Graham Specter

Graham Specter (グラハム・スペクター Gurahamu Supekutā) is a mechanic and one of Ladd Russo's loyal devotees, He is one of the powerhouse fighters of the Russo Family, and was personally taught how to fight by Ladd himself.

Appearance
Graham has long blond hair and pale skin. His eyes are blue, and look 'half-asleep' (half the time); his facial features are described as "rather girlish," and his build is "decently muscular."

He is always depicted wearing a blue mechanic's uniform. He usually carries a large wrench around with him, the end of which is encrusted with rust and dried blood.

Personality
In the most basic of terms, Graham might be best described as "frenetic." He frequently delivers long-winded, philosophical rants at the drop of a hat; he will lament about his current state of affairs in the most negative way possible, before changing his mood and suddenly viewing the same issue in a contradictory, impossibly optimistic way.

Most people around him (but not all) tend to dismiss his rants as pointless ramblings. Meaningless as they might be, Graham's rants are fueled by genuine passion over whatever is concerning him, which can be everything and anything. He bemoans his own flaws often and loudly; he presumes and then takes his presumptions to their illogical extremes; he has raged at the sun for its unbearable heat and then exalted it for its supreme power. These bipolar mood swings are a core part of Graham's personality -- even the narrative observes that Graham's mood is only ever zero or hundred and almost never in-between.

Graham is easily affected by stories he finds compelling (for example, Jacuzzi's self-sacrificial act in 1932 touches Graham deeply). As such, he is often highly indecisive and will agonize over what next course of action he should take until his emotions spill over (and are released through aggressive action) or someone else makes the decision for him.

Graham relishes in dismantling all things tangible, be they humans or objects -- 'dismantling' intangible things gives him no satisfaction. He hates it when others destroy vehicles he wants to destroy himself, just as Ladd hates people who kill those he wanted to kill himself. However Graham refuses to commit murder, for doing so would fill him with guilt. This should not be taken as a sign of mercy: he is fully capable of inflicting serious, lasting damage if he so chooses. A dislocated joint is terribly painful in its own right.

Emotions influence everything he does - his own emotions, and the emotions/feelings of others. As a child, he decides that is it important he experience the feeling of being taken apart...that it is fundamental if he is to continue dismantling things at will. And so, he dislocates every single joint in his body. Even as a child, he had a sense that dismantling has consequences - and he had determined that it would be unjust to cause those consequences without experiencing them himself. To Graham, empathy is not only natural, but practically necessary.

With a character so driven by emotion, it is no wonder that Graham quickly becomes attached to those of whom he takes a liking. When he believes in someone he believes in them wholly - he idolizes Ladd, respects Raz Smith; Jacuzzi leaves such a deep impression on him that after only two years Graham deems him one of his most important friends. When Shaft appears to be hiding secrets from him, Graham deliberately puts his trust in his subordinate all the same.

Graham's loyalty to and idolization of Ladd is so potent that he is perfectly happy to give Ladd the credit for something that he (Graham) accomplished, and is instantly offended (and full of bloodlust) when someone insults him. Despite Graham's overwhelming desire to fight Claire Stanfield, he respects Ladd's wishes and leaves Claire to him - and overcoming his own desires is no small feat.

Despite everything, Graham is actually quite intuitive. He correctly surmises that Shaft had orchestrated the fiasco at Dolce (and that Shaft knew more about what was going on than he did), and was able to detect and block Liza Laforet's chakrams even though she hid in the shadows during their fight. Though his plans often go awry, Graham is quick to adapt and is very versatile. Of course, he is still very easily influenced by the heat of the moment, and his emotions will often override any common sense.

Chronology
Born in Chicago sometime around 1912-1914 (see Trivia), Graham grew up with his parents and sister. His love for taking things apart was evident early on, and one day (before he turned ten) his parents scolded him and said that he has no idea what things feel when they are dismantled (similar to how certain philosophies argue that everything has a soul). Young Graham realized that they were absolutely right, and decided that he had to learn that feeling for himself.

Somehow, Graham succeeded in dislocating all of his joints (he had even managed to pop every bone of his left hand out of their sockets, causing the flesh to swell horribly). His mother had rushed into his room at his moans of pain. Through his actions, Graham affirmed that he was a being that could indeed be taken apart, and that gave him a sort of peace. Now that he knew how it felt to be taken apart, he could continue taking other things apart - such was his thought process.

As an adult, Graham remembers little of the incident - only "pain, hopelessness, and a sense of paralyzing loneliness." It also took him a long time to figure out why he had thought such strange thoughts as a child, and how he could have hurt himself without reservation - and even why he wanted to continue dismantling objects after such an experience. Eventually he realized why: as a child, he had found it very hard to accept that everything dies, breaks, or otherwise rots away. He had desperately wanted to fight against those natural processes, eventually came to accept them, and so dismantled in pursuit of those processes himself. Graham has since dismissed his thoughts back then as "stupid."

Graham eventually found employment with the Van Dyke Auto Plant as a mechanic (he is a brilliant mechanic, being able to do impossible feats such as dismantling a car mid-air). According to Graham, he met Ladd one starless night, back when he'd been taking a ferocious beating from a bunch of has-been boxers turned gangsters. Ladd had come across the scene, and promptly punched one of them through the teeth. Graham was so charmed by Ladd's words (and brand of philosophy) that he dislocated the joints of the rest of the goons with his wrench, all the while trying to make sense of what Ladd had said.

