If you’re going to update an oft-told story, you have to know where it came from. With The Ex-Wives of Frankenstein, it’s clear that writer/artist Richard Fairgray knows both Mary Shelly’s original novel Frankenstein and the James Whale films of the 1930s. His resulting comic carries echoes of both and yet is refreshingly neither.
The events we know have more or less happened in this update. But it begins three years later, with the Bride of Frankenstein staring in a mirror and struggling to accept herself. Accentuating her seams with bright red lipstick to contrast her deep green skin, she can’t see the beauty beneath the surface. Later on she admits that she’s tried to connect with the life of the person before — the “donor” of her brain, but that hasn’t been successful. Fairgray artfully communicates this in just a few pages, and then real life intrudes on Victoria.
At the door to interrupt her solitude stands Elizabeth, the ex-wife of Victor Frankenstein. She holds all the secrets as a witness to everything — at least in the movies. Victor and the Creature have been found living in the Arctic Circle, about to become media darlings as survivors, lovers, and somehow, heroes to the incel community.
And so the two ex-wives of man and monster begin a cautious dance around each other, knowing their own lives are about to explode. Of course they’ve had terrible things to say about each other in the past. Old scars still throb. In Victoria’s case, possibly literally. Her insecurities drive her to nervously pick at the threads that hold her together. Tug and smooth over, tug and smooth over, an action visible but never commented on in panel after panel.
The shadows of their husbands loom large, though the men haven’t made an appearance. This isn’t really about them. Deep down Elizabeth always suspected she would lose Victor to his creation, and years of resentment keep bubbling up. Being scarcely over 3 years old, Victoria has little idea how to help. She just knows they’re bound together.
It’s a brilliant take. Fairgray portrays subtext beautifully, with body language and panel layout carrying the emotional burden. Only 2 issues in out of who knows, The Ex-Wives of Frankenstein has a clever title and far more lurking beneath the surface. Though that’s not fair. Sure, Victoria has green skin, but she doesn’t lurk. She just doesn’t know how to connect well. I look forward to following her journey with Elizabeth.
You’re going to have some difficulty finding this self-published book, but it’s worth the effort. Look for Fairgray to appear at a convention near you, where he should have copies for sale. And watch Kickstarter for issue 3, where you may be able to at least get PDFs of the first two issues. You can, however, definitely pick up Fairgray’s earlier GLAAD-award winning graphic novel Four Color Heroes on Amazon.
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