For nearly two centuries, scholars have wondered how on earth Mary Shelley, a nineteen-year-old girl, was able to conjure one of the most frightening and enduring horror stories of all-time: Frankenstein.
But with the recent discovery of Mary Shelley's secret memoir, the truth is finally revealed: Mary Shelley didn't just write Frankenstein, she lived it. Traveling back to that historic Geneva winter of 1816, Mary, her fiancé Percy, sisters Claire and Fanny, and the celebrated poet Lord Byron, find themselves guests of the eerie Frankenstein Estate. The macabre and frightening events that follow lead Mary to both a gruesome and shock more
Mary Shelley's tale is finally revealed to be more fact than fiction! I love the premise, the way the tale is introduced, and how fact and fiction are woven into a horrific tale. The visuals capture the time period splendidly, as well as reveal the nightmares that existed. Horror continues to be done superbly at AfterShock. Recommended. Read Full Review
Mary Shelley's story is one that's already an interesting one for a range of reasons but I love creative interpretations to expand the myth and mythology of it all, again pointing at Penny Dreadful. Adam Glass has done a lot of historical-based works with AfterShock and they've been a blast with the tweaks and turns and I expect that here, which is fun as we get some of them in this issue to set the stage. Read Full Review
A dive into the creation of Mary Shelleys classic novel that introduces monthly comicbook genre trappings like horror and monster-hunting. It makes for a really interesting first issue, powered by Hayden Shermans always-excellent artwork. Read Full Review
Mary Shelley is not your typical "monster hunter," and that's good because we feel the danger she's experiencing strongly. Read Full Review
Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #1 is a fun gothic romp, and with the brunt work of its exposition out of the way, it'll be interesting to see where it progresses. Read Full Review
Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #1 is a slow burning introduction. It doesn't thrust the reader into the action, but offers some promise at the end of the issue. Read Full Review
Mary Shelley's actual life was an ongoing struggle. To support herself and her son after Percy's untimely death. To endure the loss of family members and friends. To be recognized for her talent despite the era's bias against independent women. Even to get permission over the protests of her father-in-law for publishing works of her late husband that secured Percy's literary legacy. Casting her as a fearless monster hunter is a natural extension of the real Mary. She spent her life fighting monsters of the realistic kind. Read Full Review
It may not be for everyone, but Sherman and Cipriano shine in what promises to be a fun series for fans of historical horror fiction. Read Full Review
Sherman will likely shine in later issues, when Shelley's story really begins to unfold, but this debut issue doesn't inspire much confidence that the story will live up to his skill. Read Full Review
The visuals from Hayden Sherman are stunning. Rough and unpolished, they add an unsettling aesthetic which is more than fitting for a horror title. Where the book stumbles at times is the pacing, particularly as it drags throughout the middle before the big finale (and twist). Building suspense is difficult, especially in horror comics.Mary Shelley: Monster Hunterbegins with a solid foundation. With a little more refinement in the coming issues, it could be one of the best horror titles available. Read Full Review
This issue has all the hallmarks of a good horror story and the potential to be a great one. Fingers crossed that the challenge to Read Dangerously pays off as this story unfolds. Read Full Review
Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #1 is sadly a dull debut to what should have been an exciting start to a new horror series. The disappointment that this issue contains is enough to make me question if I'll continue with any other issues from this series. Read Full Review
I'm fairly certain I know where it is going but I don't know why they felt it necessary to drag Mary Shelley into it beyond the obvious plot hook wherein she pens Frankenstein as a fictional account of her actual experiences. That is part of my problem with the title, this plot line is a trope that has been overused in books and movies in my opinion. Read Full Review