Graham quickly grew to harbor deep admiration for his new friend Ladd, whom he refers to as Big Brother Ladd (兄貴はラッド Aniki wa raddo) or "Boss Ladd" in the English dub.

The working environment at the auto factory was not pleasant (Graham claims that he has the urge to cry whenever he remembers working there). During his employment at the factory he "was going through a lot," and he took solace in dismantling leftover parts and damaged vehicles - sometimes working the entire day without stopping. Eventually the factory's business plummeted, and to make ends meet it exploited holes in the Prohibition Act and started manufacturing bootleg liquor.

Graham "couldn't stand" watching the factory manufacture bootleg alcohol; he had always wanted to escape the factory's long history of corruption, and this was the catalyst. In the end, he reported the factory to the authorities. Afterwards, he found that he was still unsatisfied: corruption (in his mind) was intangible - what he takes real pleasure in is dismantling substantial, tangible things.

Graham ended up becoming the leader of "street rats" in New York, and his work turned to dislocating and dismantling joints, cars, and safes. He freely acknowledges that the work he undertook - and still undertakes - is 'much worse' than bootlegging, but the "unadulterated satisfaction" he gleans from destructive acts overrides any moral qualms he might have. From this, he has concluded on at least one occasion that he is the one who should be destroyed, and that the one thing he wants to destroy most is himself.

1931-1932
After Ladd is arrested and seriously injured after the Flying Pussyfoot incident on December 31, Graham finds a way to avenge his mentor by turning in the wanted Jacuzzi Splot to the Russos in January 1932. When he finds out that Jacuzzi Splot's gang is being sheltered by the Genoard Family, he decides to kidnap Eve and use her to coerce Jacuzzi Splot. Once he captures Jacuzzi, he'll attribute the success to Ladd.

Graham mistakenly kidnaps Chané Laforet instead, and when Jacuzzi comes and offers himself in exchange for her Graham is touched by his self-sacrifice that he nearly accepts Jacuzzi's proposal. The rest of Jacuzzi's gang arrive soon after, accompanied by Claire Stanfield. Graham and Claire fight, but realizing he can't land a hit on him, Graham decides to leave him to Ladd. He takes a liking to Jacuzzi, and offers his gang full use of the abandoned warehouse.

In the Summer of 1932, a reporter named Carl Digness contacts Graham's group under the guise of an interview for an article. They arrange to meet at the Jane Doe speakeasy at nighttime. Graham drinks milk while he and Shaft wait for Carl to show up, talking incessantly all the while. A drunk finally has enough (even though Graham had been speaking softly), and smashes an empty glass bottle onto Graham's table. Graham falls silent. Before the drunk can even think to threaten him, Graham seizes the man's ankle with his wrench and twists it horrendously, sending the man to his knees.

Graham (having come to a negative conclusion about himself) shouts in frustration and proceeds to dislocate the rest of the drunkard's joints. He has calmed down when Carl arrives several minutes later. Shaft shakes hands with Carl and asks him to ignore the man on the ground since he merely "hit his leg on the table."

Graham has enormously cheered up thanks to that hearty bit of dislocation work, and he is eager for the "fun story" that Carl will surely provide them. However, it turns out that Carl is not here to conduct an interview, but to give them a warning: the police suspect Graham's gang is behind the Ice Pick Thompson murders. Shaft asks what he means, and Carl rattles off a brief summary of Graham's life. Graham's delight is suddenly tempered when Carl mentions Ladd, and he makes sure to correct Carl: Ladd is no mere hitman. He's a murderer.

With a serious expression and heavy tone, Graham asks Carl why the police suspect his group. Apparently, the police's latest hypothesis is that the murders are committed by more than one person. Delinquents with no alibis naturally fall under suspicion. Furthermore, the fourth victim was a member of the Gandor Family - and Graham's gang has caused trouble on Gandor turf in the past. Carl adds that the other three victims all had some sort of connection to the Gandors. The police have ruled out the Runoratas and Martillos as the perpetrators already.

Graham wants to know what Carl's reasons are for telling him this. The reporter replies that he 'knows' Graham's group is innocent, thanks to the Daily Days' information network. That, and -- he thinks he knows who the culprit is.

The next day, Graham and company gather in a back alley near Broadway, attempting to escape the summer heat. Graham somehow still has the energy to rant about humanity's relationship with the sun, but his underlings are too overheated to care. Shaft brings up their conversation with Carl the night before, and Graham (twirling in place) briefly and inanely considers 'blitzing' the Daily Days and stealing all their information. The thought passes. Dizzied, he lies on the ground and bemoans how the sun has sapped him of his energy.

Ignoring him, the rest of the delinquents return to discussing the murders. The morning paper announced the death of a fifth victim, and the group wonders if she is also connected to the Gandor Family. (Meanwhile, Graham babbles about Quetzalcoatl and Con-Tici Viracocha). Someone remembers that another reporter was supposed to interview them - a reporter from a far bigger newspaper than the one Carl works for.

The delinquents chatter about Dallas (whom Graham has never met) and a Martillo capo with a 'girly face', expecting to laze about until sunset (when it cools down). However, their idle talk is suspended when a boy runs through the alley at full speed. The boy accidentally stomps upon Graham's solar plexus, and hurriedly apologizes before he disappears around the corner of the opposite end. With painful, violent coughs Graham gets to his feet, filled with anger - and then sadness at the thought that America is producing such rude children. He is once again brimming with energy.

