And don't miss Melvin Monster
over at AEET-- click HERE!!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Philosopher's Stone (Dr. Drew)
Another phenomenally illustrated tale from Fiction House's Monster #1 (1953), and of course Jerry Grandenetti needs no introduction, but I will say that if you enjoy this entry from the Dr. Drew case files, you may also want to hit up the THOIA Archive afterwards (if you haven't already) and take a look at "The Strange Case of the Absent Floor" as well as "The Witch's Doll."
And don't miss Melvin Monster
over at AEET-- click HERE!!
And don't miss Melvin Monster
over at AEET-- click HERE!!
Dr. Drew...haven't seen a Dr. Drew since Gilbert's reprints via Mr. Monster. Well done.
ReplyDeleteoh boy, Melvin!
ReplyDeleteThis has a Will Eisner "The Spirit" influence.
ReplyDeleteGreat story, great art!
ReplyDeleteImagine a conversation in the editor's office before publication.
"Philosopher's Stone? Shouldn't we change that to something like Sorcerer's Stone? Who's gonna understand philosopher?"
"Are you crazy? That's practically saying our readers are dummies, an insult to their intelligence! Who would ever be stupid enough to do something like that?"
Who indeed! :)
Wonderful "school of Eisner" stuff here. His own quirky style is starting to show itself, too. Thanks for posting this one.
ReplyDeleteI guess Dr. Drew helps more than just those with drug addictions.
ReplyDeleteI love this one. I agree about the Eisner "SPIRIT" look to it, but are your readers aware that Grandenetti actually ghosted a lot of Eisner's "SPIRIT" work back in the day? So, how much art that we associate with Eisner is actually originally Grandenetti's influence? Hmmmm....
ReplyDeleteTo say that Grandenetti ghosted "a lot of Eisner's "SPIRIT" work back in the day" is incorrect. The Spirit, which began publication in 1940, had a 12 year run, ending in 1952. Mr. Grandenetti begin inking some of Eisner’s pencils around 1948-49, and began drawing The Spirit under Eisner’s byline around 1950 until perhaps 1951/2 – with Wally Wood being the last artist to draw the feature (I'm guessing that none of this is news to Karswell's knowledgeable readership). This input was hardly “a lot,” considering the vast breadth of Eisner’s solo work on The Spirit; and the final, two years of the floundering feature could hardly be considered “back in the day.” By 1950, the Spirit’s day was well over. As far as any of Eisner’s work showing a Grandenetti “influence”? No.
ReplyDeleteJudging by this post, which is beautiful at any rate, it is clear that working for Eisner had a profound influence on much of Grandenetti’s solo work for at least a few years after his tenure with Eisner and The Spirit. Eventually, Grandenetti would forge a unique, brilliant style of his own. My favorite work from him was his work on DC’s great war comics, like All American Men of War and Our Fighting Forces.
Did I forget to mention that this was a great post? That first splash panel is a stunner.
And further, this feature “the Secret Files of Dr. Drew” was an Eisner creation. Grandenetti, who was still drawing under Eisner’s supervision (and Fiction House – the publisher of Dr. Drew) at this time, was instructed by Eisner to draw everything in the “Eisner style.” Interestingly, Grandenetti himself didn’t think he was very good at drawing in the master’s style – but I can’t agree with him there. (http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Richard%20Arndt/The%20Warren%20Magazines%20Interviews.htm)
ReplyDeleteJerry Grandenetti really reminds me of Ditko. the faces, the poses even the shadows from the early horror. Did these two know each other--Did Ditko swipe from Jerry Grandenetti? but yeah you can also see the Eisner with the shadows and the darks...but Ditko man--Ditko!!!
ReplyDeleteMore from Monster #1 coming up next, thanks for the comments...
ReplyDeleteI was going (tried 3-4 times already) that this story; while scary, is not 'nearly as bad as that of the Philosopher's Stone from the Japanese anime "FullMetal Alchemist". That one requires *human blood* as an ingredient; (so much that, to get one of enough size and power; the dictator of the fictional country where it is set started a *genocidal war* to get enough! "But, then, the character's name was "King Fuhrer Bradley"!)
ReplyDeleteDBurch7670