Military backgrounds can be seen everywhere in Maledicus. Not only did two of the main characters, Roosevelt and Sam, fight together in Vietnam, but so did Roosevelt’s nephews, Patrick and Michael, in Iraq during the turn of the century. The military presence does not stop there, as two minor characters, George Bruno, who fought with Roosevelt and Sam, and Harold, who fought in Korea, are also present in the story. All of these men served as Marines. With having a brother currently serving in the Marines, it was very interesting for me to see so many different generations of Marines and be able to read about battles from different wars where Marines fought, and see the differences and similarities in warfare. Coming from a military family means a lot of hardship, but it also makes all involved stronger. A feeling that, no matter how insurmountable the odds, you have a duty to fulfill, as objectified in the Marines’ motto, Semper Fidelis, always faithful. It is this motto and their experiences in war that motivates Roosevelt, Sam, and Patrick to stand up against evil and galvanizes the rest of the crew to do the same in their bout with Maledicus. There is another saying, “once a Marine, always a Marine”, which means that, even though someone may be retired from service, it does not mean that they have lost the values of the Corps. While Roosevelt, Sam, and Patrick are all out of the service, they all answer the call when a new threat arises, leaving Maledicus on his heels in a battle against Marines.  

With almost every adaptation of a popular novel into a Hollywood movie comes differences, with these discrepancies sometimes being very large. This is no different in the case of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. There have been several different film adaptations of Shelley’s novel, with most of the films staying true to each other, but not so much to the book. One of the most obvious divergences between the novel and the subsequent movies is the appearance of the monster. While in the novel the monster is described as having “ideal” body parts that turn for the worse, a pale complexion and flowing black hair, the classic appearance of the monster in adaptations is seen with a green complexion, flat head, and two bolts coming out of the sides of the neck. Furthermore, while the novel hopes to convey that the monster’s beauty is on the inside when the reader finds out that he possesses great intelligence and understanding of the world, in the movies the monster is usually seen as lacking most cognitive ability. Not only are the characteristics of the monster altered, but so are that of his creator. In the novel, Victor is seen as much more independent and naïve, creating the monster by himself and failing to take responsibility for his creation. However in film Victor is often seen as much more of a mad scientist, with his hunchback assistant only helping to add to this motif.  

Hey all! My name is Riley Williamson and I am currently a freshman at Lehigh University majoring in civil engineering. I am also involved in varsity intercollegiate sports on campus as a member of Lehigh men’s cross country and track and field teams, competing in the distance events. I live not far from campus in Allentown, PA where I attended Parkland School District from grades K-12. I typically have a very quiet nature but am not afraid to speak up when I need to! I have one older brother that is currently in the Marines that I look up to a lot, and I am the proud uncle of a thirteen-month-old niece named Lana. I was heavily involved in youth soccer growing up, playing from when I was five until the eighth grade, and I still follow the sport heavily, especially the MLS and my favorite teams the Philadelphia Union and the LA Galaxy. My other hobbies include being outdoors, trying new foods, and traveling. I have been to almost all of the east coast states, as well as California and Arizona, and took a class trip to the German-speaking countries of Europe in high school. I will be traveling this summer to Scotland where my family has many ancestral roots and I can’t wait to go!