BLACK MIRRORBLACK MIRROR
Note: There is/are apparently more than one Black Mirror(s).
This profile focuses on the Mirror associated with the Cornerstones of
Creation, but it does cover all known appearances of such mirrors (see
comments)
Classification: Magic item (Talismans of Mystic Power)
Creator: Chthon created the Darkhold
and its page that existed within the Black Mirror; a demon created the
Black Mirror (this may or may not have been Chthon or one of his agents)
First Appearance: Tomb of Dracula I#3 (July, 1972)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Black Mirror(s) allow -- via the proper incantation -- the viewer to gaze into or travel to other dimensions and/or to
gaze into or travel through time.
Those with sufficient experience /
occult knowledge/power could project their image and speak to viewers
across the centuries and presumably locations/dimensions.
At least under some circumstances,
the surface of the mirror seemed to melt as it opened a portal to
elsewhere/elsewhen, solidifying thereafter and preventing further transportation without another incantation.
However, one needs to travel to the exact time and place where a Black Mirror existed in order to emerge in the desired location; otherwise, the traveler would step into a world of demon-creatures.
One Black Mirror (see comments) housed the Last Chronicle of Chthon, the final page of the Darkhold.
The Darkhold, in conjunction with the Ebon Rose, Serpent Crown, and Sword of Bone
is one of the Cornerstones of Creation. The Black Mirror and/or the
Last Chronicle of Chthon can be used with the other Cornerstones in
place of the entire Darkhold, presumably indicating it can channel or
serve as an access point for the Darkhold itself.
Collectively, the Cornerstones grant even greater power, allegedly enough to control all reality.
The Last Chronicle of Chthon
likely contains at one spell, but that's not confirmed; if it does, the
nature of that spell is unrevealed
History:
(Thor Annual#10 (fb)/Silver Surfer Annual#2/5 (fb)) - Realizing that
the Demogorge could destroy it, the Elder God Chthon chose to inscribe
all of its mystical knowledge on an indestructible parchment. This
would become known as the Darkhold Scrolls.
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - The Black Mirror was forged in hellfire by demonic hands (see comments).
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - The Black Mirror contained the final page of the Darkhold (aka the Last Chronicle of Chthon), the mystic tome created by the Elder God Chthon.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)) - A 16th
century sorceress bargained with beings dark and demoniacal, and in
return she received the Mirror, forged in an existence beyond
humanity's and composed of materials mystical and hellish.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb) - BTS) - The mirror was intended to be a gift of the sorceress to one she loved.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) <1000 years ago - see comments> - A Black Mirror was located in the extradimensional realm Kaichek, and another Black Mirror (or the same mirror existed in each plane) was located in a temple atop a Tibetan hill.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) - Kaichek sorcerer Vung spellcast across the dimensions to find a warrior-supreme to aid in overthrowing his realm's wizard-kings.
That spell identified and possibly summoned Earth's Tibetan mystic, teacher, healer, and warrior Kan (ancestor of Doctor Strange's servant Wong).
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb)) - Vung apparently shone a light through the Black Mirror in the Tibetan temple. 
Upon learning the temple was
reportedly haunted, Kan entered the temple -- which reeked of of
fundamental evil -- which was bare save for the Black Mirror.
Drawn to the mirror, presumably
via Vung's magics, Kan was pulled through the mirror and transported to
Kaichek to meet Vung, Prince Jehan, and Princess Shialmar.
(Doctor Strange II#44 (fb) - BTS) - Vung manipulated Khan, Jehan, and Shialmar to defeat the wizard-kings and then offered them to his N'Garai masters.
However, to save Kan, with whom
she had fallen in love, Shialmar offered up her own soul to the
N'Garai, gaining vast magical power as the Shadowqueen.
The Shadowqueen slew Vung and Jehan.
(Doctor
Strange II#44 (fb)) - Via the Black Mirror, the Shadowqueen sent Kan
back to Earth; projecting her image through the mirror, she bade
farewell.
Despite Kan's insistence she let him help her, the Shadowqueen's image faded.
(Doctor Strange II#44 (fb) - BTS) - Kan was dismayed by the part he played in the Shadowqueen’s rise to power and devoted his life to assisting mages who served the cause of good.
