Welcome back to the Portrait Gallery. Horror comics love a good painting and these stories are no exception. As we transition from the Golden Age to the Silver Age, the idea of killer art doesn’t really change much. (The Comics Code arrived in 1956 and the gruesome nature of Horror comics became tamer.) But again, it hasn’t really changed since M. R. James wrote “The Mezzotint” either. The Gothic tradition gave us creepy castles and beautiful women running through them. Often in their head-long rush, they would see portraits hanging on the walls that seemed to look at them or bore faces thought long-dead. (Harry Potter took that to a whole new level!)
“Portrait of Carlotta” Forbidden Worlds #28 (April 1954) was written by an unknown author. The story has demented but talented artist, Jason Kemm, talking to a dead woman, Carlotta Benn. Everyone thinks he is nuts, pretending to hear the music she plays. He even paints her portrait as if she is standing there before him. At the end, they find Kemm dead, his spirit flying off with Carlotta’s.
“Picture of a Nightmare” Spook #30 (October 1954) was reprinted from Blue Bolt Weird Tales of Terror #114. The author is not known. Trouble starts when a canvas by the missing artist Sommers shows up at the warehouse. Night watchman, Gary, has his hands full when monsters start leaking off the painting. In the end he has to cut the canvas, revealing where the artist went. This story is the most Lovecraftian of this batch and my favorite.
“Portrait of Death” Amazing Ghost Stories #16 (February 1955) was written by an unknown artist. Harborough is angered when he finds a painting of his likeness called “The Portrait of Death”. He tracks down the artist, Anton De Salvo, to a ruined building. Confronting the man, who knows all of Harborough’s secrets, like how he murdered a rival suitor for his wife’s hand, Harborough kills him. Leaving the studio, the killer tries to get the painting but the shop is closed. He has an unfortunate encounter with a horse that ends him. The shop owner finally points out De Salvo has been dead for years. The painting has changed to Harborough’s face covered by horse hooves.
“Portrait of Jennings” Surprise Adventures #5 (July 1955) was written by Carl Wessler. Edward Lawton discovers that whatever he paints happens to his subject, Mr. Jennings. When he angers his patron, Jennings goes out of his way to ruin Lawton’s career. In desperation, Lawton paints Jennings bound in a strait jacket. Now in a position of power, Lawton sues for peace. Jennings wants the painting so Lawton can’t hurt him. The artist runs off with the painting, throwing it off a bridge. Jennings’ man rescues the painting just in time. A cop reports Jennings almost drowned in his tub.
“The Phantom Model” Baffling Mysteries #26 (October 1955) was written by an unknown writer and is reprinted from Web of Mystery #9. Victor Tiza has given up life in the leather business and his fiancee, Lucille, for a life as a painter. Victor sees a most beautiful red-head and tries to meet her. He learns her name is Odette and is smitten. He paints her portrait but madness seems his lot. We learn at the end that Odette is a mad woman. Her mother was hurt by an artist and died. Odette torments artists by allowing them to paint her portrait then steals back the painting and changes it. Can Victor be saved?
“The Portrait” Black Magic #36 (January-February 1958) was written by an unknown author. Mark Sanders is wanted by the police. To hide, he steals a magic painting that makes him grow younger and younger. The original owners find him and give chase. They do not find Mark, only the painting, now empty. One man says he saw the picture grow to a child then a baby, then… Mark Sanders will not be returning. This comic uses the Dorian Gray idea with a twist.
“Portrait of Ravenna” Unusual Tales #17 (July 1959) was written by Joe Gill. A portrait painter tries to do an image of a beautiful woman but it keeps coming up as a weird Gumby-like figure. The woman takes the painting anyway and goes to her spaceship. She reveals her true self, that of the painting. A Science Fiction version that might be a comment on modern art.
“Long Live the King” Tales of Suspense #24 (December 1961) was written by Stan Lee. King Kim is a benevolent ruler along with his beautiful queen, Sari. Kim’s weak brother, Rujak poisons the king and takes over. He empties the country’s coffers. Queen Sari begins to work against him so he must kill her. When she sleepwalks, Rujak opens a window for her to fall out. Only a voice stops her. When Rujak attacks the hero, he is he thrown out the window instead. Sari rushes into the room but there is no there. Only the portrait of her beloved king.
“Portrait of …?” Ghost Stories #2 (April-June 1963) was written by Carl Memling. Corey Scott, superstar painter, seeks to escape the critics and goes to the Middle East to paint. There he becomes entranced with a beautiful woman. He follows her and she says nothing but allows him to paint her. When another man sees her sitting for the portrait, he runs off to the police. Everyone is looking for the woman, Fatima Zaya, who has been missing for a week. When the police come, the woman gets up, says nothing and leads them to a suicide note. Fatima Zaya has been dead for a week.
“The Face in the Picture” Ghost Stories #4 (October-December 1963) was also written by Carl Memling. Artist, Peter Calixo, holds an old woman hostage as he paints her. He insists she is very beautiful when others don’t see it. Calixo dies, falling over his easel. The woman tries to escape but dies too. The police kick in the door and find a painting of her when she was young and beautiful. Later they find the old woman’s apartment, where they discover two paintings covered in fifty years of grime, one of a beautiful woman, the other of Calixo himself.
This batch of comics is far less gory than the earlier ones. The Silver Age and the Comics Code took something out of Horror comics. Everything becomes gentler or hinted at in a kind of Twilight Zone fashion. No good monster stuff like Jay Dibrow’s “The Ghoul of the North”. It should be noted that the haunted painting idea was quite popular in text stories as well. Some of these comics are available free at DCM.
We aren’t done yet. Join us again for 1964-1980…
