Tales To Astonish #25: "The Gypsy's Revenge!"

Tales To Astonish #25
"The Gypsy's Revenge!"
November, 1961

Story: Unknown
Art: Don Heck

There are those who are crime-victims... and there are others who are
criminals.  As the storekeeper keeps his hands up, Monk Morgan tells him
to take it easy next time, and not work so hard for the money.  By the
age of thirty, Morgan had been in and out of jail several times.  His
latest stint was over, but the authorities knew that they'd be seeing him
again.  Not in the mood for lectures, Monk wants his own clothes back,
and leave.  Now back on the outside, he travels to Europe, and spends the
time thinking up new angles to try out.  During his walk, Monk overhears
two boys arguing about whether or not the old gypsy has a lot of jewels
at his home.  After asking the two kids where the old gypsy lives, Monk
Morgan heads towards the forest.

Since he's an old man, the gypsy shouldn't be too difficult to rob.  By
the looks of the place, Morgan doesn't expect to find much of anything
inside.  After a thorough search, he finds the jewels inside a chest.
Knowing that they must be worth a fortune, Monk Morgan is convinced that
he's struck it rich.  The old gypsy appears and discovers the intruder
within his own home.  The jewels are his most valuable possessions, and
when Morgan insists on taking them, the gypsy vows to place a curse upon
him.  As he laughs at the old man's threat, the gypsy insists that he
does possess the power to do such a thing.

Monk Morgan grabs the old man by the front of his shirt, and delivers a
hard slap to his jaw.  As he carries the chest of jewels beneath one arm,
Monk takes one last look at the fallen gypsy, and heads for the airport.
On the flight back, he plans to cash in the jewels, and live the easy
life from now on.  After arriving back in the states, he heads for a
carnival, and decides to have his fortune told.  Monk Morgan would like
to know what the future holds for him, and the fortune teller bids him to
take a seat.  The crystal ball shows that the future look dark for him.

He has seen Monk Morgan committing a crime... he has stolen some
jewels... and he must pay for his misdeed.  There must be something wrong
with the fortune reading.  How could a carnival fortune teller know so
much about what he's done?  The evil man must pay for his many crimes,
and Monk Morgan's name is uttered by the fortune teller himself.  When he
tries to leave the tent, he sees that the outside world has disappeared.
There is nothing out there now.  Nothing at all.  If he should leave the
tent now, he would fall to his death, and now he must stay... and meet
his destiny.  Monk Morgan sees the old gypsy getting closer, and knows
that somehow... the old man will be able to harm him.

This story was reprinted in Monsters On The Prowl #14 (December, 1971).

On the splash page, the gypsy's revenge engulfs Monk Morgan within its
foggy embrace.

Monk Morgan looks like a chain-smoking Jimmy Olsen, whose hair color
changes from red to blond.

After trading in his Jimbo ensemble for a stint in prison, Morgan now
wears a tuxedo and bowtie on the outside world.

The unnamed European village has its children wearing clothing in the
style of Hans Christian Anderson.

Although the old gypsy's home is located near the forest, Monk Morgan
doesn't need a trail of bread crumbs to find it.

The old man may have a glass jaw, but his crystal-gazing is on the ball.

The jewel thief finds himself in a most unfriendly neighborhood, with the
fortune teller as one tough landlord.

Steve Chung
"The Gypsy's Review!"