Kan's descendants continued his path.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Over the centuries the Black Mirror(s) fell into many hands, as it was (they were) valued for its (their) ability to serve as a portal through time.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)) - An unidentified man used the Black Mirror to travel from his century (perhaps the 19th century) to another (perhaps the 17th century), emerging from the (a?) Black Mirror of that time period.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb))
- Presumably using the Black Mirror without properly targeting another
Mirror, the unidentified man emerged from the Black Mirror in the demon realm, where he was
presumably slain.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2) <1784 AD> - Sent
through time from the modern era by Marie Laveau, Captain Marvel
(Monica Rambeau)'s emergence from his Black Mirror surprised Cagliostro, but she soon earned
his trust and assistance.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2 - BTS) - Monica obtained a sample of Dracula's blood for Laveau.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2) - Cagliostro sent Monica back through the mirror.
(Mystic Arcana#1 - BTS)
- The Darkhold served as one of the four Cornerstones
of Creation, along with the Ebon Rose (talisman of Gaea), the Serpent Crown (talisman of Set), and the Sword of Bone (talisman of Oshtur). See comments.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)
- BTS) - In recent years, when an old house in Piccadilly with a sinister
reputation was torn down, the Black Mirror was amongst its contents to
be sold at an auction.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)) - Knowing the house and
seeking occult means to restore her youth, Ilsa Strangway attended the
Piccadilly auction.
When the mirror was brought up,
its black surface gleaming, it seemed to call to Ilsa, and she knew it
was right for her and felt compelled her to bid to win.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)
- BTS) - In an obscure book shop, Ilsa found an ancient volume on
witchcraft, its practice and practitioners. From this, she learned of
the mirror's history, and its ability to serve as a portal across
centuries, as well as the need to travel the exact time and place where
the mirror existed in order to emerge back on Earth; otherwise, the
would step into a world of demon-creatures (perhaps the world of the
demon that created the mirror). Ilsa, at least, interpreted the text
as indicating that more than one such mirror existed on Earth.
(Tomb of Dracula I#3) - When Ilsa's solicitor, Godfrey Langston, visited her to discuss an offer to purchase Castle Dracula (it was Dracula, working through Clifton Graves, while Ilsa had recently purchased the castle from Frank Drake), he was initially distracted/disturbed by the Black Mirror, finding the almost black nature of its glass positively chilling. Langston further criticized her squandering of her fortune on "occult junk."
After Langston's departure, Dracula approached Ilsa's window. Having erroneously concluded via her research that becoming a vampire would restore her youthful beauty, she invited Dracula into her home.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4) - After offering to share the secrets of the dark mirror, Ilsa submitted to Dracula's bite.
After arising as a vampire, Ilsa told Dracula of the dark mirror, noting that he might use it to travel to a time period with which he was more familiar/comfortable.
Though Dracula cast Ilsa to the ground, informing her that he had survived many centuries and would continue to do so, he nonetheless instructed her to provide him with the incantation to activate the mirror. However, not wishing to live in Dracula's shadow, she did not tell him of the requirement of traveling to the time/location of another mirror; she intended Dracula to be destroyed by the demons.
Pursued by vampire-hunters Frank
Drake and Taj Nital, Dracula fled to the Black Mirror and spoke the
incantation.
The incantation finished with "...et nostrum vex"
As Dracula began to pass through
the mirror's portal, however, he was tackled by Taj Nital, and they
both passed through the portal. 
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Emerging through a Black Mirror into the demon
realm, Dracula engaged the demons that assaulted him, initially
invoking Beelzebub and Sathanus, whom he believed they served, to cease
their attacks.
Initially, Dracula redirected the demons to assault Taj, but after considering that he might need human blood to survive in that realm, Dracula rescued Taj and led him across a silvery pathway the demons avoided.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, Rachel and Frank considered the now-solid Black Mirror, and they realized they needed the incantation to activate it.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5 - BTS) - Rachel and Frank sought out Ilsa's servant, Whitby, who directed them to Ilsa's library.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Within the demon realm, Dracula observed a building upon which corpses burned but did not disintegrate; investigating, Dracula found a Black Mirror through which he pushed Taj before passing through himself.