A newcomer greets them from the alley entrance, and asks them if they saw a boy pass by. Graham seizes the man's neck with the end of his wrench, and proceeds to blame the man for everything that's gone wrong that day -- the boy's fervor, Graham's trampled solar plexus, and the wretched heat must all be this man's fault. As he prepares to swing down his wrench in righteous fury upon the man, his would-be victim exclaims "I see!" Graham freezes mid-strike. The newcomer had no idea that the heat was his fault, and he sincerely apologizes for putting all of New York in jeopardy. Taking Graham's hands, he shakes them firmly and thanks Graham for showing him the error of his ways.

The ensuing conversation is bizarre, and in its midst Shaft sarcastically suggests that Graham should drench himself in medical alcohol to cool himself off via evaporation. As a result of the conversation, Graham's opinion of the newcomer changes completely - the man is a Messiah. Later on, Graham takes Shaft's suggestion to heart and soaks himself in medical alcohol at one of their hideouts. The fumes intoxicate him to the point of unconsciousness, and the newcomer - who introduces himself as Elmer -- takes Graham to a doctor (the act further endears him to Graham).

Once Graham recovers, the two kindred spirits (and Shaft and company) head for the Jane Doe speakeasy and get along splendidly. Graham learns that Elmer wants to make everyone in the world smile, a dream that he considers impossible - not to mention, Elmer would have to cause pain and suffering in order to achieve it. So why the fixation? Elmer's response is simple: "Because it'll make me happy." The answer satisfies Graham.

A man in a long coat enters the speakeasy, but Graham is so engrossed in his conversation that he doesn't notice the customer until he looms over his seat. He immediately recognizes the man as Raz Smith, and is ecstatic at their reunion; he is also fervently admiring of the thirty guns Smith carries in his coat. He introduces Elmer to Smith as "the Messiah," and Smith is intrigued by Elmer's personal mission.

Smith gifts five of his guns to Graham, and closes his eyes to pontificate on how guns are the tangible form of madness. While his eyes are closed, Graham manages to perfectly dismantle all five guns. It has always been one of his life goals to dismantle a gun, and now that he has dismantled five he is overwhelmingly satisfied. Smith is a tad upset at this turn of events, but he reassembles one of the guns just as quickly as Graham had dismantled it. He reassembles the others just as quickly.

Graham, Elmer, and Smith drink together for a little while, and Smith eventually departs to deal with a client.

At some point towards the evening's end, Graham agrees to help Elmer find Mark (the boy from earlier). That night, Elmer, Graham, and his crew split up and search the alleyways for Mark in the pouring rain. Shaft, Graham, and Elmer form one group of three.

Graham asks Elmer why he's looking for Mark, and Elmer answers that he just wants to know if Mark can ever be happy. Graham is confused, and Elmer (first qualifying that this is speculation and that she should keep it secret) elaborates: he just wants to know if a "serial killer who tried to kill himself" can ever be happy. Graham and Shaft promise to keep Mark's identity as Ice Pick Thompson a secret.

A few minutes later, the trio spot Carl walking sans umbrella down the street. Graham pokes Carl in the back with his wrench (startling the man) and after some nattering he admits he has forgotten the reporter's name, and refers to how earlier that day he acknowledged the he himself is "the enemy of humanity." Elmer and Graham engage in a brief philosophical discussion over whether everyone dying happy is a good thing, but eventually they manage to return to the matter at hand.

Carl says that he's only out to enjoy the rain, and asks what the three of them are doing at such an hour and such weather. "Not hunting for Ice Pick Thompson, are we?" He'd meant it as a quip, but Graham enthusiastically exclaims that that is exactly what they are doing. He asks if Carl has seen an unremarkable 'brat' running around (Elmer supplies Mark's name) with an ice pick.

Over the next thirty or so minutes, Graham, Elmer and Shaft learn Mark's address from "a certain newspaper company" and head to his place of residence. At the entranceway, they are surprised to see Smith. Shaft explains that they're looking for a kid called Mark, but Smith somberly replies that he has just killed Mark Wilmans. Graham shares a look with his companions, and Smith coolly adds that he's on his way to see his client. They can tag along if they so choose.

The three end up following Smith down the street. Graham peppers Smith with questions: did he really kill Mark? In that apartment? Yes, and yes. Shaft whispers to Graham that "this isn't good" - they're now involved with a murder. Graham is not too fussed - he's friends with Ladd Russo, after all.

Smith comes to a stop by a building near Grand Central Station. He says his client is in the building, but from now on he and Graham's group are no longer associated. Whatever Graham and company choose to do is their business and he has had no part in influencing them. Elmer asks if Smith really did kill Mark, and at Smith's emphatic affirmative Elmer whispers something into his ear. Once Smith enters the building, Graham worries that perhaps they're interfering with Smith's plans. Shaft wants to know what Elmer said to Smith, but before Elmer can answer they hear the sounds of clanging metal and gunshots from inside the building.

They head inside, and find Smith surrounded by several men, Maria Barcelito, and Gandor capo Nicola Cassetti. Graham cries out, "what are you bastards tryin' to do to Boss Smith?" Smith is none too happy that Graham followed him inside after all.

Nicola and Graham recognize each other (they've fought before; see Trivia), and the Gandor executive asks how Graham knows Smith. Meanwhile, Graham wants to know why Smith is fighting the Gandors after they trounced him once before. Nicola sighs and sympathetically explains that Smith is Ice Pick Thompson. Graham manages to stop himself from blurting out Ice Pick Thompson's true identity in the nick of time, but insists that Smith is innocent. Assassin he may be, but he's never actually killed someone before.

