Frankenstein #2 (1945)

January, 1898 The Frankenstein Monster revives and walks through the flames that now consume the lower hold of the ship. Sean the cabin boy runs in, but turns in terror at the face of the monster. The boy stumbles and falls over unconscious. The monster picks him up and brings him out of the burning room. On the deck of the ship, the monster, with Sean's limp body in his arms, scales the ship's rigging as mutinous crewmen gather round. Several of the men prepare to open fire on the monster, but Captain Walton orders them to stand down. He doesn't want to risk undue injury to the cabin boy, but he also knows that the monster is more than just a savage brute. Walton explains to his men the sad tale of the monster as it was handed down to him by his grandfather. The origin of Frankenstein continued: :The monster corners his hated creator inside of a cave. Victor is horrified by the notion that this creature is responsible for the death of his beloved brother, William. Sitting down before a fire, the monster details all of the things that happened to him since the night Victor created him. :The Monster's tale ::Days after his gruesome creation, the monster wandered the cold forests of Switzerland. He nearly starved to death until he disrupted the territory of a grizzly bear. The Monster battled with the bear, ultimately killing it by snapping its neck. He skinned the creature, forging a shawl out of the dead animal's pelt then consuming the rest. ::Months passed and the monster eventually came upon a family living in a small cabin. Aware that his physical visage would terrify them, he hid inside of a woodshed attached to the cabin and observed them for weeks. Knowing that the patriarch of the family, De Lacey, was blind, the monster hoped to one day befriend him, confident that the old man would not fear him. One day, when the old man was alone, a wolf entered the cabin and attacked him. The monster came out of hiding and killed the wolf, saving De Lacey's life. He nursed the old man back to health and the two become close friends. Soon however, De Lacey's children returned home and mistakenly believed that the monster was attacking their father. They drove him away from the cabin, and the monster fled into the forest. ::A hunting party became aware of his presence and tracked him through the woods. One of them fired a gunshot into the creature's shoulder, and the monster responded by hurling a large boulder at the hunters, sending them scattering. It was only a short time after this incident that the monster came to Geneva and killed William. :The monster finishes his tale, and tells Victor that the only way he can redeem himself is by creating a mate for him. Victor is repulsed at the idea, but feels that he has no choice but to comply. He spends the next several nights roaming cemeteries, digging up bodies for any vital organ he can find. The monster assists in the project by murdering a young woman and stealing her still-beating heart. Victor sews the body parts together and brings the hideous "she-thing" to life. Watching it shamble across the floor, Victor realizes that he cannot possibly allow two such creatures to exist. He flies at the monster, stabbing her repeatedly with his knife until she falls over dead. When the monster learns what Victor has done, he flies into a rage and murders Victor’s close friend Henry Clerval. The authorities learn of the matter and arrest Victor for Henry’s death. Captain Walton concludes his story, but his crewmen still eye the monster as he holds onto Sean Farrell on top of the ship's mast. Suddenly, the ship strikes an iceberg and pitches over.