Dracula and Taj emerged in a
Transylvanian mausoleum in the late 1890's, shortly after Abraham van Helsing had
staked Dracula.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5 - BTS) - Trapping Taj within a stone coffin, Dracula vampirized the young woman Ora and targeted Abraham van Helsing.
When locals assaulted Dracula, he slaughtered an/or vampirized them.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Recovering Ilsa's grimoire,
Frank and Rachel correctly determined when and where Dracula had
traveled, and they activated the Black Mirror, traveling back to the
late 1890's perhaps a couple days after Dracula's arrival.
"Ad apertus, speculum niger!
Carry us beyond the
gate which time as closed in every hate!
Into that day or into that
night whence Count Dracula has gone from sight
Nos portare!"
(Tomb of Dracula I#5 - BTS) - Emerging from the 19th century mausoleum's Black Mirror, Rachel and Frank freed Taj from the stone coffin.
Having sensed his enemies' arrival via the Black Mirror, Dracula
released his servant Lenore DeCade to attack them. The vampire-hunters
used the shadow of a cross to drive off Lenore, after which they
rescued Abraham van Helsing from Dracula's unexpected assault.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Fleeing his enemies, returning to the mausoleum of the Black Mirror, and joined by Lenore, Dracula spoke the incantation and led Lenore through the Black Mirror back to the present from which he had initially traveled.
Arriving soon thereafter, Frank asked Rachel to recite the incantation so they could follow and destroy Dracula.
(Tomb of Dracula I#6) - Dracula and Lenore emerged through a Black Mirror in the fetid crypt of a ruined chapel somewhere on an English moor, unknowingly observed by Randolph Dering (aka the Moorlands Monster).
Frank, Rachel, and Taj emerged
from the Black Mirror in Ilsa Strangway's manor, thinking they were
shortly behind Dracula, but they were surprised to learn from Whitby
that he had kept watch and Dracula had not emerged from this Mirror; he
suggested Dracula had come out of a different mirror.
They soon learned of vampirized bodies in the Moors and headed there in pursuit of Dracula.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) -
BTS) - Bayan (aka Silver Fox), last of Kaichek's wizard-kings, led a
rebellion against the Shadowqueen.
The Shadowqueen had her agents the
Lords of the Golden Dragon abduct Wong to bring him to Kaichek, hoping
he could lead her to Bayan.
(Doctor Strange II#42 (fb) -
BTS) - The Lords of the Golden Dragon traveled to Earth, presumably via
the Black Mirror. 
Regardless, they took up residence in a large mansion (uninhabited for years) on a hill in the Adirondack Forest Preserve; the Mirror was contained in this mansion.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) - When Dr. Strange's lover/disciple Clea investigated, the Lords captured her as well.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb)) - Clea and Wong were forced through the Black Mirror by the Lords; they emerged in Kaichek, where the Shadowqueen's' warriors took them on a journey to the Shadowqueen.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) - Wong was brought to the Shadowqueen, while Clea was separated from him and taken away by Bayan.
(Doctor Strange II#42) - Tracking Clea to the Adirondack mansion, Dr. Strange was ambushed by the Lords of the Golden Dragon.
Overcoming them, Strange learned their
destination from the sorcerers' books and papers and then traveled
through their Black Mirror and emerged from the Black Mirror in
Kaichek.
In Kaichek, Dr. Strange was reunited with Clea.
(Doctor Strange II#43) - Clea told Strange of their arrival and separation, and Strange greeted Bayan as a friend.
(Doctor Strange II#44 - BTS) - Dr. Strange may have used the Black Mirror to transport himself, Clea, and Wong back to Earth.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2 (fb) - BTS) - At somy point, Voodooienne Marie Laveau acquired the Black Mirror.
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Marie Laveau was unaware that the Black Mirror contained a page of the Darkhold.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2 (fb) -
BTS) - After the Montesi Formula had destroyed Earth's vampires, Laveau
-- whose immortality formula included vampire's blood as an ingredient
-- resolved to use the Black Mirror to obtain vampire blood from the
past.
