Observing the 75th anniversary of the first ongoing horror series in comics!

In 1940, inspired by the great novel Frankenstein and the 1939 film Son of Frankenstein, Dick Briefer brought the immortal tale of science gone wrong to the pages of Prize Comics magazine. Like Mary Shelley's novel, like the Universal film adaptations, Briefer's comics have stood the test of time, and they are now certified must-read classics for fans of horror comics.

The character would become Briefer's signature creation. He wrote and drew some 100 different Frankenstein stories over a 15-year period that roughly coincided with the Golden Age of Comics itself--chronically the Monsters rampages and misadventures through three different incarnations--first as a horror character, then as a zany comedy figure, and then once again as a horror character.

2015 marks 75 years since the Briefer's Frankenstein made its debut. NUELOW Games will be observing this milestone by releasing a few books featuring some of his best efforts, together with all-new game material inspired by them. L.L. Hundal is a fan of Briefer's early stories, and she's plowing through all of them and making an initial selection of the ones we'll present. Publisher and game design Steve Miller will then narrow down the selection and write the new material for each book.

NUELOW Games actually released our first New Adventures of Frankenstein book at the end of 2013. Hundal fell in love with Dick Briefer's Frankenstein while rooting through old comic books back when we were considering a more limited program of comics/game products than what has evolved, and she put together a color collection of the first two "New Adventures of Frankenstein" episodes. It also contained a full ROLF! battle scenario and a preview of our-then forthcoming Werewolf Hunter anthologies. The book details the origin of Briefer's Frankenstein Monster and sets him up as an indestructible creature driven by hate for his creator and a heart of the blackest of evil. The strip kicks the action into high gear as of page two... and it never slows down after that.

"We're used to bloated story-telling in comics these days," Hundal wrote in an email to Miller at the time. "Briefer got more action, frights, and tragedy into eight pages than most modern creators fit into eight issues."

Cover for New Adventures of Frankenstein.
Art by Dick Briefer.

That initial book was conceived as a one-shot, but when Steve Miller noticed that 2015 was the 75th anniversary of Briefer's Frankenstein, Hundal thought it was a great reason to assemble and release more New Adventures of Frankenstein collections. She is projecting three to six of these books, with the first one coming out just as 2015 became a reality.

New Adventures of Frankenstein: The Monster vs. Bulldog Denny picks up where the first NUELOW Games book left off--with Frankenstein's Monster menacing society and tormenting his creator every chance he gets. But Briefer quickly leaves the sources that inspired him behind, and he introduces a powerful foe for the monster--a boy who was a victim of his evil but who grew up to be his most dedicated enemy. The book presents four action-packed horror tales as only Dick Briefer could create.

Cover for The Monster vs. Bulldog Denny.
Art by Dick Briefer.

You can see sample pages from The Monster vs. Bulldog Denny here.

 

The forthcoming books will cover the phases of Briefer's Frankenstein to varying degrees. The stories won't necessarily be presented in the order they originally appeared, and some will be collected entirely out of sequence to fit with the overall theme or storyline of the book in question. For example, the next book will continue the chronicle of Bulldog's battle against the Monster, but it opens with a "flashback"--a story that was skipped between NUELOW's first New Adventures book and the second one, because it flowed better story-wise to organize them that way. Tentative titles for projected books are Bulldog Denny Strikes Back, The Life and Death of a Monster, Weird Tales, The Trouble with Zora, The Monster Reborn, and The Tombs of Frankenstein.

 

We hope you'll feel like checking out some of the offerings and give us your opinions. Meanwhile, here's Bulldog Denny and his girlfriend Joan Knight ala ROLF!... so you can create your own battles pitting him against the Monster using the stats featured in New Adventures of Frankenstein.

 

 

BULLDOG DENNY (Male)

Real Name: Dennis Dunsan

Brawn 25, Body 17, Brains 8

  Traits: Honorable, Improv Master, Nimble.

  Combat Maneuvers: Backflip, Basic Attack, Dodge, Furious Fists, Murderous Mitts, Signature Move, Strike Pose, Withering Insult.

   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Thigh-high Boots (Leggings AND Armor, absorbs 1 point of damage). Black pants and black shirt with a bulldog logo on the chest (Clothes).

 

JOAN KNIGHT (Female)

Real Name: Joan Knight

Brawn 18, Body 18 (includes +1 Hat Bonus, Brains 7)

   Traits: Improv Master, Nimble.

