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| The Diary of Grigory Russoff | |
| Type: | Book |
| Continuity: | Marvel Universe |
| Aliases: | Grigory Russoff's diary Baron Russoff's diary |
| Availability: | Unique item |
| Manufacturer: | Grigory Russoff |
| Owners: | Grigory Russoff Gregory Russoff Jack Russell |
| 1st appearance: | Tomb of Dracula #18 |
The Diary of Grigory Russoff is a fictional item featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is associated with the characters of Dracula and werewolf Jack Russell and first appeared in Tomb of Dracula #18 in March, 1974 in a story called "Enter: Werewolf by Night".
History[]
This leatherbound tome was the diary of Baron Grigory Russoff. The book was constructed using a sophisticated locking mechanism that could not be opened through conventional means. The book contained a silk bookmark tab which, when pulled, could trigger a switch inside of a secret door to Baron Russoff's library in the tower of the family castle. The mystical empath known as Topaz was able to use her powers to unbalance the delicate mechanisms of the book's locks to open it.
The contents of the book itself included the history of Grigory Russoff and how the family curse of lycanthropy began back in the year 1795. It also spoke of how the Baron's wife, Louisa Russoff, had been murdered by the vampire known as Dracula. Baron Russoff embarked on a campaign of revenge against Dracula and even succeeded in temporarily destroying him with a wooden stake. With Dracula dispatched, the Baron was able to set free a woman named Lydia Varadi, who had been a prisoner of the vampire. The Baron learned soon after that the reason Dracula kept her imprisoned was because Lydia was a werewolf. One the Baron brought her out of the castle into the light of the full moon, Lydia transformed into a werewolf and bit him, thus transferring the curse of lycanthropy onto him.
In the modern era, Baron Russoff's descendent Jack Russell journeyed to his family homeland and found the diary inside the Baron's castle. With the help of Topaz, he was able to open the book and learn about his great-great grandfather.