As the journey was allegedly more
risky for Laveau (presumably due to her powers or her history; or
perhaps she just didn't want to take the risk herself), she chose to
recruit New Orleans native Monica Rambeau, aka Captain Marvel (perhaps
due to her recent encounter with vampires just prior to their
destruction and her ability to use ultraviolet radiation to defend
herself from vampires).
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2) -
Intrigued by the thought of time travel, Monica agreed to aid Laveau;
given the choice of when and where she wanted to go, Monica chose
pre-revolutionary France.
Laveau then sent Monica through
the Black Mirror to 1784 where it was in the possession of sorcerer
Cagliostro.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2) -
Cagliostro sent Monica back through the mirror, and she returned
through Laveau's mirror with the sample of Dracula's blood.
However, as the spell actively
destroyed any vampire tissue present in Earth's dimension, the blood
boiled and exploded.
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Sorcerers Robert and Tina Minoru gained Marie Laveau's trust and then stole from her the Black Mirror (they also apparently did not realize it contained a page of the Darkhold).
The Minorus intended to use the Black Mirror as a means to view the past -- which their Pride teammates Dale and Stacey Yorkes refused to share their own time-traveling methods -- to learn the secrets of the lineage of Clan Minoru
However, when they looked back at their lineage,
what they saw terrified them to no end. 
As a result, they enchanted and locked the Mirror so that none could ever access it for such purposes again; the only thing that could unlock the Mirror was the blood of the last living descendent of Clan Minoru.
The Black Mirror now functioned only as a normal mirror, casting reflections.
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - After the Minorus were apparently slaughtered along with the rest of the Pride by the Gibborim, Marie Laveau reacquired the Black Mirror.(Mystic Arcana: Magik#1 - BTS) - Posing as Oshtur, Chthon enlisted sorcerer Ian
McNee to restore the ancient Egyptian mystic Heka-Nut to save the mystic
realms.
"Oshtur" then instructed McNee to use the First Tarot to gather the Cornerstones of Creation.
(Mystic Arcana: Magik#1/3 (fb) - BTS) - Reading the First Tarot, Ian learned of the four talismans of the Elder Gods, including "a mirror to reflect the dark flames of Chthon."
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/3 - BTS) - As the gathering of the Cornerstones of Creation was necessary to restore the fabric of magic (damaged in the War of the Seven Spheres), the real Oshtur aided Ian in his quest
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/2) - Laveau confronted Nico, showing her and telling her of the Black Mirror and its history with her parents.
Comments: Archie Goodwin, Gene Colan, and Tom Palmer.
What's in a name?
Mirror or Mirrors?
Who is the demon that created the Black Mirror?
Does size matter?
"et nostrum vex" = and our standards
- I suspect this is a literal translation, but more loosely translates as something else?
"Ad apertus, speculum niger!" = To open (or presumably, just "open") black mirror
Nos portare!" = We carry
Elder Gods and Cornerstones of Creation
Some insight courtesy of creator David Sexton:
I discovered the original Cornerstones of Creation on your Appendix website as I was investigating magic in Marvel and the idea of the number 4 as a repeated theme in Marvel. And, of course, the way that Tarot fits into all that.
When I saw the C of C on your site I connected it to Tarot and then the 4 Elder Gods. I knew that Gaea was Earth and Rose fit with her, that the crown was the Serpent Crown, and that the Sword which signifies intellect and the mind was Oshtur.
So then I was like how would a mirror work with Cthon and I realized that the Darkhold was the mirror of Chthon. A reflection of his twisted vision for the world.
In Marvel Tarot, it appears as the Ace of Wands (see image on right--Snood; the Ace of Swords is the Sword of Bone, the Ace of Cups is the Serpent Crown, and the Ace of Pentacles is the Ebon Rose)
In the image of Ian McNee using the Cornerstones of Creation, the Black
Mirror is just a magical construct to symbolize the Mirror.
In my mind, the Darkhold itself is the Cornerstone. Possessing the Last
Chronicle of Chthon / Darkhold page allowed Ian to access the
Darkhold's power (as far as the Cornerstones of Creation is concerned).