There is silence for a moment. Smith protests that he is Ice Pick Thompson, and that he's killed four men so far. Graham is completely bewildered; Smith clarifies that he did not murder those men for money, but for vengeance. He proceeds to give the Gandor men a long and detailed account of the events that led him to murder -- partway through, Graham realizes that Smith is just reusing Mark's past. He and Maria (who is not at all interested) head off to debate whether her kanatas can slice through his wrench.

When Smith is done, Nicola signals for his men to confiscate Smith's firearms. Graham hurls his wrench at the space between Nico and Smith (it embeds itself in the wall) and announces that he won't let Smith go without a fight. Nicola asks if he really intends to help Ice Pick Thompson, and Graham points out that he hangs out with a "homicidal lunatic." Nico gestures for his men to lower their guns, since the police are probably trying to figure out where the earlier gunshots came from. Will Maria fight? No - he'll handle it himself. Smith asks Graham how strong Nico is, and Graham admits that Nico's beat him six to one.

Maria wants to join in anyway, and as she and Nico prepare to fight Graham asks Smith what Elmer whispered earlier. Elmer had apparently known Smith's smile was fake when he said he killed Mark, so he concluded that Smith was either lying or felt remorse for the death. Either way, he believed Smith to be a good person. With a bitter chuckle, Smith notes that Elmer was 'pretty insane' himself - but he'll talk about it later - if they survive the fight.

The battle never happens - Nico orders his men to stand down. A few seconds later, it is clear why: reinforcements have arrived. Twenty delinquent members of Graham's gang crowd the street outside the building, and in the entryway is Shaft, pale and exhausted. Gasping for breath, he complains to Graham that it was very difficult to round up "all the guys" at this hour...and that he's also contacted Jacuzzi's gang at Millionaire Row. They should arrive shortly. He flashes Graham a thumbs up, and Graham (totally surprised) can't help but wonder if Shaft has gone a little overboard. (Is Shaft going to wage war with humanity? Is he humanity's true enemy? Will Graham be able to stop Shaft's reign of terror?)

Nicola advances towards Shaft (who scrambles out of the way), and calmly denies Maria permission to fight the delinquents. Before he leaves, he asks Smith to confirm that he wasn't the one who killed Lisha Darken. Smith assures him that he did not, and reveals that Lisha's killer is actually Lester (Smith's previous client).

In the aftermath, Carl speaks with Graham and his gang once more; later, Graham and Shaft meet with Smith and Mark at the Jane Doe speakeasy. Smith has taken on Mark as his underling, something that Graham approves of highly. Shaft's correction of 'underling' to 'apprentice' sends Graham off into another of his rants, which Carl (recently arrived) listens to surreptitiously. Shaft pokes fun at Graham for going with "the nameless boy with memory loss story" (presumably referring to whatever cover story Graham used for Mark while talking with Carl), and Graham quickly covers his mouth, remind him that the secret of Ice Pick Thompson is to stay between them.

1934
Over the next two years, Graham's gang continues its various criminal activities - but unlike Jacuzzi's gang, Graham and company make a fair amount of commotion in territories controlled by large mafia families - essentially making themselves targets. Relief comes in the form of an offer from the Russo Family: Graham is hired by Placido Russo in 1934 to catch the Lamia, a gang Graham calls "circus performers." He, Shaft, and several other of his gang members board a transcontinental express to Chicago dutifully -- except Graham wants to try his hand at robbing a train, inspired by Ladd's efforts two years prior (he also fancies announcing his arrival in Chicago with an 'explosive bang').

Three of his men (including Shaft) attempt to rob Gustav St. Germain and Carol, who happen to occupy one of the first class compartments. Gustav easily takes care of the would-be robbers, and when Graham reaches the car he finds his men on the floor and in pain. Hiding in the hallway, he hears Gustav inform Carol that he'd made an "educated guess" that they were going to be attacked while on the train. Graham coldly demands Gustav's identity from the hallway. After Gustav introduces himself, Graham in turn explains how he and his men decided to rob some 'bluebloods' on their way to Chicago. He'd very much like to know how Gustav came by his 'educated guess,' and asks if one of his men betrayed him.

Gustav demurs from answering, which infuriates Graham; he launches into a rant about how he'd thought the 'bastards' who can afford First-Class would all be tax-evading criminals, but the presence of Carol has now taken all the excitement out of the robbery. He insists that Gustav answer his question; the man is willing to negotiate (information for information), so Graham decides he'll delay dislocating their joints for now. Gustav wryly notes that Graham is putting prices on people's heads, and Graham retorts that it is no different from putting prices on information.

Gustav invites Graham into the cabin for tea, and then relates to him the events of 1931: Another Junk Railroad - including the incident in which Graham mistakenly kidnapped Chané. Throughout the story, he speaks of Graham in the third person - but at the end it is clear that he knows that the man in front of him is Graham, since he describes the motives that led to Graham robbing this very train.

Once Gustav is finished, Graham stops slapping his wrench against his palm and silence fills the cabin. Gustav smiles and asks if Graham is satisfied; Graham cackles that he understands everything - Gustav really only needed to tell him the last part (which explained how he knew that Graham was going to rob the train), but he retold the "whole damn story" of what happened two years ago. In the end, Graham was just a tool for Gustav to tell the story to his young companion.

