Reading Room: PRIZE COMICS "Frankenstein in the Adventures of BlooperMan"

You thought the Silver Age version was the first Frankenstein Monster superhero?

Nope!

During the post-war "humorous monster" period of Frankenstein's run, writer/artist Dick Briefer decided to satirize the superhero genre...

As you can see, he's not the grim 'n gritty version (also by Dick Briefer) who wandered the earth during World War II, as shown HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

This story from Prize Comics #49 (1945) was at the beginning of his transition from "serious" to "wacky".

This guy could've been inspiration for Frankenstein Jr or Herman Munster!

The Monster even gained a Munster-like supporting cast of humorous monsters who lived with him in an abandoned hotel (though they were friends, not relatives)!

The new "fun" version was popular enough to gain his own title in 1945, but he lost it in 1949.

In the 1950s, during the height of the horror comics fad, Dick Briefer would return to the dark roots of the character to produce some of the best tales ever told about Mary Shelley's creation.

You'll see those stories next week thru Halloween, beginning with his revival at our "brother" blog Seduction of the Innocent™, while we re-present a couple of his wilder humorous eps here before Halloween.

Reading Room: PRIZE COMICS "Frankenstein & the Nazis"

Like most Golden Age series, Frankenstein  adapted to stay "fresh"...

...as "Bulldog" Denny was dropped in Prize Comics #29, and the Monster reformed to aid Mankind...until this tale in #39!

They didn't have to destroy him.

The Monster was un-brainwashed and defeated his Nazi captors.

You'll note Dick Briefer's art style is taking on a much lighter, exaggerated, tone despite the dramatic subject matter of the story itself.

In our next entry, with World War II over, the stories also become wilder...and funnier!

We'll be presenting more Frankenstein fun throughout October, so bookmark this blog and watch for another tale of the Monster!

Reading Room: PRIZE COMICS "Frankenstein Meets Bulldog Denny"

And now, the Golden Age origin of "Bulldog" Denny...

...as presented in Prize Comics #11 (1941).

Note that Dick Briefer is no longer using the "Frank N Stein" pseudonym.

...and thus does Bulldog Denny take over from his mentor in the task of capturing the Monster!

Oddly, the previous stories gave no indication that they took place a decade earlier (1931)!

But this tale clearly moves the action to the (then) present day of 1941 with Dr Frankenstein now no longer able to continue the battle against his creation!

Perhaps the first example of a retcon in an ongoing comic book series?

Denny continued to battle the Monster until Prize Comics #29.

The Monster continued in Prize Comics for several more years, reforming, then becoming involved in World War II when the Nazis captured and brainwashed him.

Eventually, he freed himself and returned to America.

After the end of the war, the series changed focus, becoming more humor-oriented and introducing a plethora of other friendly monsters.

It proved popular enough for the Monster to gain his own book for three years.

Both his strip in Prize and his own title were cancelled in 1949.

But that's not the end of the story...

We'll be presenting more Frankenstein fun throughout October, so bookmark this blog and watch for another tale of the Monster!

Reading Room: PRIZE COMICS "New Adventures of Frankenstein"

You have seen the Prize Fighters capture the Monster of Frankenstein...

...now learn why they (and others) were in pursuit of the Creature, and how he ended up in (then) present-day America!

Talk about motivation...

This story in Prize Comics #7 (1940) was the Monster's second comic book appearance ever.

(The first had been a comic adaptation of the movie Son of Frankenstein in Movie Comics #1 [1939].)

Dick Briefer both wrote and drew this tale under the name "Frank N. Stein", which was dropped several tales into the series.

With the concept firmly in place, the stories would follow the format of the Doctor trying to stop his progressively-deadlier creation, until a new hero would enter the battle...

Next Week, 
The End of Dr Frankenstein!
and 
The Origin of the Monster's NEW Nemesis...
"Bulldog" Denny!

Reading Room: PRIZE COMICS "Frankenstein vs the Prize Fighters"

Before the Justice Society!

Before the Avengers!

There were...the Prize Fighters!

And who are these other paragons of justice (all of whom had their own strips in Prize Comics)?

"Well known"?

Most (not all) of them recently appeared in Dynamite Comics' Project SuperPowers series but beyond that...

Anyway, on with the action!

While the characters did appear in the next issue, it was in their individual strips, not in Frankenstein.
There is a mention of him being subdued by a group of heroes in the next issue's Frankenstein tale, but that's it.

This one-time team-up of the various characters, though historically-important, didn't even make the cover of the issue (Prize Comics #24).
Not even a blurb!

