Dorian Gray and his infamous painting have been a mainstay in literature and pop culture for decades, but who painted the immortal work? In The Picture of Everything Else #1, the talent behind Gray’s hidden portrait is wreaking havoc in Paris, painting victims who then turn up dead. Read the official synopsis from Vault Comics here:

As the 20th century dawns, art promises to change the world…and steep it in blood. A rash of impossible killings sweeps through Paris, tearing the rich and beautiful apart in their beds. When two art thieves stumble upon the portraits of the victims damaged in the exact same manner they died, it appears the man who once painted the immortal portrait of Dorian Gray has returned—with darker plans for future works. From the minds of Dan Watters (Coffin Bound, Lucifer, Home Sick Pilots) and Kishore Mohan comes a haunting balance of depravity and beauty.

Written by Dan Watters (Coffin BoundLucifer, Home Sick Pilots) and with art and colors by Kishore Mohan, the horror title features letters by Aditya Bidikar (These Savage Shores, Blue in Green) and designs by Tim Daniel. The first issue also sports four bloody covers from Mohan, Nathan Gooden, Adam Gorham, and Anand RK.  

The Picture of Dorian Gray has always been a favorite of mine, both as a novel and a concept,” said Watters. “But I think it’s been squandered a little when it’s been revisited. We’ll often see Dorian crop up in other mediums — the immortal, beautiful young decadent with his picture hidden in the attic. But what of the man who made the painting? There was a man who made art which rendered its subject immortal. What if he started to change his works, and change the world with them? What if he sought to make the world a paradise- or a hell? Maybe art could get us there. Maybe it still will.”

The Picture of Everything Else #1 will be available on December 23. The Beat received an exclusive preview of a few interior pages and the covers. Take a look below!