JERRY BRAMLEY
Real Name: Jerry Bramley
Identity/Class: Human (Post-World War II Era)
Occupation: Newspaper reporter
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Casey, Etta, Roger Hunt, Paul Kendrick
Enemies: Death
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: An unidentified city in the USA
First Appearance: Strange Tales I#3 (October, 1951)
Powers/Abilities: Jerry was an experienced investigative journalist.
Height: (approximately) 6'0"
Weight: (approximately) 180 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
History:
(Strange Tales I#3/2 (fb) - BTS) - Jerry Bramley went to college with
Roger Hunt and Paul Kendrick. The three men became best friends and
once posed for a photograph together. Other students called them "the
Three Musketeers." After college, they frequently met together for
dinner at Casey's restaurant.
(Strange Tales I#3/2 (fb)) - One night, Paul summoned Jerry to his house to share with him a theory he had developed about the nature of Death. Paul believed that Death possessed a tangible form which the human mind was capable of perceiving but he feared that other men like himself who had investigated this line of reasoning had been blotted out of existence by Death. Jerry wondered why Paul was performing this investigation if it were true but Paul couldn't help continue his research. Jerry didn't believe Paul's theories about Death and told Paul he would call on him the next day, hoping Paul would be calmer.
In the early hours of the morning, Paul telephoned Jerry, frantically informing him that Death was coming for him. Abruptly, the telephone call ended. When Jerry contacted the operator, they claimed Paul's number did not exist. Driving to Paul's house, Jerry was shocked to find an empty lot in its place and a local policeman claimed the lot had always been empty. Jerry called Paul's Aunt Louise but she claimed she never had a nephew. Jerry continued calling other friends and business associates of Paul's but none of them remembered Paul. Jerry realized that Paul's story about Death was true and that Death had removed him from existence but that somehow Death had "slipped up" and left Jerry with his memories of Paul.
(Strange Tales I#3/2) - Jerry sought out Roger Hunt and summoned him to dinner at Casey's. Jerry asked Roger about Paul Kendrick and found that Roger had likewise forgotten that Paul had ever existed. Jerry showed Roger a photograph of the two of them and insisted that the previous evening it had depicted an image of the two of them plus Paul. Sitting down at Casey's, Jerry described his entire ordeal to Roger and explained his theory that Paul had been removed from existence in order to prevent what he had learned about Death from being shared. Roger was dubious about Jerry's story but after Jerry had finished his tale and went to telephone his newspaper editor, Jerry disappeared from the restaurant and all traces of his existence went with him. Roger was likewise removed from existence soon after.
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer, John Romita and Les Zakarin.
Jerry was profiled in honor of John Romita, who passed away on June 12, 2023. Rest in peace, Mr. Romita -- unlike Jerry and his friends, you shall never be forgotten.
The way in which Death operates in this story - removing people from existence - is more in keeping with the role Oblivion occupies in the Marvel cosmology. The concept is also reminiscent of the 1953 short story "Disappearing Act" by Richard Matheson, which later became an episode of the TV show The Twilight Zone ("And When the Sky Was Opened").
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Jerry Bramley should not be confused with:
Casey owned a restaurant named after himself. Roger Hunt, Paul Kendrick and Jerry Bramley were frequent guests at the restaurant and he knew them by name. Etta was one of Casey's waitresses. Casey was on duty when Roger Hunt and Jerry Bramley met at his restaurant so Jerry could share his experience of Paul Kendrick's disappearance but after Jerry himself was removed from existence, Casey's memories of Jerry likewise vanished.
--Strange Tales I#3/2
Etta was a waitress at Casey's restaurant and knew Roger Hunt, Jerry Bramley and Paul Kendrick from their past visits. She welcomed Roger Hunt and Jerry Bramley when they met there for dinner but later when Jerry was removed from existence, Etta lost all her memories of Jerry.
--Strange Tales I#3/2
Roger Hunt was an old friend to Jerry Bramley and Paul Kendrick. In college, they were known as "the Three Musketeers." They often met for dinner at Casey's restaurant. When Paul Kendrick was eliminated from existence by Death so that only Jerry remembered Paul, Jerry met with Roger at Casey's, hoping that Roger might remember Paul. Roger had no memory of Paul; Jerry showed Roger a photograph of the two of them next to a tree and insisted that the previous day the image had also included Paul but Roger only remembered himself and Jerry as appearing in that photograph. After Jerry told his story to Roger, he himself soon disappeared from existence but Roger remembered Jerry; checking the photograph, Roger found Jerry's image had vanished from the frame. Realizing Jerry's story had been true, Roger was briefly able to perceive Death as it surrounded him. Death removed Roger from existence, leaving behind the photograph - which now depicted only the tree.
--Strange Tales I#3/2
Paul Kendrick was an old friend to Roger Hunt and Jerry Bramley. After his parents died, Paul was raised by his Aunt Louise. In college, Paul, Jerry and Roger were known as "the Three Musketeers." They often met for dinner at Casey's restaurant. Paul became a scientist and developed a theory that Death had a presence which could be perceived by minds that were attuned to it but that Death was jealous of its secrets and had removed men from existence when they came too close to learning the truth. Frightened of his conclusions but unable to halt his research, Paul summoned Jerry to meet with him and shared his theories. Jerry didn't believe Paul's ideas but in the early hours of the morning, Death came for Paul. Able to perceive Death, Paul telephoned Jerry to warn him but Death caused Paul to be removed from existence so that all memories and photographs of him were erased, including his telephone number and home of residence. Jerry retained his memories of Paul but found even Paul's Aunt Louise didn't remember him. After trying to share this information with Roger, Jerry was likewise removed from existence by Death and soon after, Death likewise claimed Roger.
--Strange Tales I#3/2
images: (without ads)
Strange Tales I#3/2, page 2, panel 7 (Jerry, main)
Strange Tales I#3/2, page 3, panel 4 (Jerry, face)
Strange Tales I#3/2, page 2, panel 1 (Casey)
Strange Tales I#3/2, page 5, panel 6 (Etta)
Strange Tales I#3/2, page 1, panel 2 (Hunt)
Strange Tales I#3/2, page 3, panel 1 (Kendrick)
Appearances:
Strange Tales I#3/2 (October, 1951) - unidentified writer, John Romita (penciler), Les Zakarin (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 06/18/2023
Last updated:
06/18/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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