A Horror Classic Illustrated
by Georges Bess

In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote the original “zombie” novel (although that term had not yet been coined yet) about a creature brought to life from the reanimating of corpses. This “medical miracle” by the titular character Victor Frankenstein turned into an episode of horror far beyond the scientific achievement he so dreamed of. Haunted by his creation, Frankenstein’s life turned into a nightmare, but one no less pitiable than that of the creature itself.

Following Mary Shelley’s original novel, this new illustrated adaptation of FRANKENSTEIN is 204 pages, filled with the pathos and passion that has made this tale a literary classic.

With page after page of stunning pen-and-ink drawings, readers will find themselves lost in each of these classic scenarios, content to soak in every detail before entering the next page. Reproducing Georges’s unprocessed illustration boards on uncoated woodfree paper, these artist-edition books will capture the tactile details of his work as if holding the originals.

Presented in George’s original line work without any digital post-process distractions.In preserving this linework, we also strive to reproduce each page as close to the original tones as possible, allowing the reader to see the brush strokes and ink lines as if drawn into their copy of the book itself. Variations in ink density in large fills and thick lines bring the reader into the work as if holding George’s original boards.

Written by: Mary Shelley
Illustrated by: Georges Bess

Born in 1947, Georges Bess first established a name for himself in both Scandinavia and the United States in the ’70s by acting as a luxury substitute for all of the designers in Sweden. He fashioned himself as a self-described “mercenary” hand, capable of matching and surpassing any visual style requested. With this multifaceted technique, he collaborated on the Scandinavian version of Mad Magazine, and illustrated the dynamic adventures of The Phantom, the famous masked hero battling against the forces of Evil, from 1977 to 1987. He returned to Paris in 1987, where he met notorious filmmaker and storyteller Alejandro Jodorowsky, who quickly asked him to illustrate the story The White Lama. Together, they created several other major series including Anibal 5 (1990), an explosive, titillating sci-fi tale about a James Bond-like cyborg, and Juan Solo (1994, released in English as “Son of the Gun”), an action series about a South American killer that won the Alph’art Award for best screenplay at the Angouleme FIBD. In 1998, Georges published his first solo project, a concept he had dreamed of for a long time: Escondida. Other magnificent books followed, including Bobi, Pema Ling, and Lééla and Krishna, a diptych imbued with his love for India. That love manifested itself again with the publication of the series Le Vampire de Bénarès for Glénat and the collection Incredible India for Vents d’Ouest. In 2019, Glénat published his black-and-white adaptation of the epistolary novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, which became an Official Selection at the FIBD in Angoulême the following year. In 2020, he returned to science fiction with the first volume of his original diptych Amen, followed by his prestigious adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He then completed Amen before returning with his definitive edition of Dracula. He currently lives in Paris.