MR. GAMIN
Real Name: ? Gamin (first name unrevealed, see comments)
Identity/Class: Human mutant (possible mutant -see comments)
Occupation: Pianist (see comments)
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Harry Dobbs, unnamed victims
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Mad Killer" (as dubbed by the media)
Base of Operations: Unidentified American city (possibly New York)
First Appearance: Mystic#11/4 (August, 1952)
Powers/Abilities: Apparently vampiric to some extent, Mr. Gamin had a fanged orifice on the palm of each hand; he wore a pair of black gloves to conceal these attributes. He would remove the gloves and place his hands about a victim's neck in a stranglehold, then use the fangs to draw blood and feed, leaving the victim's throat horribly lacerated in the process.
History:
(Mystic #11/4 (fb) - BTS) - Mr. Gamin's past is unknown, but at some point he rented a room at Harry Dobbs' boarding house and secretly began committing a series of murders. After the fourth killing, the police were still baffled by the grisly homicides, and newspaper headlines warned of the "Mad Killer" that was stalking the city.
(Mystic #11/4) - Late one night, Mr. Gamin killed his fifth victim--a vagrant sleeping on a subway car. Leaving the subway station, Gamin took a cab back to the boarding house and arrived just as dawn broke. While looking out the window, Harry Dobbs saw Gamin returning and told his wife that there was something fishy about their new boarder--he stayed out all night, he always wore gloves, and he seemed to be hiding something. But Mrs. Dobbs admonished her husband and reminded him that Mr. Gamin said that he was a concert pianist, and he only wore the gloves to protect his hands; besides, she thought he was a perfect gentleman. When Gamin entered the house, Dobbs greeted him and asked him if he would play their piano later and give them a private concert, but Mr. Gamin politely declined the request and said he was planning to leave town that night after he cleared up a little bit of "unfinished business". An hour later at the breakfast table, the other tenants were talking about the news bulletin on the radio that reported the "Mad Killer's" latest murder. They were all shocked at hearing about the wounds on the victim's throat, but Mr. Gamin remarked that maybe the killer had only been hungry; however, this left an awkward silence at the table. Late that afternoon, Gamin told Dobbs he was going out to attend to the "unfinished business," but said that he would be back for dinner. The suspicious landlord took the opportunity to search Gamin's room for some incriminating evidence; Dobbs found a box filled with dozens of pairs of black gloves, some of which were stained...with blood! As Dobbs turned to leave the room and call the police, he opened the door and found Mr. Gamin standing outside. Gamin stepped in and told Dobbs that he had only taken a short walk around the block because he (Dobbs) was the "unfinished business" Gamin had spoken of earlier. Then Gamin backed Dobbs against a wall and complimented him for his "plump, attractive throat". Now realizing that the "Mad Killer" had been living under his roof all this time, the terrified Dobbs warned his assailant that he'd be punished for the crime, but Gamin said he would simply move on to another city. And then Mr. Gamin removed his gloves and gave Dobbs the "privilege" of seeing his bare hands, a "privilege" that no other living person knew...
Comments: Created by an uncredited writer, Ben Brown (artist) and David Gantz (inker).
The exact nature of Mr. Gamin's preternatural condition is unknown. Although he fed on blood, he didn't sleep in a coffin, turn into a bat, or shun sunlight, so he probably wasn't a true vampire. He showed no other supernatural abilities, so he probably wasn't a demonic entity. He showed no indication that he was an extraterrestrial (...unless you consider that last panel where he revealed his hands, but I assume the green coloring was only done for artistic effect). So I'm just gonna say he was a mutant. Although he claimed to be a concert pianist, that may have all been a pretext for why he wore the gloves--there was no indication in the story that he even knew how to play a piano.
Since Mr. Gamin's first name was never reveled, I'll suggest "David" (he kinda reminds me of actor David Niven).
And a BIG Thank You to The Horrors of It All for the scans!
Profile by John Kaminski.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Mr. Gamin has no known connections to:
With his wife Marge, Harry Dobbs owned and operated a boarding house at 228 Delaney Street. He was suspicious of boarder Mr. Gamin, so he played amateur detective and went snooping in Gamin's room, where he became the sixth victim of the "Mad Killer".
--Mystic#11/4
images:
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Mystic#11/4, p3, pan3 (main image)
Other Appearances: None
Last updated: 01/22/10
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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