The Cobbler's Monster - A Tale of Gepetto's Frankenstein

Genre horror Author Jeff Amano Publisher Beckett/ Image Comics External Links Official Beckett Comics Website Offiicial Image Comics Website

The Cobbler's Monster - A Tale of Gepetto's Frankenstein is a classic tale of horror retold in an inventive new way. Utilizing the interplay of science and religion, Jeff Amano has cleverly written a salute to Victorian storytelling by incorporating ideas from several classic stories. He has blended the pieces together successfully to create a new adventure that examines the love of a father for his son, a son for his father, and what can happen when that love is invaded and misunderstood. The narrative is effectively presented in two halves - the first half being the creation of a golem and the second the search to destroy it while also being told in two different perspectives. In addition, the team of Craig Rousseau (art), Wayne Faucher (inks), and Giulia Brusco (colors) has crafted a beautiful presentation of the story. While The Cobbler's Monster is at times both gruesome and heady, it tugs at your heart and reveals the human drama present in all great stories. Together, the combination of story and art leave you impressed from start to finish. A classic in it's own right, I could not put this graphic novel down until I saw it played out.

The story centers on three main characters: Gepetto the cobbler, his son Victor, and Matthew - a friend of the family and soon Gepetto's new "son." It revolves around these three as Victor comes down with an incurable illness and Gepetto, Matthew and Dr. Waldman, another family friend, search for a cure. When science does not work, they turn to religion, the sorcery of Kabbalah and the long held Jewish belief in the creation of a golem. During this time, Victor has grown resentful of the bond that has developed between Gepetto and Matthew.

After Victor's death, the three men continue to work on their project and through a freak act of nature they succeed in bringing a golem of Victor to life using a combination of sorcery and science. Following a rampage, an explosion in the city appears to end the experiment as only an arm is recovered from the site.

Life moves ahead for Gepetto and Matthew. Matthew finds a new love and gets married only to have his new bride killed by Victor who it turns out is still alive. Consumed by rage, Matthew will not rest until Victor is dead. He and Gepetto gather together a search party that Victor slowly wipes out as he lures his father and Matthew into their final confrontation. Amano gives it one more little twist to leave you wanting more even though you know this is the end.

The story is presented in two parts that effectively capture the past creation of a golem and the search to destroy it. Presented from Gepetto's recollection, he seems to be telling us the story while waiting on the whaling boat to find the monster his son has become. A tender point of reflection that perhaps is the strength and understanding he exhibits at the story's climax. In leading up to this point, Amano has presented the adventure in an effective narrative from Gepetto that we think is happening in real time. It is only when we see certain scenes with narrative balloons that we know that the story is being told to us. From the point on the fishing vessel going forward, the story moves at breakneck pace as the action takes place in the present. It is a well-choreographed arrangement that allows some commentary and reflection to help you feel the underlying story of the conflict between the three men.

In crafting this narrative, Jeff Amano has taken bits and pieces of classic tales from the Victorian age, and one that is centuries older, and woven them into a well-constructed tale of horror, paying homage to the classic horror and science fiction writers of the late 1800's. Clear-cut use of these stories and characters is underlying, yet you can see the relationship in his use of the golem and the Frankenstein monster as tribute to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and other horror classics like Dracula. Further, the scientific aspect shows a relationship with Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and any of H.G. Wells' classic science fiction tales. Finally, Captain Melville of the whaling vessel from the end of the story seems the most obvious connection to these Victorian writers in creating Matthew's own white whale that leaves him so consumed that he is willing to give up all else to see Victor dead. These references and re-adaptations help Amano cleverly fashion his new tale instead of just retelling the old one.

Utilizing this time of discovery and shift to modern thought is intelligent and critical to making the story work. We are able to believe that these men could forge bold new inroads in genetics and medicine as many scientists did back then, even going so far as to invent their own equipment as the need arose. Though in the end, they could not completely let go of the belief that there was still some magical power in the universe into which they could tap. With this belief they sought to combine the two forms in order to achieve success and their results show that misguided science, no matter how noble the cause, often has disastrous consequences. But it is not the science and magic that captures our attention and imagination as much as it is the developing story between Gepetto, Victor and Matthew.

Victor's anger compounds as he watches his father's growing relationship with Matthew coupled with his own unfortunate turn of events. He only wants the full love and attention of his father while he is alive. Gepetto wants a second chance with Victor not realizing the second chance he will get is with Matthew. Matthew, orphaned for a number of years now and with no real family in this country, walks blindly into the situation leading to his own heartbreak and doom. Once alive, the golem of Victor is driven by his anger to his actions of monstrous deeds that match his grotesque appearance. Victor is the "villain" here, but also the victim as he seeks the love of his father that Matthew has now. Matthew's anger grows to match Victor's and the final battle is between the two as they each seek Gepetto's love as a father. In the end, whether truth is victorious is dependent on your take on the final scene.

This tale is incredibly well conceived and thought out, although I did see a similar golem tale on an episode of "The X-Files." The talented artistic team along with Jeff Amano has proven to be up to the task of giving us Victorian horror that is really a reflection of the horror we feel in the outcome because we know it is likely we would have done the same thing in Gepetto's place. Add to the mix the periodic gore and we have a successful tale that can be appreciated by today's readers. While this book may get passed over by many, Image Comics has another bona fide winner in its inventory of publications that is not to be missed.