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Cover of Frankenstein, comic edition

Frankenstein

by Mary Shelley1818

A gifted boy, a book of forbidden alchemy, and the lightning strike that sets his course.

Read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a graphic novel, from Victor’s first discoveries to the pursuit of his creation.

Portrait of Victor FrankensteinVictorPortrait of The CreatureCreaturePortrait of Robert WaltonRobertPortrait of Elizabeth LavenzaElizabethPortrait of Henry ClervalHenryPortrait of Alphonse FrankensteinAlphonsePortrait of WilliamWilliam
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The story opens

Cover of Frankenstein, comic edition
Frankenstein, illustrated page 1: I am by birth a Genevese; and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic.
I am by birth a Genevese; and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic.
My ancestors had been for many years counsellors and syndics.
My father had filled several public situations with honour and reputation.
Nor was it until the decline of life that he became a husband and the father of a family.
His marriage illustrates his character, so I must relate it.
Frankenstein, illustrated page 2: One of his most intimate friends was a merchant…
One of his most intimate friends was a merchant…
…who, from a flourishing state, fell, through numerous mischances, into poverty.
He retreated with his daughter to the town of Lucerne.
My father loved Beaufort with the truest friendship, and was deeply grieved by his retreat.
It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.
Frankenstein, illustrated page 3: In the mean time he hoped to procure some respectable employment in a merchant's house.
In the mean time he hoped to procure some respectable employment in a merchant's house.
At the end of three months he lay on a bed of sickness, incapable of any exertion.
Her courage rose to support her in her adversity.
Several months passed in this manner.
In the tenth month her father died in her arms, leaving her an orphan and a beggar.
Frankenstein, illustrated page 4: After the interment of his friend, he conducted her to Geneva.
After the interment of his friend, he conducted her to Geneva.
Two years after this event Caroline became his wife.
Every thing was made to yield to her wishes and her convenience.
Frankenstein, illustrated page 5: I, their eldest child, was born at Naples, and as an infant accompanied them in their rambles.
I, their eldest child, was born at Naples, and as an infant accompanied them in their rambles.
My mother's tender caresses are my first recollections.
When I was about five years old, they passed a week on the shores of the Lake of Como.
The number of half-clothed children gathered about it, spoke of penury in its worst shape.
Among these there was one which attracted my mother far above all the rest.
Frankenstein, illustrated page 6: When my father returned from Milan.
When my father returned from Milan.
The apparition was soon explained.
With his permission my mother prevailed on her rustic guardians to yield their charge to her.
Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents' house—my more than sister.
I looked upon Elizabeth as mine—to protect, love, and cherish.
Frankenstein, illustrated page 7: We were brought up together; there was not quite a year difference in our ages.
We were brought up together; there was not quite a year difference in our ages.
I need not say that we were strangers to any species of disunion or dispute.
Harmony was the soul of our companionship.
Elizabeth was of a calmer and more concentrated disposition…
…but, with all my ardour, I was more deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge.
The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.
Frankenstein, illustrated page 8: Childhood.
Childhood.
Henry Clerval was the son of a merchant of Geneva.
He was a boy of singular talent and fancy.
He loved enterprise, hardship, and even danger, for its own sake.
He was deeply read in books of chivalry and romance.
He made us act plays.
No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself.
It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.
Frankenstein, illustrated page 13: Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking up shells…
Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking up shells…
…beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth.
He had partially unveiled the face of Nature, but her immortal lineaments were still a wonder and a mystery.
But here were books, and here were men who had penetrated deeper and knew more.
I took their word for all that they averred, and I became their disciple.

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How the cast of Frankenstein connects

Drawn from who shares scenes with whom in the original text. Each bond is labeled from the pair's first scene together, so the map stays spoiler-light.

Victor Frankenstein ↔ Elizabeth Lavenza: Adopted sisterElizabeth Lavenza ↔ Henry Clerval: Co-conspiratorsWilliam ↔ Elizabeth Lavenza: Brother and sisterVictor Frankenstein ↔ Henry Clerval: FriendsThe Creature ↔ Elizabeth Lavenza: Hostile encounterThe Creature ↔ Henry Clerval: FriendshipProfessor Waldman → Henry Clerval: MentorProfessor Krempe → Henry Clerval: MentorVictor Frankenstein ↔ The Creature: AdversariesAlphonse Frankenstein → Victor Frankenstein: FatherAlphonse Frankenstein ↔ Henry Clerval: FriendsCaroline Frankenstein → William: Mother and sonCaroline Frankenstein → Victor Frankenstein: MotherVictor Frankenstein → Robert Walton: AppealBROTHER AND SISTERFRIENDSHOSTILE ENCOUNTERFRIENDSHIPMENTORFATHERMOTHER AND SONWilliamAlphonse FrankensteinVictor FrankensteinThe CreatureProfessor WaldmanElizabeth LavenzaHenry ClervalRobert WaltonProfessor KrempeCaroline Frankenstein

Meet the full cast of Frankenstein

About Frankenstein

Frankenstein; or, the modern Prometheus is a Gothic tale of science fiction and horror, concerned with scientists, monsters, and the dangerous reach of human ambition. Its world begins amid Arctic exploration, sea voyages, scientific curiosity, and the dream of entering regions no one has yet visited. Robert Walton’s letters to his sister establish a setting of ice, isolation, peril, and wonder, while his longing for discovery is matched by a deep need for friendship and moral companionship. The book invites readers into an atmosphere where grand hopes and foreboding travel together, and where the pursuit of knowledge may lead far beyond ordinary human experience.

Shelley’s prose is formal, eloquent, and richly imaginative, with the emotional intensity associated with Gothic and Romantic writing. The epistolary beginning gives the narrative an intimate, reflective voice, while its descriptions of polar landscapes, ambition, loneliness, and the sublime create a mood both beautiful and uneasy. Written in the early nineteenth century, it suits readers drawn to atmospheric horror, philosophical questions about science and responsibility, adventurous voyages, and heightened language. Those who appreciate thoughtful monsters and stories that place human feeling alongside the marvellous will find a compelling invitation here.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley its book page, where the opening is free to read with no account.

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