Frankenstein Underground comes to its conclusion, and while it is satisfying, I find myself wanting more.
Written by Mike Mignola
Illustrated by Ben Stenbeck
Colors by Dave Stewart
Lettering by Clem RobinsFrankenstein’s monster confronts the danger lurking within the underground city. Can he save the spirit of the city or will he meet his end?
In the very early days, I believe Frankenstein Underground was going to be a series of miniseries like so many other Mignola titles, but somewhere along the line Mignola changed his mind. Frankenstein Underground is only a single miniseries. Which is actually a little maddening, because I want to spend more time in Mignola’s Pellucidar-like world.
That said, with all the interconnectivity of the Hellboy Universe, just because there isn’t going to be another Frankenstein Underground story, doesn’t mean there won’t be more done with the character or this world beneath the Earth’s surface. After all, look at how much is happening with Sledgehammer in B.P.R.D. at the moment. The latest arc is probably more Sledgehammer 44 than B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth.
So, instead of crying, “NO! How could he end it there? WHY?!” and shaking my fists at the heavens, I’ll enjoy this story for what it is: an especially fascinating and unique piece of Mignola’s mythology. No other book in the Hellboy Universe is quite like Frankenstein Underground, and I doubt we’ll see its like again. I doubt Mignola is going to start roping in all manner of famous monster characters from pop culture into his books. Frankenstein’s Creature is special. (And I’ll call him Frank from now on, because it’s much easier.)
Hmm, I think I should probably start talking about this issue instead of how much I want more.
As we saw in previous issues, William has been possessed by an Ogdru Hem spirit, one that had previous bound itself to a priest of the Black Goddess (Hecate). The spirit was still weak, unable to take on a form beyond using William’s ectoplasm to manifest physically. After all, William was just a man, nothing more. Frank, however, is a being brought to life by Vril, and would probably seem a vastly superior host to the Ogdru Hem spirit.
This issue is largely an action scene set between two framing devices at either end, while also continuing the Frank’s dialogue with the living heart of the lost Hyperborean city. As in previous issues, he believes he’s in Hell, “a monster drowning in a sea of monsters.” He craves a reason for his existence while believing himself cursed to have none.
This talk of wanting purpose is nothing new. It’s been present since the beginning of the series. It’s an essential part of this story, especially as it comes to its conclusion, but it’s a another reason why I lament the series ending. Frank’s character development has been hampered by this obstacle since the beginning. He ended up being a bit one-note (by necessity, I mean, that was kind of the point), and I would have liked to have seen what Frank could have been like without a lot of his baggage, free to evolve as a character.
OK, it’s getting too difficult to talk around spoilers. I’m diving into the heavy stuff now. Skip ahead to the verdict if you want to remain unspoiled.
When Frank ran into the heart of the Hyperborean city, he discovered the statue of the Black Goddess and destroyed it, only to discover that the original heart of the city, one of the women blessed by King Thoth, had been inside all along. This power merged with Frank, destroying the Ogdru Hem spirit and tearing down the Hyperborean city. Most importantly, it changed Frank, and gave birth to a new world. We’ve seen this new world before in Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels, in Reverend Blum’s vision of Shambhala. And it appears that Tefnut Trionus had a similar vision. This was the vision that made her send members of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra into the Hollow Earth, though she had no way of knowing that she was sending them to a place that didn’t exist yet.
Continued belowHowever, it exists at the end of this story… which is when?
This story began in 1956, but the Frank in the final pages is older, and the forest around him obviously took time to grow. Are we glimpsing a present-day Frank in those final pages? I think we might be, but I’m not sure. As you may know, Liz Sherman torched the inner world at the end of B.P.R.D.: King of Fear, so if Frank was underground, he would have been incinerated then.
Or perhaps Frank’s garden paradise was deeper in the Earth, safe from it. Or maybe Frank even protected it from Liz’s fire. After all, Frank already had Vril power, but now he has all the Vril power from the heart of the city as well, from King Thoth no less! Frank is very likely a being of strength comparable to Liz at her most powerful. Perhaps his power even exceeds hers. I must admit, I’m very curious about what Frank has become.
The way this issue ends, I feel like we’re getting a big hint as to where Mike Mignola may be taking the series. Frank’s garden could be the future of humanity. This isn’t just an interesting side story staring Mary Shelley’s famed monster, this story shines light on some of the biggest mysteries of the Hellboy Universe.
The last page especially piques my curiosity… Who is narrating that sequence? There hasn’t been a narrator throughout the rest of the story, and then suddenly on the last page there is. This isn’t an omniscient narrator, as the ultimate fate of Frank is a mystery to them, so this is a character in this world… but who? And why introduce a narrator on the very last page?
I must admit I am baffled by this and incredibly curious. I have so many unanswered questions at the end of this story and it feels like the stage has been set for something to follow… Yeah, I really, really want a sequel to this book in some form.
I think I should stop talking about the plot now as I seem to keep circling back to the same point.
Right, I’m done with spoilers now.
This story has many links to In the Service of Angels,especially in this final part, so it seems only natural that Ben Stenbeck got to be the artist for this story. Sure, perhaps another artist could have taken it on, but with Stenbeck on art, he doesn’t just reference previous story elements, he summons up familiarity. For a story otherwise so detached from the rest of the Hellboy Universe, Stenbeck’s art becomes a most crucial link. (By the way, his next project will be several short stories in Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953 #1-2. I’m pretty damn excited about that, especially after seeing Frank in very Hellboy-esque action in some scenes in this series.)
All in all, I’m geeking out about all the connections with this story. I want to see Frankenstein’s Creature again and this reborn subterranean world. I want to explore all the mysteries this story hints at. I’m not ready to say goodbye to this corner of the Hellboy Universe yet, not by long shot. I have a feeling that years from now, when this story’s place in the big picture becomes clearer, this will make one hell of a reread.
Final Verdict: 8.
…I still want another miniseries.