Gustav tells him to consider the story free of charge, and adds that he thought it would be beneficial for Graham to recall those events on the way to Chicago. Graham laughs again, and admits that he's on his way to make "a beautiful mess" in Chicago. He's not sure why, exactly, but the Russos had been mumbling something about 'immortals' and 'Huey Laforet.' Positively delighted with this turn of events, Graham announces that Gustav's story has made his day, and that today has been nothing but interesting.

Graham compliments the tea and decides to let Gustav off the hook. He stands and makes to leave, and as thanks for the compliment Gustav informs him that there is a man with a thin mustache in the adjacent First Class cabin. This man carries around cash and jewels so that he can show off his own wealth, and probably fits the "unpopular miser" rumors that led Graham to the car in the first place. Graham frowns, smiles, and then slams the cabin door open, intending to investigate the tip. He proceeds to shout at his men to get up - he's known all along that they woke up during the story.

Shaft is the first to stand, and he complains that they've done enough already. Graham counters that he is completely uninjured, so there's nothing stopping them from moving on to the proverbial round two. Shaft objects, and then asks Gustav if he'd mind pouring him a cup of tea. Graham notes that Shaft is a lot bolder than he gave him credit for, and then warns him that he'd better hurry up. So saying, he and his other two underlings exit into the hallway.

Graham and his men (and Shaft) proceed to rob the mustached man thoroughly. It is the only actual robbery they manage to pull off during the journey. Once they arrive in Chicago, he and his men wander the city for a few days to avoid the police (he takes the opportunity to show off the factory he used to work at, and recounts his working days to them at least ten times). The Russos spend the time in constant fear that he'll be arrested. Eventually, he shows up at Placido's office to receive orders. Placido wants him to invite some "guests" over to the family, alive - but rendered 'harmless.'

Graham accepts the job (much to Shaft's alarm), and Placido introduces him to Klik and other two Russo capos. Graham picks up on Klik's disdain and calls him out on it - Placido stops the conversation before it gets out of hand. At Placido's signal, Klik hands a photograph of the Lamia over to Graham. Graham is fascinated by the people in the photo, who look rather like they'd come straight from a circus. Placido threatens to put Graham through a meatgrinder should he reveal at any point that he is in cahoots with the Russo Family.

Impatient, Graham leaves to join the search for the Lamia as soon as possible. He and Shaft encounter the first two members (Rail and Frank) on a bridge near the Wrigley Building - and are surprised to find Gustav and Carol with them (it has been ten days since they arrived in the city). During their confrontation Rail sarcastically points out that there's no need for Graham to be polite since he is here to kidnap them, and Graham rambles in dismay over such an accusation (and is further dismayed when he realizes that he 'is' kidnapping them).

Rail and Frank attack Graham and his men, and at one point Rail ignites a bomb, fully intending to kill Graham and co. with it. Graham manages to deflect it by throwing a smaller wrench at it - thus saving his men. When Rail throws three small egg grenades his way Graham survives that too, those his uniform ends up scorched and smoking. Graham eventually subdues them, but faces a new problem with the arrival of Leeza Laforet, followed by Hong Chi-Mei and Sickle (all Lamia members). They attack him, and Chi dislocates Graham's shoulder. The pain - compounded with Chi's and Sickle's taunts - cause Graham to recall how he'd dislocated all his joints as a child.

Poppin his shoulder back into place, he declares that he will leave Rail and Frank alive, and "not bother with the rest of them." He will break everything. In the ensuing fight, Rail realizes that Graham had been going easy on them before -- and he had. He single-handedly defeats all of them, and the Lamia escape only thanks to Rail's smoke bombs.

Over the next few days, Graham spends his nights lounging at various bars, and then heads off to various squares or abandoned factories to work off his hangover. The activities are deliberately public; he's acting as bait in the hopes that the Lamia will seek him out, believing that they are similar to him. The Lamia do not. Instead, they invade Placido's manor - which Graham learns only because of Shaft's report. Graham mutters that he has been 'careless,' but then - this sort of unpredictability is what makes life interesting.

Graham and company head for the Russo manor, where Graham spots Rail and compliments them for managing to blow up his boss's house. Klik and two capos show up to confront Rail as well, but Graham flings Klik out of the way; Christopher Shouldered arrives and knocks out the other two capos. Graham recognizes Christopher as Ricardo Russo's bodyguard, and asks if he plans on blocking Graham from charging Rail. Christopher plans on doing just that - not to mention, he heard what Graham did to Chi, Sickle and Frank.

Graham surmises that Christopher wants to fight. He admits that he does, but that he's not sure whether he really should get involved or run away instead. He's been useless in a fight ever since he lost in a duel the previous year. Then again, Graham could prove his chance at...rehabilitation. Graham finds this intriguing. The two go at each other, but the fight is quickly nipped in the bud when Rail runs off and Christopher points out he is unarmed against Graham's wrench.

A car revs towards them, and the two leap back just in time. Graham makes to attack the driver with his wrench, but immediately restrains himself when he realizes the driver is Ricardo. Christopher dives into the car and the two speed off, leaving Graham alone at the gate. Shaft soon shows up (gunfire and explosions sound off in the background) and he attempts to drag Graham forcibly away by the arm. It seems as if the white-coated scientists aren't interested in them, so he thinks they should use this opportunity to escape. Graham exclaims that "one with the red eyes" (Christopher) was fascinating, but he allows Shaft to drag him away.

