I suspect a lot of readers are going to identify more with the villain of this opening issue rather than the hero or supporting characters, but there's a slow but subtle shift in how one reacts to the characters that stands out as one of the script's greatest strengths. One of the things that's been consistently successful for the Seven Soldiers line is pairing the right artist with the right project in the series, and this marriage of concept and art is one of the best yet. Manhke's style is one that's always thrived when more monstrous elements are part of the plot, and given the title character of this limited series, a monster-friendly style is certainly called for here.
More than a century ago, a sly and devious villain planned to unleash an alien Sheeda plague on a small community, but a heroic brute put a stop to those plans in an explosive fashion. Today, the Sheeda menace has emerged anew in the town, and an angry, awkward high-school student becomes the new vehicle for unleashing the Sheeda. He uses his new power to torment those who once tormented him, but when his corrupt goals become more lofty and threatening, a force for good emerges from the earth to once again oppose evil. The hulking hero is not alive, but not quite dead either, and his name is a familiar one: Frankenstein.
Mahnke's depiction of the title character is one part classic gothic monster, as we've come to expect, and one part badass western hero, complete with flowing coat and blazing guns. Mahnke's style is well suited to bringing out the primal, brutal qualities of the hero, but what's more impressive is the subtly creepy atmosphere the art establishes before the protagonist makes his dramatic return later in the issue. Mahnke's work reminds me a little of Richard Corben's work in the Uglyhead high-school scenes. Mahnke transforms a mundane, everyday character into something disgusting and disturbing. It was a wise choice to leave out any trace of Uglyhead's eyes, offering only his thick lenses on his face instead; it dehumanizes the character and reinforces the alien, unnatural quality for which the artist is striving.
Morrison taps into the universal experience of adolescent lament early on in this issue. He offers an extreme view of high-school life, with so many people ganging up on "Uglyhead," but that was the point, really. Morrison makes sure that the reader is on his side right away, but that slowly changes as we get to know him better. The reader's pity shifts from him to his victims.
The writer seems to explore a variety of genres in this issue. Frankenstein is part super-hero, part medieval knight, part hard-boiled private eye and part badass monster hunter all rolled into one form. Just as the title character is stitched together from various parts, so do the various influences come together to form something new. It occurs to me that Morrison could even take that concept literally, piecing together this Frankenstein creature from other heroes snatched from throughout time -- maybe even other "Soldiers" who were struck down in their mission. 9/10
