It's been a few years since we encountered Dick Briefer's freakishly funny Frankenstein monster, and what better time to get a chill and a chuckle than on the first day of Fall 2022! Some really nice Karloff caricature work here by 'ol Dick as well. From the Jan - Feb '48 issue of Frankenstein #11.
It's interesting that Page 8 gives "Boris Karload" such a "buff" look.
ReplyDeleteOne of the great things about Briefer's funny book art was how twisting it all is. Sure, there's sharp corners and some straight lines, but on page 6, panel 1, look at that stove. That's nearly a Dr. Seuss stove!
ReplyDeleteAnd I guess the good girl art we are getting for this post is page 5, panel 1!
The "kid" joke is funny and well setup, and I love the ending!
The satisfying thing bout the meat joke is that it's still pretty damn creepy. So it's not a real child. But it's still some kind of family pet everybody enjoyed gamboling about with before, you know, slaughtering it and dealing the parts out to guests as sandwiches. Shiver. That's pretty dark comedy.
ReplyDeleteGod I love Briefer. What a top-notch cartoonist, right up there with Kelly and Hamlin. His Karloff is astonishing--he even manages to indicate the man's lisp by the shape of his mouth when he's talking. In contrast with other cartoonist of the time, his characters are differentiated by more than just hairdo and costume, they don't always stand at the same angle or walk down the street in exact lockstep. Well, except in panel six of page three, of course. But then Frankenstein and Karload are matched up for humorous effect.
"But it's still some kind of family pet everybody enjoyed gamboling about with before, you know..."
ReplyDeleteNah, the "meat" just looks like a poorly drawn roast turkey to me -- nothing dark about eating turkeys.
I'm thinking about posting another Briefer story over at AEET later next month, stay tombed for it! Thanks for the comments! :)
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