The whole comic is filled with stories like this and takes a unique approach to issues like grief, bullying, unrequited love, and more.
By writing this, I am not suggesting everyone go out and buy this comic today, especially if horror is not your thing. I am simply expressing my satisfaction with the wonderfully weird variety of comics that have been coming from major publishers within the past year or so. Titles like Deadman and Mystik U scratch a supernatural itch, while titles like Doom Patrol, Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye, and Shade the Changing Girl scratch the itch for something weird and out there. Hopefully, publishers will keep putting out books like this in the future so that we can all have a bit more variety in our comic books.
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