Contrary to popular belief, the story of the Frankenstein Monster did not end at the end of Mary Shelley's famous novel. Now, Steve Niles and Damien Worm have uncovered the shocking fact of the time the Monster met... Jack the Ripper. Read if you dare!
Bringing it all together is the gorgeously haunting art of Damien Worm. Nothing in the artwork feels particularly solid. There are no hard lines to define characters, mainly brushstrokes that turns each page into a painting with an unearthly quality befitting of the subject matter. There's a dreamlike quality to the panels as well with characters coming in and out of focus like cobbled memories. The composition of the pages resemble old photographs hastily pasted into an album that's become weathered, burned, and stained over time. It's a scrapbook, or perhaps a notebook, turned into a story, like the monster at the center of it all. Though I will say, as far as fight scenes go, the confrontation towards the end between the monster and the ship's captain is the definition of epic. Read Full Review
That moment when you become completely immersed in a work of fiction is a blissful one. I achieved such a moment reading through Monster and Madman; only one issue in and I'm already Googling through Damien Worm pictures. He's that unique an artist and Niles has nailed yet another atmospheric take on a classic monster. If you're a horror fan, in particular a fan of monsters, what are you waiting for? Go get this right now. Read Full Review
This book is a drunken bender in darkness, a vomiting Edgar Allan Poe as he stumbles from tavern to tavern, searching, hoping, pleading for the desired bliss of eternal sleep. This stuff will give you nightmares. This is not Halloween Scooby Doo scary. This is real horror, psychological horror that takes it's time, creeps around, stalks you, leering, stumbling, limping in shadow, enveloped in black, yellow skinned and mad. Mad with the realisation that this is life. The horror of humanity is real, all too real. It will make you insane, gloriously, stupidly, incoherently, violently, pathetically INSANE. Read Full Review
Having already read the synopsis of this cool new book, I will enlighten you. The title, Monster and Madman, does point to two main characters. We already know the monster. The madman is Jack the Ripper, the iconic wraith, serial killer of gaslit London that was never caught. I am very excited to see how these two characters will interact. Will they be friends or foes? Will Jack befriend the monster only to later turn on him or throw him under the bus" literally or figuratively, whatever works? Know that great stuff that has come from Steve Niles, 30 Days of Night and Criminal Macabre to name a couple, and this is sure to be an interesting ride. Read Full Review
Overall, this neat and eerie concept works great together for a comic. Read Full Review
With its combination of unique style and clever writing, I am impressed with this issue. There is only room for growth as the story arc trundles on. Read Full Review
I recommend this book to any gothic fiction or macabre tale fans. While it may not be destined to become a future classic, its still a brilliantly simple sugar high of a story. Read Full Review
It is this very art work by Damien Worm that makes Monster and Madman #1 stand out for this reviewer. Sure, Steve Niles' writing is solid and the premise intrigues me, but I don't think it would be as great a tale if it were not for the gorgeous art that frames his story. As long as we keep getting Damien Worm's succulent art, does the story even matter? That's hyperbole, of course, but you get my drift. Monster and Madman will only be around for two more issues, so grab it while you can. The art work alone is worth the cover price in this reviewer's opinion. Read Full Review
Overall, this was a surprising read. Sure, their collaboration in “In The Dark” made me actively seek this out to read, wanting more stories told by these two, but the surprise really comes from just how well these two work with each other. They are perfect collaborators with Niles writing to the strengths of Worm's artwork and Worm being able to bring the sense of dread and foreboding in Niles' writing to the forefront with his artwork. This is definitely an issue worth checking out, especially for those with a hankering for horror comics, and it shows that Steve Niles has in no way lost his touch and has found an incredibly fitting new collaborator in Damien Worm. Read Full Review
The difference here lies in the under pinning story dwelling more of a loss of identity than the fear of stalking creatures from the unknown. We are given the monster's point of view in an establishing issue that provides needed exposition, before our pair of devils set out to either fight or play. Read Full Review
It's a somber and somewhat slow start to the series, but the introspective on a character who's both dead yet escaped death is interesting enough to support the issue. "Monster and Madman" #1 holds promise for the remainder of the series, with an unlikely but original premise that has enough of a hook to keep readers on the lookout for issue #2. Read Full Review
The first issue of Monster & Madman deals almost exclusively with the former. The latter's story looks to pick up in part two. With the creature in such a doom-and-gloom mood, I can only imagine what someone like Jack the Ripper can do with such a powerful individual. Read Full Review
I see this story as one with the potential to be very interesting with the elements of story and art ready. With the first issue, we have barely dabbed the surface to what can be. Right now, we have darkness with some plot points moving. I am very curious to see what happens when our Monster and Madman actually interact. Read Full Review
What agitated me the most was the lettering. Theres no one to credit for the lettering but I will assume that Work is to blame for this as well. There are some chief rules for creating comics. Have a good story. Illustrate what is important. And make sure people can fucking read it. When I consider that the artwork isnt very illustrative and at best nebulous, the printed word would be my guide to help me decipher the story. However another gift the horror genre bequeaths on a comic reader is the scratchy font that gets lost in the obscure illustrations. This book was a chore to read, and with all honesty, wasnt worth all the effort. Read Full Review
Frankenstein's Monster mopes and murders in a meandering, dull first issue that feels incredibly padded and unnecessarily morose. Read Full Review
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