Lovestruck

The third incarnation of Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein often found itself entangled in unlikely love scenarios, probably because everyone loves a good “Beauty And The Beast” tale and the cartoonist was admittedly a bit low on inspiration at the time.

Of course, none of these tales end happily … mostly because the monster isn’t really capable of much except destruction. That’s part of the character’s tragedy, I suppose, and once again a marked difference from the original malcontent that declared war against humanity in those early issues of Prize Comics.

The Time Bullet’s Three Faces Of Frankenstein week concludes with “Entranced,” one of Briefer’s better anti-romance comics. The story originally appeared in Frankenstein Comics #29 (Prize, Februrary-March 1954).

As if it needs to be pointed out, the script and art are by Briefer.

No More Mr. Nice Monster

Three years after the demise of Dick Briefer’s acclaimed Frankenstein title, he returned to the trenches and revived the character to capitalize on the booming horror comics market.

Much to his regret, Briefer had never been able to sell a syndicated newspaper strip based on the humorous Frankenstein. Therefore, the cartoonist’s third iteration of Mary Shelley’s classic creation returned the monster to it’s original, bestial state. Unlike the version that appeared during the early ‘40s, however, this Frankenstein was less an evil mastermind than an inhuman engine of destruction.

(That could, on occasion, still be pitied.)

As I’ve written in earlier posts, Briefer thought less of this comic than the earlier Frankenstein strips. While it definitely lacks the zip of his earlier efforts, the third series is still entertaining and could even serve as an unacknowledged influence on the earliest Lee-Kirby Hulk stories.

Um….with a lot more murder and mayhem than was ever allowed in any Silver-Age Marvel Comic.

The Time Bullet’s Three Faces Of Frankenstein week continues with “The Rebirth of The Monster” from Frankenstein Comics #18 (Prize Comics, March 1952). The art and story are by Briefer.

Get A Job

Our Three Faces Of Frankenstein week continues as the world’s friendliest monster solves the unemployment crisis!

The story originally appeared in Frankenstein Comics #14 (Prize Comics, July-August 1948). It was written and drawn – once again – by Dick Briefer.

Coming tomorrow: The third and final face of Frankenstein!

Love And Monsters

Frankenstein’s Monster a … matchmaker? Stranger things have happened, especially with Dick Briefer’s version of the classic Mary Shelley character.

The Time Bullet’s Three Faces Of Frankenstein week continues with “The Strange Love Of Shirley Schmool,” a decidedly different tale of romance that definitely lives up to its title!

The story originally appeared in Frankenstein Comics #7 (Prize Comics, May-June 1947). It was written by Dick Briefer and Ed Goggin and drawn by Briefer.

Family Monster

By 1945, Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein had adopted a lighter tone as the Monster abandoned random acts of violence in favor of such pursuits as tracking down a copy of Jack & The Beanstalk. The change had evidently proved popular as Frankenstein graduated to his own comic, a move that prompted Briefer to ditch the horror elements entirely and reboot the character as a gentle giant who sought a down-to-earth existence.

The following story, “Frankenstein’s Family,” epitomizes this new approach as Briefer throws caution to the wind and amps up the surreal humor that set the feature apart from just about everything else on the newsstands back then.

“Frankenstein’s Family” originally appeared in Frankenstein Comics #3 (Crestwood, July-August 1946). The story was scripted by Briefer with Bruce Elliott and drawn by Briefer.

The Book Of Frank

The Three Faces Of Frankenstein week continues with The Creature teaming up with Satan himself to see if a pure soul can be corrupted.

Yes … your eyes aren’t deceiving you Time Bulleteer. Today’s story is an adaptation of the Biblical story of Job that features Frankenstein’s Monster.

It’s just one of many reasons why I love comic-books so …

“Frankenstein Meets The Devil” first appeared in Prize Comics #31 (Crestwood Publications, June 1943). It was written and drawn by Dick Briefer.

Talk about divine intervention! I do like the image of Frankenstein and Satan playing cards at the end, though.

Tomorrow: The Second Face Of Frankenstein!