Note: We've covered a couple of the characters in separate entries including The Black Owl (both of them), The Green Lama, and The Monster of Frankenstein himself.
As to who Bulldog Denny is, we'll be explaining (and showing) who he is and how he came to be the Frankenstein Monster's nemesis in future entries during October.
For the record, the super-hero group never had an official name.
Several historical articles in print and on blogs gave the team the "Prize Fighters" moniker, and it seems like a good fit, so we're using it as well.
Frankenstein artist Dick Briefer did a good job trying to match several different art styles including the "bigfoot humor" look of the General & the Corporal strip.
And, he gave each character a distinctive attack on the Monster!
Oddly enough, a cover from several issues earlier (#20) seemed to telegraph the events of this story four issues later...

...even though there was no reference in any of the stories in #20 to an attempt by a group of heroes to capture the Monster, he's clearly shown bound and helpless in the second car!

Of course, the concept of a group of heroes beating up on one misunderstood monster wouldn't catch on...

Art by Marie Severin & Sam Grainger

Art by Herb Trimpe

Art by Jack Kirby & Sol Brodsky

 Uh...yeah...won't catch on...

More Monster of Frankenstein later this week...

Frankly, It's Frankie! (Frankenstein, that is!)

As Halloween approaches, we thought we'd take a look back at one of the best horror comics series of all time (and toss in a free plug while we're at it!)
Prize Comics' Monster of Frankenstein began life in Prize Comics #7 (the same issue that introduced The Green Lama to comics) and continued over several years going from a relatively-straight sequel to the Mary Shelley novel to all-out comedy, all drawn by the same artist, Dick Briefer (who also created the series The Target & the Targeteers.) and continuing to the point when Prize Comics became Prize Western Comics.
By then, he had his own title, also played for laughs, which ran for 17 issues.
Of particular note was Prize Comics #24, where The Green Lama, Yank & Doodle, The Black Owl, and other Prize Comics heroes teamed up as "The Prize Fighters" to deal with the assumed threat of the Monster, much as various Marvel heroes tend to team up to try to tame the presumed threat of The Incredible Hulk!

By the mid-1950s, with horror comics a hot genre, The Monster was revived as a straight horror title with #18 and running thru #33, with Dick Briefer still at the artistic helm.
This is the period Golden Age fans still speak of in respectful hushed tones (although technically, it's not the Golden Age).

Old-timers may also note the logo was adapted for the first (and only) issue of Calvin Beck's Journal of Frankenstein, a b/w magazine which was retitled Castle of Frankenstein for the remainder of it's run. (It was one of the better competitors to Forrest J. Ackerman's long-running Famous Monsters of Filmland).
There have been several reprints of the Briefer material including Ray Zone's 3-D Zone, Michael T. Gilbert's Mr Monster's Hi-Shock Schlock, and AC Comics' Men of Mystery, and most recently, Idea Men Productions' trade paperback (ISBN-10 1419640178, ISBN-13 978-1419640179)
AC Comics also did an updated, villainous version of the character, called "Frightenstein"* in a number of their titles, and Dynamite Entertainment's Project SuperPowers has incorporated him as the conceptual basis of the "F-Troop" reanimated-corpse soldiers.

Knowing you can't keep a good monster down, Atomic Kommie Comics™ has revived The Monster as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ collectibles line just in time for Halloween with six classic covers (including #18, his first horror-era appearance) adorning such items as tote bags (perfect as trick-or-treat bags), mousepads, blank sketchbooks, mugs, and, of course, shirts.
In addition, we now have a Frankenstein 12-Month calendar featuring the a dozen of the best of both the humor and horror versions!

Personally, I'm gonna be wearing one of them on Halloween.
Only question is, which one? ;-)

*"Frightenstein" was also the name of a short-lived 1970s syndicated tv series called The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. Vincent Price did a number of intros to segments.

The Target; the hero who WANTS you to shoot at him!

Created by Dick Briefer (who also created the Monster of Frankenstein series from Prize Comics) The Target was a scientist who created a suit of flexible bulletproof metal and used it to fight evil.
His sidekicks, the Targeteers were his alter-ego's business partners, as well.
They wore costumes of the same design, but in different primary (red, yellow, blue) colors.
All three each had a giant bulls-eye design on their chests, which tended to draw enemy gunfire in amazing amounts.
(It's never explained how the metal also absorbed the kinetic energy of the bullets that hit the trio. An isotope of Vibranium, perhaps?)

Interestingly, he didn't make his debut until issue #10 of Target Comics. (The previous issues featured a hero called The White Streak, who faded shortly after The Target made the scene.)
Atomic Kommie Comics™ now offers three classic covers as part of our Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line of collectibles, including the 1st appearance cover!
Note: As part of Alex Ross' new Project SuperPowers series, the Target & Targeteers were cover-featured on #5 along with The Arrow.
Don't forget to buy it, and EVERY issue of Project SuperPowers! It's one of the best series on the market today!