Baffling Mysteries #18

In the eerie pages of *Baffling Mysteries #18*, a twisted experiment turns ex-G.I. Barney Phelps into a man haunted by his own image—six identical clones, each one a criminal shadow of the original. As the real Barney races to stop the chaos, the line between man and monster blurs in a suspenseful tale of identity and deception.

In a forgotten European opera house, a life-size puppet hangs in a dim warehouse, untouched for years. When a devil-like stranger draws a haunting melody from his violin, the puppeteer is suddenly bound by invisible strings—his own art turning against him.

In "12 Hours to Doom," businessman Arthur Matlin stumbles upon a mysterious sundial that calls forth Chronos, the spirit of time, granting him the power to glimpse just twelve hours ahead. With that fleeting glimpse, he plans and commits crimes, always one step ahead—until the law closes in and the sundial is destroyed. Now, trapped in the future with no way back, Matlin is left to wander time’s endless stream.

In the scorching sands of the Sahara, the ghost of El Kabir—once a visionary leader betrayed and slain by a jealous rival—still walks, a spectral guardian to those in need. Though long dead, his spirit endures, guiding lost travelers through the endless dunes with quiet, unseen aid.

In "The Ghost in the Portrait," a young couple unknowingly unleashes the vengeful spirit of a long-dead ancestor, trapped within a centuries-old painting. As the ghost exacts brutal retribution on those who wronged him, he turns on the man, demanding he kill his own wife—just as he once did. The story unfolds with chilling precision, building tension as the woman fights to break the spirit’s hold before it’s too late.

In the frozen heart of an Arctic uranium valley, a spectral fog takes the shape of the missing Professor Charters, drifting south with a chilling hunger. As it crosses into the U.S., the unnatural mist feeds on the lifeblood of the living, its true form a deadly secret. When the fog’s eerie presence finally meets its match, fire becomes the only weapon strong enough to break its hold.