Friday, January 18, 2013
Number 1300: Frankenstein and Sam Pyre the vampire
For our fourth and final posting of Funky Funnies week at Pappy's I'm going back to the early days of this blog, when I had a tradition called “Frankenstein Friday.” I revived it for one post in Pappy's #966 over a year-and-a-half ago, and yes, the wheels turn slowly at Pappy's, but eventually we get things done.
Poor Frankenstein — he's the victim of a misimpression that he has become a vampire, and noble sort that he is, wants to end his miserable existence. And that's the bizarre plot of “The Brain of Sam Pyre the Vampire,” from Frankenstein Comics #13 (1948). It's written and drawn by Dick Briefer, who wrote and drew several different features for comic books during his time in the industry. He is best known for his various versions of the Frankenstein monster character, which he drew for over a decade in Prize Comics, and then two different series of Frankenstein.
I made sure I wasn't posting something that Frankenstein fans can find in Craig Yoe's compilation, Dick Briefer's Frankenstein, which is Volume 1 of Yoe's Chilling Archives of Horror Comics. I support Craig in his labors to get great comic books in more permanent format, and his matching sets of books are collectible, must-haves for comic fans. The book is still available from Amazon.com and from Craig's own catalog at Yoebooks.com.
Pappy: I forget where I read it (here, maybe? or maybe in one of Craig's wonderful archives), but it's said that Briefer didn't "pencil" - he simply inked his comics with one take with a brush. There is something so loose and alive about his great stuff, I can believe it. Genius!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, my friend. And I, too, am very grateful to Mr. Yoe for his "Yoeman" efforts regarding his books!
More Briefer is always a plus. Thanks Pappy!
ReplyDeleteMykal, Briefer's comedy does have that loose look of brush direct on paper...but his later, more dramatic work, looked like he penciled.
ReplyDeleteEither way, his work is very distinctive. Nice to hear from you, Mykal.
Mr. Cavin, I've got to dig deeper into the Pappy Archives to find more Briefer. But I hope to have more before too much longer.
ReplyDeleteWhat a mean trick to play on a monster!
ReplyDeleteAmusing story.
Fantastic!
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