The Serpent Crown. The Ebon Rose. The Sword of Bone. and the Darkhold. Those are the four Cornerstones
The Cornerstones of Creation received a mini-profile in the Talismans of Mystic Power of the Mystic Arcana handbook. It stated:After re-re-re-re-reviewing all the stories and speaking to the creator, it seems clear that the Handbook entry offers the best solution...the Cornerstones' reality-altering power changed their nature...or their natures were altered, perhaps by the true Elder Gods...
I will profile the demon realm, Ilsa Strangway, and Lenore DeCade in the hopefully not so distant future.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Black/Dark Mirror may or may not be otherwise connected to:
The (a?) Black Mirror was owned by
the enigmatic mystic Cagliostro and kept in his workshop in Paris,
France circa 1784 AD.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2) <1784 AD> - Sent
through time from the modern era by Marie Laveau, Captain Marvel
(Monica Rambeau)'s emergence surprised Cagliostro, but she soon earned
his trust and assistance.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2 - BTS) - Monica obtained a sample of Dracula's blood for Laveau.
(Marvel Fanfare I#42/2) - Cagliostro sent Monica back through the mirror.
--Marvel Fanfare I#42/2
Note: This mirror, like most, was a large, standing full body mirror with an ornate wooden base and frame.
The Black Mirror in France circa 1784 AD in the
possession of Cagliostro fits in with the single mirror idea.
There were not other mirrors shown to exist elsewhere on Earth at that time.
It is not revealed from whom/where/when Cagliostro obtained the mirror.
As Cagliostro had traveled to Paris in 1784, he presumably either obtained it then or brought it with him.
It is similarly not revealed who received the mirror from Cagliostro.
A magnificent mansion was built deep in the
remote vastness of the Adirondack Forest Preserve in northern New York.
At the time of the story, the mansion had been empty for years for unrevealed reasons.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) -
BTS) - Bayan (aka Silver Fox), last of the wizard-kings of the dimension of Kaichek, led a
rebellion against the corrupt Shadowqueen.
The Lords of the Golden Dragon traveled to Earth, presumably via
the Black Mirror.
Regardless, they took up residence in a large mansion
(uninhabited for years) on a hill in the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) - The Lords captured Wong.
When Dr. Strange's lover/disciple Clea investigated, the Lords captured her as well.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb)) -
Clea and Wong were forced through the Black Mirror by the Lords; they
emerged in Kaichek, where the Shadowqueen's' warriors took them on a
journey to the Shadowqueen.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) - Wong was brought to the Shadowqueen, while Clea was separated from him and taken away by Bayan.
(Doctor Strange II#42) -
Tracking Clea to the Adirondack mansion, Dr. Strange was ambushed by
the Lords of the Golden Dragon. 
Overcoming them, Strange learned their
destination from the sorcerers' books and papers and then traveled
through their Black Mirror and emerged from the Black Mirror in
Kaichek.
(Doctor Strange II#44 - BTS) - After the Shadowqueen's defeat, Dr. Strange may have used the Black Mirror to transport himself, Clea, and Wong back to Earth.
--Dr. Strange II#42
Note: There is nothing to indicate that this is anything other than the Black Mirror involved with the Cornerstones of Creation.
It's slightly different in appearance, with a pair of snake-like decorations at the top, but that could be artistic license, or perhaps the Vung or the Shadowqueen modified the frame somewhat.
Marie Laveau could have obtained
the Mirror, and she would have had it for just under 2 years Marvel
time before sending Captain Marvel back in time.
Laveau's encounter with Nico
Minoru would have taken place another 4 years Marvel time later, with
the Minorus have died about a year early Marvel Time.
The (a?) Black Mirror existed circa 1000 AD in an unidentified Tibetan temple.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) <1000 years ago - see comments> - A black mirror was located in the extradimensional realm Kaichek
Another mirror (or the same mirror existed in each plane) was located in a temple atop a Tibetan hill.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) -
BTS) - Kaichek sorcerer Vung spellcast across the dimensions to find a
warrior-supreme to aid in overthrowing his realm's wizard-kings.
That spell identified and possibly summoned Earth's Tibetan mystic, teacher, healer, and warrior Kan (ancestor of Doctor Strange's servant Wong).
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb)) - Vung apparently shined a light through the Black Mirror in the Tibetan temple.
Upon learning the temple was
reportedly haunted, Kan entered the temple -- which reeked of of
fundamental evil -- which was bare save for the Black Mirror. 