The next day, Graham delivers a long and wordy lament to his gang over how his heart is filled with sorrow and anger, and suggests that they head to a bar Shaft recommended in order to lighten the mood. The group heads to the Dolce Restaurant, which is empty save for its owner and a customer sitting on a barstool (raham does not recognize him as The Poet, a member of the Lamia). Graham orders Kansas style barbecue ribs as do the others. The owner heads off to the kitchen, and Graham idly remarks that the establishment seems more like a restaurant than it does a bar. Just as he says this, the Poet - his hat obscuring his eyes - delivers a soliloquy on fasting.

Graham listens in rapture to the speech, and he rushes over to the counter to order a glass of tequila for the "artist." The Poet turns to look at him, and Graham enthuses that he never expected to hear such lovely language in "such a corner" of the city. He celebrates his good fortune while the bartender brings over the tequila. The Poet doesn't respond, and Graham wonders if he is bashful before immediately feeling guilty for interrupting art in progress. He offers to buy the Poet another drink, but the Poet denies any irritation. Graham doesn't quite understand the Poet's reply, but he admires the other man's spirit and encourages him to drink up.

Sensing that the other man is nervous, Graham stands and promises that he'll remember the feelings the Poet has given him for the rest of his life. He retreats to the men's bathroom. When he emerges, he finds that the Poet has been joined by Sickle and Christopher. He immediately takes out a small, ordinary wrench and chucks it at Christopher, who catches it with ease. Unsurprised, Graham reaches for his giant wrench and lifts it high into the air, overjoyed at their reunion.

Christopher takes the time to order barbecue ribs (Memphis style) from the quaking owner, and tosses the wrench up and down into the air as he talks. Ricardo's sudden appearance in the entryway distracts Christopher, and the wrench falls upon his head. Ricardo demands an explanation from Christopher, but Graham is impatient to just cut to the fight, since he's promised the owner that they'll finish their business before the food arrives. He asks Christopher to shuffle to the right - the other man complies - and explains that this way Ricardo and "the lady in green" (Sickle) won't be involved.

The two start battling, and during the fight Christopher manages to catch Graham's wrench mid-swing. Graham reminisces about the last time someone avoided one of his blows - that someone was a man with red hair, and now it is someone with red eyes. He speculates on whether red is a lucky or unlucky color. Christopher delivers a painful kick to Graham's side, and in response Graham headbutts Christopher's face. The two combatants stop to take a breather, burst out laughing, and then fall silent in preparation to resume fighting.

Sickle delivers a low, sweeping kick that sends the two men tumbling to the ground. She has lost her patience with them both, and announces that she will take both of them out. The fight resumes, three-way this time (the restaurant is fairly destroyed, with tables and chairs broken and scattered) - and comes to a halt when Ricardo dumps a bucket of tequila over all three of them and threatens to light them on fire. The owner uses the opportunity to beg them to stop fighting since today is the thirtieth anniversary of the store, and he and his wife worked so hard to maintain it.

The three of them are rather embarrassed, and Graham is both moved and wracked with guilt at such a touching plea. Ricardo demands an explanation for why Graham and Christopher were fighting, and while the two struggle to come up with an adequate (justified) reason Jacuzzi and his friends run into the store, calling out Graham's name (they travelled all this way to Chicago because they heard Graham was in trouble - and also to help Miria Harvent find Isaac Dian).

Sickle asks Graham if they should continue fighting, but he declines since it is the shop's anniversary. Sickle agrees. However, she wants to know where Graham's white-coated employers are. Graham is genuinely confused, and Shaft reminds him about the gun-wielders from yesterday's storming of the Russo manor (they apparently do health check-ups and other things for Placido).

Graham reminds Sickle that he still has business with her and others since they're on the Russos' wanted list, but Ricardo interjects that they haven't had contact with Placido -- which in Ricardo's opinion means the list is no longer valid. In fact, Ricardo thinks that Placido is dead. Graham agonizes over how he should react to the news, much to Shaft's vexation - and further exasperation once he realizes that Graham is drunk, or at the very least quite tipsy.

Once he sobers up, he apologizes to Jacuzzi for ignoring him, and promises to make up for it. Spotting the store owner, he asks Jacuzzi for a favor. With regret lacing his words, he asks if Jacuzzi and his friends would mind helping him fix the restaurant up.

The Lamia, Graham, Jacuzzi, and their respective gangs spend the next several hours restoring the restaurant to its former state. While Graham replaces the wallpaper, he talks softly to himself over what he has learned from Jacuzzi - the romantic circumstances of Isaac and Miria, two lost lovers, has moved him greatly. The tranquil atmosphere is shattered when a young member of Jacuzzi's gang darts into the store. Breathless, he imparts the news that Nice Holystone, Miria, and 'that kid' have been kidnapped by men in suits. Jacuzzi's gang erupts into chaos. They depart the store immediately, along with Graham and Shaft.

They regroup at the abandoned factory, where Shaft informs the crowd that Nice and the others have been taken to Nebula's headquarters, according to Russo sources. His sources also said that the kidnappers themselves were probably Nebula employees, and that they seem interested in Rail. Jacuzzi and the rest rush off, leaving Graham and Shaft alone in the factory.

Shaft notices Graham's expression, and asks if something is wrong. Shooting him a sharp glance, Graham taps his wrench against the ground and asks for a few words here in private - strictly confidential, if Shaft wants. His next words are soft. "Did you think I was blind?" Shaft eyes him, and Graham brings up how Shaft led the gang to Dolce at "just the right moment" - did Shaft really think that Graham would buy running into the Lamia as an accident?

