Welcome to the Portrait Gallery… where terror hangs on the wall. Where art meets madness and talent is used for evil.
The old Gothics and Penny Bloods used the idea of creepy portrait long before Oscar Wilde was born. J. Sheridan Le Fanu wrote his first story, “The Ghost and the Bone-Setter” (Dublin University Magazine, January 1838) about a squire in a painting who liked to come down to look for something to drink because he was parched waiting in Purgatory. But it was Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) that cemented the old Gothic idea of painted images being evil or linked to evil. The Pulps also borrowed the old chestnut for “The Ghoul Gallery” by Hugh B. Cave or H. P. Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model” by H. P. Lovecraft among many others. (No doubt, a future post in that!)
It should be no surprise the Horror comics liked the idea too. The Golden Age had no restrictions and the tales were gruesome and strange. There is a fairly consistent portrayal of the young artist as a madman. The paintings themselves are usually a vehicle to house a monster, a prediction of death or simply a reflection of the artist’s madness.
“Portrait Painter” Frankenstein #13 (May-June 1948) has a disgruntled painter who throws people into the press at an old iron works to create flat portraits of them. When Frankenstein is thrown in, the maniac has met his match.
“The Ghost in the Portrait” Challenge of the Unknown #6 (September 1950) was written by an unknown author. Peter Warren and his bride return to the ancestral home only to be warned off by the old groundskeeper. When they take an old portrait from a chest, the ghost of Peter’s great-grandfather goes on a rampage. Only when the painting is destroyed by lightning do things settle down.
“A Portrait of Death” Mysterious Adventures #1 (March 1951) None of the creators are known for this comic. An artist named Rex Wilson paints a mysterious picture of a man in court. Later an obituary appears for his death. He goes to the editor responsible and finds he is the man in the painting. Later Rex paints a woman who turns out to be the editor’s wife, who he murdered fifteen years ago. The editor kills him too, causing the first painting to happen.
“The Portrait Without a Soul” Adventures Into the Unknown #21 (July 1951) was written by an unknown author. Eric Chandler is a talented painter but one who creates nightmare images. While studying in France, he paints a murderer who is a man-without-a-soul. The figure leaves the painting. Eric returns to America. His butler turns out to be the man-without-a-soul. He plans to have his vengeance on Chandler but his fiancee destroys the original painting, saving him.
“True Tales of Unexplained #7” Web of Mystery #4 (August 1951) was written by an unknown author. Donald Scott is asked to do a portrait of a strange man. The image in the portrait tries to strangle him. Donald repaints the picture, killing his subject. He insists the customer is the Devil. He is locked up in an asylum, painting the man over and over.
“Drawn and Quartered” Tales From the Crypt #26 (October-November 1951) was written by Al Feldstein. Max Moor learns from a friend he has been taken advantage of. A critic declared his paintings terrible, so Moor sold them all off for fifty bucks a piece. Later they show up in a gallery for five thousand each. He chooses to get even with voodoo. With his new power, any picture he creates has a a link to the subject. If he erases the image, he erases the person. Unfortunately, acid gets spilled on his self portrait.
“Portrait of Death” Weird Terror #1 (September 1952) was written by an unknown author. A female reporter is on the hunt for a ghoul killer. She follows her clues to the artist, Gilman. The crazy old man insists his monster paintings are not imaginary. He uses blood to draw a ghoul from the tunnels below the city to paint. The creature ends up eating the artist and the reporter gets the whole thing on film. The essence of Lovecraft is all over this one. The artist isn’t Pickman but HPL often used the named Gilman as well.
“Portrait in Blood” Black Cat #39 (September 1952) was also written by an unknown author. Steve Tarn is a painter of covers for horror magazines. When Ray discovers he was once a forger, he tries to blackmail him. Steve kills him and hides the body. The magazine editor comes by to get Steve to paint a cover for “The Eater From Space”. The painting of the red tentacled beast becomes a picture of the murdered Ray. The editor demands to know what is going on, but Steve shoves him in a room and locks the door. The painting comes to life and eats the artist. Again, a nice Lovecraftian feel. “The Eater From Space” is a nice inversion of Frank Belknap Long’s “The Space Eaters”.
“The Haunted Portrait” The Ghost Rider #11 (March 1953) was written by an unknown writer. A bank owner, Mr. Avery, approaches the sheriff with a strange mystery. He thought he had dreamed Death painting his portrait. The next day he finds a portrait hanging in the locked vault at the bank. The image shows his death. The Ghost Rider investigates and the answer has to do with a gang he had been pursuing. Maybe Mr. Avery isn’t so innocent…
“Portrait of Doom” Strange Fantasy #9 (December 1953) was created by an unknown author and artist. Anthony Caxton paints Susan beautifully, only to re-paint her murdered with a knife in her chest. He re-paints it again but in a fit does another version where he is the victim. Later he discovers Susan with another man. Antony shoves him out a window, then accidentally kills Susan with a knife. He chooses to join her in death and jumps out the window too. (Just an average day in the life of a painter…)
The motifs of death prediction, talented but crazy painters and monsters coming from paintings are all here. None of them is a new idea but the Horror comics loved them. Most of these comics can be found for free at DCM.
Stay tuned for more grisly gallery visits…
