Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is one of the famous novels which influenced the development of the science fiction and horror genres. Numerous generations of readers were inspired by it and appreciated the atmosphere created by the author. Thus, Frankenstein: The Graphic Novel represents the story from another angle using specific images to illustrate events. The dull colors, deep shadows, and the way the main characters are depicted can be viewed as the major visual elements helping to feel the mood created by the author.
The main idea of using these visual elements is to cultivate the needed atmosphere and ensure readers understand the setting. The horror, science drama, and detective elements combined with the atmosphere of that period create the feeling of mystery and fright. For this reason, the novel is full of dark colors, shadows, and shades.
Numerous images of the novel prove this statement. For instance, the novel starts with the image of a ship sailing through the dark grey, almost black sea (Shelley, 2010). It helps to create the needed mood from the first pages and ensure readers understand the setting correctly. The main characters’ faces and figures are another example to support the statement. They are shadowed, with sharp forms and edges, which shows the mysterious nature of the novel (Shelley, 2010). The absence of bright colors helps to make this feeling stronger and impact readers.
Altogether, the colors, shadows, and shapes can be viewed as the primary visual appeals used in the graphic novel Frankenstein by Shelley. They help to create the needed setting and guarantee that all readers will understand the atmosphere created by the author. The images fit the supporting text and improve the overall understanding of the novel and the messages created by the author.
Reference
Shelley, M. (2010). Frankenstein: The Graphic Novel. Lucent Books.