Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde comics seems like a no-brainer for the Horror comics but actual adaptations are infrequent. And those tend to be reprinted instead of being replaced. The concept of a scientist who changes himself into a monster is quite common but those that identify the participants as Jekyll & Hyde less so. Here are the American adaptations of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel. (There are doubtlessly many European and other ones I am not aware of.)
Let’s speak briefly about the original novel from 1886. There are some intriguing tales about the book itself. Like Frankenstein, the story was inspired by a bad dream. Stevenson’s wife threw the manuscript in the fire because it was too ghastly. RLS had to rewrite it from memory. The book itself got a boost in sales two years later because of the reign of Jack the Ripper. It is unfortunate for readers today who have the ultimate spoiler before even reading the text. We can not enjoy the book in the same way the very first readers did. What may surprise some modern readers is that the book is so short and arranged like a Mystery novel. Unlike Frankenstein (1818), it is a fairly modern tale, being a late Victorian Gothic closer in time to Dracula (1897).
Dr. Jekyll, along with Victor Frankenstein, became the quintessential template for all the mad scientists in Science Fiction. The Pulps were crammed with such men (who all had beautiful daughters! Neither Frankenstein or Jekyll have children.) These scientists delve beyond what humankind should know and pay the price. Stevenson wanted to discuss the two sides of human nature but he did not have Freud or Jung to help him back in 1886. His tale does this by separating the evil from Jekyll and calling it Mr. Hyde, a pun since the evil individual is hidden inside Jekyll’s personality.
Later Science Fiction/Horror writers had fun with the Hyde idea in The Jekyll Legacy (1993) by Robert Bloch and Andre Norton as well as the earlier Loren D. Estleman’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes (1979). For more on that, go here.
Classics Illustrated #13, August 1943 from Gilberton, was adapted by Evelyn Goodman with art by Arnold Hicks. Hicks was a Pulp illustrator and later comic artist. This version is so rare images are hard to come by.
(A Star Presentation #3, May 1950) from Fox Comics, was adapted by an unknown author. This one was reprinted again and again. Some feel the art was inked by Harry Harrison but I can’t prove that. This comic got a 3-D version in 1987.
Classics Illustrated #13 (October 1953) This second version from Gilberton was adapted by an unknown writer. I suspect Lou Cameron did a new version of the story because Hicks’ art was too dated.
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (Nightmare Annual, November 1972) The novel was adapted by Al Hewetson. Skywald used plenty of material from the public domain, like the stories of Poe.
(Supernatural Thrillers #4, June 1973) This Marvel Comics version was adapted by Science Fiction writer, Ron Goulart. This one was reprinted in the oddest places: Planet of the Apes #25 and Doctor Who Weekly #18.
Marvel Classics Comics #1, 1976 was adapted by Kin Platt. These comics were taken from a series of graphic novels done by Pendulum Press. Because of this, they have a slightly different look to most Marvel Comics, using less word balloons.
Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde (1990) was from Catalan Communications. This reprinted a European comic.
Classics Illustrated #44, October 1997 Acclaim reprinted Lou Cameron’s 1953 version.
Other Strips
Some Horror comics did not adapt the tale but played with it. Here are a few of the better ones.
“Doctor Fatty and Mr. Hyde” (World’s Finest #36, September-October 1948) written by an unknown author.
“Sir Reginald and the Beastman” (Marvel Family #55, January 1951) was written by Bill Woolfolk.
“Man or Monster?” (The House of Mystery #1, December 1951-January 1952) written by an unknown author.
“The Other Man” (Adventures Into Weird Worlds #11, October 1952) was written by an unknown author.
“Hyde and Go Shriek” (Haunt of Fear #20, July-August 1953) written by Al Feldstein.
“Dr. Jekyll Was Right” (Creepy #33, June 1970) was written by Bill Warren.
“Hyde– and Go Seek” (The House of Secrets #94, October-November 1971) written by Len Wein.
“The Daughter of Dr. Jekyll” (The Unexpected #147, June 1973) was written by George Kashdan.
“Enter: Mr. Hyde” (Eerie # 53, January 1974) written by Steve Skeates.
“The Night of the Jackass” (Eerie #60, September 1974-Eerie #63, February 1975-Eerie #65 April 1975) written by Bruce Bezaire.
Sherlock Holmes: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Caliber, 1998) was written by Steven Phillip Jones.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (1999-2007) from DC Comics, was written by Alan Moore. This one became a movie.
Conclusion
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde comics never really caught on like Dracula comics did. Or even werewolf comics. If you are like me the first time you experienced the Hyde transformation was probably not in comics at all. It was in cartoons like “Hyde and Hare” or “Hyde and Go Tweet”. After that you probably encountered him in the old black & white films. (Or this one.) These days it might have been this movie version, of course, in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003).
The character of Jekyll/Hyde is such a part of our collective storytelling it is easy to see him everywhere. Superman with his Clark Kent as Jekyll is a good guy version. Norman Bates, quiet taxidermist or wig-wearing knifeman? The character of Hannibal Lector comes to mind a well. Here is a Dr. Jekyll who has thrown off his placid alter ego to become only Mr. Hyde and to revel in it. All those DC villains and their origin stories, the list goes on. Stevenson’s dual character gave us a way to talk about the monsters inside us all.
A riff on him was in “Hell Rider” from Skywald.