Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin wrote Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus in 1816, then married the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley the same year, to become the more familiar Mary Shelley. It is considered one of the first science fiction novels, if not the first.
It has been fodder for adaptation to other media ever since. It was first adapted to movies in 1910 by the Edison Studios, although the more familiar version launched in 1931. Directed by James Whale, the Universal Studios Frankenstein starred Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein (“Victor” in the book), Dwight Frye as Frankenstein’s hunchbacked assistant (not in the book at all), Lionel Barrymore as the Burgomeister (probably an analog for Victor’s father) and, famously, Boris Karloff as the The Monster. Universal followed the success of that movie with a stream of Frankenstein movies, and other studios have picked up the baton since.
Shelley’s story in comics begins in the form of Dick Briefer’s “Frankenstein” strip in 1940, in Prize Comics #7. Again, once The Monster kicked open the door in a given media, he continued to lumber from project to project up to the present day.
Which gives us lots to talk about!
Here are some important conversations:
- Frankenstein Comics
- Dick Briefer's Frankenstein
- Frankenstein movies (list)
- Universal Horror Movie timeline
For all stories filed in the "Frankenstein" category:
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