The Vibe of the Illustrations in this Book Define "Steampunk"

I've noticed that a lot of folks have already commented on the main plot point of this novel that I had been excited to talk about as well--what defines something or someone a monster, where do the lines begin to blur between good versus evil? I think this is excellent and is why in any format, Frankenstein has always been a compelling story. However, to make my post (hopefully) slightly different than others, I'll ask about how the formatting of Gris Grimley's Frankenstein particularly contributed to the story.

This book wasn't a pure definition of comic-book, but also wasn't purely an illustration book either. This remix of Frankenstein added a childlike wonder in the illustrations for me, so I will ask:

Did this remix of Frankenstein make the story more digestible and accessible for younger audiences to enjoy? Was it just the illustrations or something else in the formatting of the story? Do comic books or books with illustrations automatically correlate to being for children in your eyes?

Trying to identify the everyday monsters in 2020 be like

What Constitutes a Monster?

After reading the first hundred pages of Grimley's Frankenstein along with Asma's "Monsters and the Moral Imagination," I couldn't help but ask myself, what exactly characterizes someone as a "monster"?

We see monsters played out millions of ways in film, art, music, and literature, but what exactly is the determining factor in their monstrous label? Asma's retelling of the coffee bar story made me wonder if someone with Silva's mental capacity could be a monster, and in a sense, I guess the term doesn't discriminate. It kind of reminded me of a Law & Order episode where a mentally handicapped man ended up killing numerous people because he was convinced they were all agents for the KGB who were trying to keep him out of the Olympics (he was a roller skater, but that's a longer discussion) so he had to kill them to protect himself. Does that make him a monster?

Honestly, I don't know the answer. Obviously killing someone else is morally wrong, but what if your mind convinces you that there is no other choice and you're doing it for the "greater good," or simply to protect your own life? I think the lines get blurry when your mental capacity is handicapped.

After reading Grimley's Frankenstein, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the "monster" who never asked to be created in the first place. I've never read Shelley's novel before, but I would imagine that the illustrations in Grimley's text make it easier to swallow... Although I think the particular illustrations towards the end of our reading made it even harder for me to see the monster as a true monster, and just made me feel even worse for him.

The Monster, longing for interaction. Picture taken from Pinterest

What Makes a Monster

This week's readings of "Monsters and the Moral Imagination" and Grimley's "Frankenstein" really hit home with me.  First before I go into the main topic of my post, I wanted to say that I enjoyed reading this comic version of Frankenstein.  I have always had a hard time reading the original story, I always got dragged down in the language.  The imagery helped to give life to the psychological and moral challenges presented in the story.

In the "Monsters and the Moral Imagination" article, Asma points out that perhaps there has been an increased interest in monsters and mayhem due to turmoil in the society.  Especially as we are going through this COVID-19 crisis,  I wonder if there is going to be even more of an interest in monsters and mayhem.  Asma said, "monsters can stand as symbols of human vulnerability and crisis.  Part of our fascination with serial-killer monsters is that we (and our loved ones) are potentially vulnerable to sadistic violence."  In a crisis such as what has been going on with the virus, people are more prone to become these monsters.  A week and a half ago, a man came driving down my main street that I live on and killed his ex wife and shot one of my neighbor's teenage son dead.  I drove down the road five minutes after this all occurred.  This made me think, what would I have done if I had been directly involved?  Also, what makes someone turn into a sadistic monster?  As I read Frankenstein, I felt sympathy for the creature.  The creature was not given the opportunity to learn right from wrong; it was the job of Victor to give him the foundation for a good life.  Instead Victor spurned the creature leading to both of their downfalls.  Society seems to spurn people that are different and it is society who helps to make the monsters real and imaginary.

Image Source: https://allthatsinteresting.com/serial-killer-quotes