When Underworlds Collide

Today we begin a “Three Faces Of Frankenstein” theme week featuring three very different incarnations of Dick Briefer’s legendary take on the Frankenstein monster.

When the Creature debuted in Prize Comics #7 (Crestwood Publications, December 1940), he was portrayed as a rampaging monster that hated mankind with every fibre of its being. The premise remained intact until Prize Comics #24 (Crestwood, October 1942), when Frankenstein’s primary antagonist – an adventurer named Denny “Bulldog” Dunsan – teamed up with the super-heroes that shared the comic with Briefer’s characters and captured the monster.

Frankenstein eventually reformed and even took on the Nazis but still succumbed to his darker impulses – a la the modern-day Hulk – from time to time.

After the war, Briefer transformed the “Frankenstein” strip into a humorous feature that is now regarded as one of the greatest features to emerge from comics’ Golden Age. Briefer’s big-foot art and dark, often surreal, humor distinguished this more genial Frankenstein from the usual comic-book monster and proved every bit as “adult” as Charles Addams’ more “respectable” Addams Family comics in New Yorker.

The second Frankenstein strip ran from 1945-49, but Briefer revived the character one final time from 1952-54 to capitalize on the horror comics craze. Portrayed once again as a raging monster, neither Briefer nor comics historians regard this incarnation as the equal of the previous two. The cartoonist even recycled some ideas from earlier stories. Still, Briefer’s skills as a storyteller didn’t vanish and this final Frankenstein definitely enjoyed some bone-chilling moments.

The following tale is one of the earliest appearances of Briefer’s Frankenstein, when no one could foresee that the creature would eventually become a genial and gentle suburbanite.

From Prize Comics #9 (Crestwood Publications, February 1941), here’s a story concerning Frankenstein’s brief brush with the criminal underworld as written and drawn by Briefer.

The Object Of His Affection

Dick Briefer’s run on the Frankenstein Monster can be broken down into three distinct eras: the early strips that depicted the Creature as a devious and savage villain; the darkly humorous Frankenstein comics that Briefer found most fulfilling creatively; and the pre-Code horror incarnation that reinvented the monster as a figure that inspired revulsion and pity.

Although the last category doesn’t enjoy the critical acclaim of the more whimsical Frankenstein comics, Briefer still managed to pen a number of effective horror tales that deserve to be considered among the best of that particular comic-book genre.

The following story is a good example of how Briefer could give the most monstrous of characters a heart and features a shock ending with real kick.

The 13 Days Of Halloween continue with “The Beautiful Dead” from Frankenstein Comics #32 (Prize Comics Group, August-September 1954). The story was written and drawn by Briefer.

Creature Discomfort

Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein takes on Sam Pyre, The Vampire!

‘Nuff said, Time Bulleteers!!

“The Brain Of Sam Pyre The Vampire” originally appeared in Frankenstein Comics #13 (Prize, May-June 1948). The story and art are courtesy of Briefer.

Monster In The Mirror

An underlying theme to Dick Briefer’s early, horror-themed Frankenstein tales is that mankind – despite all pretenses of civilization and morality – is just monstrous as the infamous creature itself.

Although Briefer wasn’t the first to make such a connection – Frankenstein’s true creator, Mary Shelley, trod down that path as well – the cartoonist’s approach to the subject matter is so forceful and timeless that it feels more contemporary than the Commie-baiting Lee/Kirby Hulk comics of the early ’60s.

Plus, there’s a lot more bloodshed. We are talking about a Pre-Code comic here!

From Prize Comics #27 (Crestwood Publications, 1943), here’s “Is Humanity Worth Saving?” by Dick Briefer.

Although Bulldog Denny’s fight against The Creature had its ups and downs, Briefer himself ultimately tamed the monster when the entire strip was reimagined as a vehicle for the cartoonist’s surreal humor.

Frankenstein would ultimately return to its horrific roots during the EC explosion, but the legacy of Breifer’s “Merry Monster” proved the most durable.

For an overview of each incarnation of Briefer’s Frankenstein, pick up Craig Yoe’s excellent compilation from IDW!