“The Forest of Death” is a strange Northern set in the Big Woods of Quebec. It appeared in Charlton’s This Magazine Is Haunted #15 (February 1953). This is the second iteration of the comic. The writer is unknown but the art was done by Bob McCarty.
Jacque DuSac and his partner, Pierre, are saving their money for a mink ranch. Unfortunately, Jacques has spent all the money foolishly. He fears jail so he tells Pierre to meet m=him by the old oak. It is a death trap for his partner.
After dropping the tree on Pierre, jacques returns to work. That night he wanders into the bar and sees the dead man sitting there drinking beer.
Jacques rushes back tot he scene of the crime. The very branches of the trees attack him.
Pierre’s ghost shows up to taunt his killer, telling him he will never leave the forest alive. Jacques swings an ax and hits a tree…
That last frame explains how Jacques could have seen Pierre in the bar. The writer falls back on what I call “The Edgar Allan Poe Device”. The story could be supernatural but you could explain the forest of death with psychology and coincidence just as easily. Jacques’ guilt makes him believe he is haunted. Death comes by misadventure. Karma’s a bitch, etc…
Once again we have the tale of the murderous partner so common in gold mining stories. The comics loved this trope since it sent the message: “Crime does not pay.” Of course, the men are named Pierre and Jacques, comics default names for French Canadiens. EC Comics used the bad partner theme too. The idea became popular after 1948’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston.
Read this comic for free at Digital Comic Museum.