Shaft fumbles for an excuse, but Graham says he shouldn't bother - they need to go rescue Nice and the others...plus, there's a good chance Nebula really is behind the kidnappings. "I told you, I'm not blind." Grinning, Graham gently pats Shaft on the back with his wrench and says that just this once, he'll "let it go" and put his trust in Shaft.

Ten minutes later, Graham, Shaft, Jacuzzi and co. dawdle outside the front doors of Nebula's headquarters. Jacuzzi asks Graham if there's any way they can figure out what's going on inside the building, and Graham recounts how his boss Ladd once single-handedly broke into this very building, killed the guards and confronted its chairman, Karl Muybridge. Therefore, they should follow in Ladd's footsteps by killing their way into the chairman's office.

Jacuzzi grabs Graham by the collar in panic, and the two realize that people are streaming out of the front doors of the building in droves. A sleek car pulls up to the curb, and out step Christopher and Ricardo; Ricardo runs over to them and gasps that Nice and the others are in the building at this very moment, on the thirtieth floor, heading for the roof. Jacuzzi immediately disappears into the building, followed by his gang members. Christopher and Graham look at each other, and agree to call off their feud for today.

Graham spins round to face his own people, and announces that while he has left the red-haired man to Ladd and his red-eyed enemy stands before him, he believes that it would be better to rescue Jacuzzi first. Before they all enter the building, Christopher asks Graham's opinion of the man with the red hair - Graham hadn't realized that Christopher knew the man too. Christopher bursts into a cheerful song at the chaos unfolding in the building, and Graham glumly observes that the man cannot sing at all.

When Graham and his gang reach the rooftop gardens, they find a group of scientists (led by Renee Paramedes Branvillier) facing down Jacuzzi and company (Nice and Rail are cornered) - and a man pointing a gun at Jacuzzi's face. Graham hurls a wrench at the man's hand, knocking the gun out of his grip. Stepping protectively in front of Jacuzzi, he hoists his oversized wrench and expresses his unhappiness with those currently pointing deadly weapons at "this young couple - two people I consider the most important in the world!" (Nice and Jacuzzi).

Graham and his men rush towards the scientists; meanwhile, Rail leaps over the railing and pulls the trigger on one of their bombs, letting it plummet towards the ground. Jacuzzi grabs Rail's arm just in time, and before he slips Nice grabs his arm to stop him from falling. Miria reaches the railing and takes Rail's other arm - but with the winds buffeting her her grip on the railing slips. Suddenly - from out of nowhere - Isaac appears, and grabs Miria by the hand. He and Nice pull the other three to safety.

Looking onward, Renee inquires if her scientists can still claim self-defense if they shoot "these people" in the legs. One of her researchers points out that Graham might be trouble, so she orders him to shoot Graham's friend in the foot. The researcher points his gun at Graham, then shifts his aim to Shaft's shoe -- but Christopher arrives and twists his arm upwards. Graham jibes that Christopher "really took his time." The two of them immediately join forces to knock out the rest of the scientists.

Graham and company join Ricardo Russo's employ in the wake of Placido's devourment.

1935
In February 1935, Shaft drives Graham and Lua Klein to a New Jersey police station, where they expect to reunite with Ladd and celebrate his release from prison. Ladd is gone by the time they reach the station, and after a long lament Graham trundles back into the car. Shaft drives down the road with the intention of going to the train station, but the group is startled when a car comes careening around the corner. Its windshield is shattered, and on top of the car roof is Ladd Russo, who is holding a man in his right arm and pulling a man up through the roof with his metal left arm. The car crashes through the wall of a house.

Ladd leaps off the car just before it crashes, and dragging the first man with one hand he heads over to Shaft and asks for a ride to New York. Graham exits the car and swings down his wrench atop Ladd's head in delight. The two have an energetic reunion. Ladd introduces his companion as Nader Schasschule, and the two of them get into the car. Graham elects to ride on the roof.

From the rooftop, Graham gives Shaft directions to the Martillo Family casino. At the casino, Ladd gives Nader money and tells him to win money on Ladd's behalf. At Shaft's suggestion, he, Lua, and Graham head to Fred's Clinic in order to say hello to Who. Much to their chagrin, Who isn't at the clinic, and they head back to the casino. Graham descends the stairs to the casino, spots Christopher inside and immediately throws his wrench at the homunculus. Christopher easily deflects the wrench with a kick.

Hopping onto the banister, Graham regales the crowd with a tirade of words on casinos and the unexpected reunion with "that red-eyed bastard" (Christopher). He and Christopher immediately devolve into fighting one another, during which time they bring up Graham's sister. The fight goes on for several minutes, and at some point Graham calls out to Ladd and asks him not to kill Jacuzzi (who is in the casino), since Jacuzzi is his friend and he needs to talk to Ladd about him anyway. Speaking of which, what is Jacuzzi doing here? He comes to a halt and mutters to himself about whether or not this is a reunion.

Christopher takes Graham's wrench and hurls it at Ladd, who deflects the wrench with his metal arm after Jacuzzi shouts a warning at him. The wrench is sent spinning towards Rail, but Ennis kicks it away just in time. Graham asks Christopher why he attacked Ladd, and Christopher replies that he'd just wondered what Graham would do if he attacked someone Graham cared about. Bloodlust fills Graham's very core, but Ladd's bloodlust is even more overwhelming, and he backs down.

