Vanity, sheer vanity! I like to look at myself! Always enjoy looking in the mirror! 
Detective Comics #42 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1940.
Synopsis for Batman: "The Case of the Prophetic Pictures"
Pierre Antal, a famous portrait artist and womanizing ne'er-do-well discovers that his paintings have been defaced or damaged. The subjects of the paintings are also dead.
In the following days, a millionaire and an opera singer have portraits done by Antal, only to later find that the pictures are later altered, showing them being killed by different weapons. The day after each portrait is completed, each person is killed exactly in the manner their portrait predicts.
Batman tries to prevent a hanging of one subject of the paintings, Mr. Warren, and climbs the outside of a skyscraper to Warren's penthouse in hopes of surprising the killer, but arrives too late and when police arrive, Warren is already swinging, so of course they suspect Batman of doing the murders, and there's a brief chase
Later, Robin manages to find the killer on a yacht, disguised in a painter's smock and beret, while wearing a green skull and pursuing his next victim. Although he saves the intended victim, the killer escapes.
To lure him out, Bruce Wayne has a painting done by Antal and sets up a dummy to fool the killer. In his mansion's study, Batman manages to detain and unmask the killer, who turns out to be Wylie, a financially-stressed socialite who was trying to raise the prices of his art collection via this elaborate and murderous ruse. Soon after being caught, Wylie commits suicide with his own handgun.
Appearing in Batman: "The Case of the Prophetic Pictures"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Pierre Antal (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Mr. Wylie, The Painter of Death (First appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Mikoff (Single appearance)
- Vangild (First appearance; dies)
- Carmen Largo (First appearance; dies)
- Mr. Warren (First appearance; dies)
- Mr. Travers (Single appearance)
- Mr. Drake (Single appearance)
- Mr. Bleek (Single appearance)
- Jim (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Portrait of Bruce Wayne
Vehicles:
- Batman's souped-up 1939 Cord, still pre-Batmobile
Synopsis for Bart Regan, Spy: "The Missing Gas Mask"
Bart Regan helps track down the thief who stole the plans to a new gas mask.
Appearing in Bart Regan, Spy: "The Missing Gas Mask"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for "Red Logan, Ace Reporter"
Appearing in "Red Logan, Ace Reporter"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for The Crimson Avenger: "The Girl in Red"
Appearing in The Crimson Avenger: "The Girl in Red"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- crime gang
Other Characters:
- Mac
Locations:
- New York City
- Globe Leader, newspaper office
- Globe Leader, newspaper office
Synopsis for Speed Saunders, Ace Investigator: "The Pyromaniac"
Speed busts a pyromaniac.
Appearing in Speed Saunders, Ace Investigator: "The Pyromaniac"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Hal Johonson (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Dolan (Single appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for Steve Malone: "Murder In the Seashore Inn"
Steve solves the murder of a newspaperman killed by protection racketeers.
Appearing in Steve Malone: "Murder In the Seashore Inn"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for "Cliff Crosby"
Appearing in "Cliff Crosby"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for Slam Bradley: "The Gem Jewelry Company"
Appearing in Slam Bradley: "The Gem Jewelry Company"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- gang of crooks
Other Characters:
- Officer Callahan
Locations:
Notes
- Published by Detective Comics, Inc.
- Batman: "The Case of the Prophetic Pictures" is reprinted in Batman Archives Vol 1, Batman Chronicles Vol 2, Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1, Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1 and Detective Comics #441.
- Also featured in this issue of Detective Comics are:
- "Eagle Eye" (text story) by R. Emmett Pace.
- "Goofo the Great" by Russell Cole, credited as Alger.
Trivia
- In "Case of the Prophetic Portrait", the portrait of Bruce Wayne was shot with a bullet (as an "omen" of how he'd die), and this was later kept in the Batcave as a trophy. The portrait can be spotted in the Trophy Room in Detective Comics #676.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Batman Recommended Reading
- Batman (Volume 1)
- Batman (Volume 2)
- Batman (Volume 3)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 1)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 2)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 3)
- Batman Confidential (Volume 1)
- Batman: Gotham Knights (Volume 1)
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (Volume 1)
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1)
- Batman: Streets of Gotham (Volume 1)
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 1)
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman: World's Finest (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (Volume 2)
- The Brave and the Bold (Volume 1)
- Detective Comics (Volume 1)
- Detective Comics (Volume 2)
- Superman/Batman (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.
