Henri Duval is an artist, whose talents are termed mediocre. Those judges, in turn, dies mysteriously, impossibly, with the initials “HD” on their forehead. By painting their portraits, whatever fate he paints for them, their body actually goes through. He's about to paint a fiery death for a bound Dr. Occult when the police burst in. He kills himself by quickly drawing a dagger on his own portrait to avoid capture.