Synopsis:  The gothic worlds of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, and more collide in this graphic novel series about buried secrets, mad science, and misunderstood monsters. For fans of stylish reimaginings like Lore Olympus and gaslamp fantasies like The Night Circus!

London isn’t the safest place for mad scientists these days. After that whole ordeal with Frankenstein, angry mobs have gotten awfully good at hunting down monsters and wiping out anything they don’t understand. In fact, if it weren’t for one... or worse.

That young man is none other than Dr. Henry Jekyll. He believes mad scientists would thrive if they could just fix their public image, which is why he founded the Society for Arcane Sciences, a place where like-minded eccentrics could come together to defy the laws of nature in peace.

But everything changes when a mysterious stranger arrives, bent on taking the Society in a radical new direction. With everyone turning against him, Jekyll’s life starts to spiral out of control, shattering all his carefully laid plans and threatening to expose his darkest secret—one that could destroy everything he has built from the inside out.

Volume One collects Chapters 1-7 of this thrilling, humorous, beloved webcomic, which is available in print for the first time ever. It also features a brand-new side story, a behind-the-scenes look at artwork, and more exclusive bonus content!

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I had never read nor ever heard of this webcomic before this book, and I found it an interestingly evocative world to dive into.

It features a collection of misfit characters, not all of whom are mad scientists, though most of them are, like Dr. Jekyll himself, who tries so hard to create a gentlemanly persona to fit a proper public image while he tries to find benefactors to help keep his society afloat.

His darker persona, on the other hand, Mr. Hyde, just wants to go out and paint the town red and enjoy the night life. Dr. Jekyll has gone to great pains to keep anyone from knowing that the two are one and the same person.

When Frankenstein's creature shows up, carrying the unconscious and very female Dr. Frankenstein, things begin to get really interesting.

The author, S.H. Cotugno, captures the mood and setting wonderfully with their sometimes whimsical and sometimes dark and edgy graphics. I liked the depth they gave to their characters and look forward to finding out more of the secrets they are keeping.

I will most definitely be following up with Volume 2 in the very near future. ~~ Dee Astell