Ladd asks if he can join the fight, and Graham protests that this is his fight. Ladd hears neither Graham's nor Christopher's answers and attacks Christopher with enthusiasm. Graham waves his wrench impotently and shouts at Ladd that Christopher is 'his' and without him Graham will have no outlet for his sad story - and he'll have no choice but to dismantle the casino's slot machines.

Christopher and Ladd cease fighting at the sound of celebratory bells - someone has won the jackpot at a slot machine. The winner is Melvi Dormentaire (he is accompanied by a bodyguard), who applauds the show once everyone's eyes are upon him. He introduces himself, and Ladd insults his name and says that if he enjoyed the 'show' so much why didn't he pay for it? Melvi considers those words, and offers Ladds the tokens spilling from the slot machine.

Graham sucks in a breath and warns Lua and Shaft that this is "truly, exceptionally bad." Melvi is the sort of person Ladd hates the most. Melvi proceeds to win the jackpot on all seven slot machines. A minute later, a man wearing a tailcoat, biker goggles, and gloves descends the staircase, followed by a young teenaged boy, several women, men, and finally the rearguard - who appears to be the biker's twin. The teenaged boy smiles and introduces himself as Carzelio Runorata; he thanks Firo Prochainezo (the casino manager) for agreeing to come to the Runorata Family's party later that month.

In the ensuing group talk, Melvi angers Ladd by confirming that he believes there is no way he will die here. Ladd immediately charges Melvi, only for Melvi's bodyguard to use a judo throw and slam him into the wall. Graham is shocked, and he glares at the bodyguard with a menacing grin. Ladd attacks the bodyguard again, but the man easily dodges all of his attacks. With one strike, he sends Ladd sprawling to the floor. Firo is excited, but Luck Gandor is unsurprised - and he asks the bodyguard why he likes that disguise so much.

Put out, the bodyguard removes his false beard, glasses, and hat. Graham and the others are stunned when they recognize his face as Claire Stanfield. Ladd's bloodlust levels go through the roof, and he throws half of the roulette table Claire's way. Christopher moves to attack Claire as well, but Graham stops him, declaring that this is Ladd's fight. The two resume fighting.

Melvi loudly informs Claire that they have to be off, and Claire leaps over to his side. Ladd, Graham, and Christopher are all out of breath - but Claire hasn't broken a sweat. Ladd growls that the fight isn't over, and Claire counters that the fight never even ''begun. ''If Ladd has a problem with that, he's free to fight him again whenever he wants. Bring a friend, or twenty if he likes. Ladd wants to continue the fight now, but Melvi pulls out a gun and aims it at Lua.

Melvi, Claire, and Carzelio and his group all exit the casino. Maiza Avaro descends the stairs as they do. In the aftermath, Graham waxes lyrical about how he is torn over what to do next. Eventually he calms down, and talks to Ladd and Lua.

(1935-B and 1935-C to be added shortly)

Abilities
Graham's weapon of choice is a large crescent wrench that he can throw like a boomerang (aiming at proper angles when thrown so that it will come back like a boomerang)...or simply use as a blunt instrument of brute force. He can also use it for impressively delicate feats: he has caught everything from bullets to people's throats inside the wrench's vice, and he can dislocate joints as easily as he can unscrew a bolt. All of this makes him far more unorthodox and unpredictable than Ladd, for it is far more difficult to discern a pattern in his fighting.

It is no exaggeration to claim that Graham is one of the most powerful fighters in the series. He was capable of defeating the Lamia (who had recently crippled some of the Russo's top men, including three-incomplete immortals), kidnapping Chané Laforet (who had gone toe-to-toe with Ladd on the Flying Pussyfoot), and he even briefly held the Rail Tracer in a stalemate. According to Ladd Russo, Graham is much better than he is in a fight -- he just refuses to kill his opponents.

His personality often confuses his enemies, who are unequipped to deal with his frequent mood-swings during a fight. It appears that when his mood changes his fighting style adjusts slightly as well.

Quotes

 *  “Life is insubstantial, so taking it brings me no joy. I don’t like it. I get nothing from it except feelings of guilt. So no, not for me.” 
 *  " Ahh, tedium is such a crime. It takes the limited amount of time that is given to man and rather than spending it in indolence or drowning it in pleasure, it just sits there, sucking, eatting it up. I can't put up with that. Tedium is a crime! Death to tedium!! Die die, won't you die now, die die die! Die you! Die ME!"
 * "Time spent in boredom is good. I think it's what allows the climaxes in life to reach their ultimate state of perfection. At least that's what I'm going to choose to think that that is the way life has been laid out for us this fine day anyway. Simply put, if we're wrong, we're wrong. These are known as the very essence, the very spice of life. There is nothing tedious in the whole world, at least not during these exciting times."
 * "Let me tell you a sad, sad story..."

Trivia

 * Graham's initial meeting with Ladd plays out much differently in the anime. In Episode 14, Ladd is sent out to kill the employees of the auto plant Graham works at because they've been sending low quality parts to the Russo family. As Ladd makes liberal use of his rifle, one of his bullets hits a car. This enrages Graham, and the two fight. Graham loses, but the two end up friends anyway. This all takes place in 1929.
 * Apparently (according to 1935-A: Deep Marble) Graham has challenged the Gandor Family capo Nicola Cassetti to plenty of fights, but every time Nicola easily took him down.
 * Like other characters, Graham's age is kept vague. In 1932, he is said to be "about twenty," but in 1934 he is also described as "about twenty."