   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Castrate, Disarm, Dodge, Run Away, Seduce, Strike Pose.

   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Fashionable Dress (Clothes). Stylish Hat (+1 Bonus to Body when worn). Designer Purse (Small Melee Weapon, deals 1 point of damage).

 

Bronze Terror ala d6xd6 CORE

As I post this, there are roughly nine hours left before the d6xd6 CORE Roleplaying Game Kickstarter ends. The book will contain at least 20 settings, and all backers who pledge more than $21 will receive complimentary copies of Judy of the Jungle: Death Goes Native and Newshounds #1 from NUELOW Games (in addition to an already generous assortment of goodies). These are the first published products to feature support for d6xd6 CORE.

There will also be a countdown party during the final couple of hours at this link. I hope to pop in for a few minutes, but it's not a sure thing for me, as I have a prior engagement. However, I am putting up one more character adapted to the d6xd6 CORE RPG system -- the Bronze Terror, the first Native American superhero to grace the pages of comic books. (The Masked Avengers setting that I was slated to write is not going to be come to pass, as the pledges did not support it. That is the usual outcome for any Kickstarter that I am part, however... which is among the reasons I've never tried to do one on my own. I'm just not talented enough nor famous enough to produce anything that there's enough interest in.)

Art by Dick Briefer

THE BRONZE TERROR
Legendary spirit of justice, fighting for Native Americans in modern times.
Real Name: Jeff Dixon • Gender: Male • Age: 30
Attributes 
   Focused: Brawn
   Unfocused: Will, Wits
   Unknown: Grace
Occupation: Counselor (Attorney-at-Law)
Focused Skills: Bargain (Occupation Bonus), Athletics, Persuasion
Unfocused Skills: Navigation, Ride Animal, Shooting
Focus Rating: 3

You can read four "Bronze Terror" stories in NUELOW Games' Real American #1, which includes ROLF! game stats and a battle scenario. I've also concocted an original back-story for Bronze Terror, which will probably show up here on the blog some day.

For more information on the d6xd6 CORE RPG, check out this site where designer Lester Smith has made a draft of the rules public.

Coming tomorrow... "Real American No. 1"!

In 1941, writer/artist Dick Briefer introduced the first Native American superhero to comics -- the Bronze Terror!

The Bronze Terror was secretly Jeff Dixon, a successful lawyer who fought against those who would oppress his people both inside and outside the court room. His adventures, which took him from the Reservation to the Big City and back again were featured in the back of Daredevil issues #2 - 11, before fading into history. It wasn't until the 1970s that another comic book series would draw so heavily on racism and other problems of Native Americans in the modern United States. So, just like with his trailblazing signature series New Adventures of Frankenstein, Briefer was ahead of his time.

The cover for NUELOW Games' Real American No. 1

Tomorrow (Thursday, 1/16/2014), NUELOW Games will proudly release Real American No. 1, a book featuring the four best Bronze Terror tales (as selected by editor Steve Miller) and a battle scenario for ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game together with stats for the Bronze Terror, his girlfriend Lilly, and more.

We hope you'll give it a look.

Two new comics/RPG hybrids available now

The latest ebooks from NUELOW Games continue our ongoing efforts to bring great Golden Age comics to modern readers while simultaneously presenting fun new game material.

First up, we have ROLF!: Hawaiian Manhunt. It features a classic Sally the Sleuth episode by Adolphe Barreuax, a trio of outrageous battle scenarios that form a sort-of sequel by ROLF! co-creator L.L. Hundal, and pre-generated characters and two all-new Spellings --"Change Trait" and "Oh, No You Didn't!" (This marks Sally's third appearance in ROLF!, with Turkey Shoot and A Recipe for Evil being the previous two.)

Then, just released this past weekend, we offer a look at a certified classic--Dick Briefer's New Adventures of Frankenstein. After reading the first two installments of Briefer's legendary series, you can pit Frankenstein's Monster against another horror legend--Herbert West, the Re-Animator, in a new battle scenario for ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game.

ROLF! co-creators L.L. Hundal and Steve Miller traded roles between the two books,  switching from editor to game designer respectively. We're both eager to hear what you think of these latest products, especially since Hundal has another Sally idea for the upcoming Christmas Special--for which we are still taking submissions.