Link: http://www.avatarpress.com/titles/warren-ellis-frankensteins-womb/

I need to preface this review with 'this is not the book I thought I was getting when it was recommended to me by my local comic shop owner'; The Comic Guru. I was thinking Warren Ellis and Frankenstein, we're clearly in for some good old steam punk craziness mixed with extreme violence and some well timed smutty language. What I got was an almost existential journey through the modern age through the eyes of a monster.

The story begins with Mary Wollestencraft (soon to be Shelley), Percy Shelley, and Claire Clairmont (Mary's step-sister) travelling through Germany on their way to Switzerland to visit Lord Byron. They make a brief stop on the way to pay a visit to Castle Frankenstein; the home of Johan Dippel an 18th century alchemist obsessed with the philosophers stone and it's legendary abilities to grant eternal life. Mary enters the castle alone and it is here that she is confronted with Frankenstein's monster, who takes her eliquently on a journey through time and space.

The book reads more like a history of Shelley's life starting as it does with her birth which then in turn caused her mother's death. Ellis draw's parallels here between Shelley and the monster claiming they were both born of death and killed their creators. This is a theme that follows throughout the story; anlaysing the possible inspiration for her original novel with comparison to the way the world has developed since it's publication. The story is less of a story in the conventional sense and more of an examination of the human condition and how we have crafted the world we live in touching on the broad concepts of life, death and virtue.

One word describes the art in the this book; beautiful. Marek Oleksicki is a true master, working in black and white he manages to get more depth and atmosphere than most would hope to achieve with all the colours of the rainbow. If anything the book is much better suited in black and white focusing your attention on the fantastic detail in the gothic architecture and raw emotion of the protagonists.

Overall although the book wasn't what I expected and I would probably gain more from it if I were more well read, it has inspired me to find out more about the great writers it focuses upon. More than that though it has challenged me to think beyond my traditional view of the world and how we came to this point in our development and for that I am trully grateful. 4 out of 5.

Cover: Felipe Massafera
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Marek Oleksicki
Readership: Mature
Format: B&W, 48 pages, OGN