--Doctor Strange II#43
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) <1000 years ago - see comments> - A black mirror was located in the extradimensional realm Kaichek, and another mirror (or the same mirror existed in each plane) was located in a temple atop a Tibetan hill.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) -
BTS) - Kaichek sorcerer Vung spellcast across the dimensions to find a
warrior-supreme to aid in overthrowing his realm's wizard-kings.
That spell identified and possibly summoned Earth's Tibetan mystic, teacher, healer, and warrior Kan (ancestor of Doctor Strange's servant Wong).
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb)) - Vung apparently shined a light through the Black Mirror in the Tibetan temple.
Upon learning the temple was reportedly haunted, Kan entered the temple -- which reeked of of fundamental evil -- which was bare save for the Black Mirror.
Drawn to the mirror, presumably via Vung's magics, Kan was pulled through the mirror and transported to Kaichek and transported to Kaichek to meet Vung, Prince Jehan, and Princess Shialmar.(Doctor Strange II#44 (fb) - BTS) - Vung manipulated Khan, Jehan, and Shialmar to defeat the wizard-kings and then offered them to his N'Garai masters.
However, to save Kan, with whom
she had fallen in love, Shialmar offered up her own soul to the
N'Garai, gaining vast magical power as the Shadowqueen.
The Shadowqueen slew Vung and Jehan.
(Doctor
Strange II#44 (fb)) - Via the Black Mirror, the Shadowqueen sent Kan
back to Earth; projecting her image through the mirror, she bade
farewell.
Despite Kan's insistence she let him help her, the Shadowqueen's image faded.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) -
BTS) - Bayan (aka Silver Fox), last of Kaichek's wizard-kings, led a
rebellion against the Shadowqueen.
The Shadowqueen had her agents the
Lords of the Golden Dragon abduct Wong to bring him to Kaichek, hoping
he could lead her to Bayan.
(Doctor Strange II#42 (fb) -
BTS) - The Lords of the Golden Dragon traveled to Earth, presumably via
the Black Mirror. Regardless, they took up residence in a large mansion
(uninhabited for years) on a hill in the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) - When Dr. Strange's lover/disciple Clea investigated, the Lords captured her as well.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb)) - Clea and Wong were forced through the Black Mirror by the Lords; they emerged in Kaichek, where the Shadowqueen's' warriors took them on a journey to the Shadowqueen.
(Doctor Strange II#43 (fb) - BTS) - Wong was brought to the Shadowqueen, while Clea was separated from him and taken away by Bayan.
(Doctor Strange II#42) -
Tracking Clea to the Adirondack mansion, Dr. Strange was ambushed by
the Lords of the Golden Dragon.
Overcoming them, Strange learned their
destination from the sorcerers' books and papers and then traveled
through their Black Mirror and emerged from the Black Mirror in
Kaichek. There he was reunited with Clea.
(Doctor Strange II#43) - Clea told Strange of their arrival and separation, and Strange greeted Bayan as a friend.
--Doctor Strange II#43
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - The Black Mirror was forged in hellfire by demonic hands (see comments).
(Mystic Arcana: Sister Grimm#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - The Black Mirror contained the final page of the Darkhold (aka the Last Chronicle of Chthon), the mystic tome created by the Elder God Chthon.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)) - A 16th
century sorceress bargained with beings dark and demoniacal, and in
return she received the Mirror, forged in an existence beyond
humanity's and composed of materials mystical and hellish.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb) - BTS) - The mirror was intended to be a gift of the sorceress to one she loved.
--Tomb of Dracula I#4
Note:
Who is the demon?
The demon who created/delivered the Black Mirror to the 16th century sorceress has never been identified.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)) - An unidentified man used the Black Mirror to travel from his century (perhaps the 19th century) to another (perhaps the 17th century).
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)) - Presumably using the Black Mirror without properly targeting another Mirror, the unidentified man emerged in the demon realm, where he was likely slain.
--Tomb of Dracula I#4
Note: We really don't know much about this person.
He looks perhaps English to me, but he could have been from any number of countries.
He looks to have been perhaps from the late 19th century, but he could easily have been from significantly earlier or later.
The fact that he could access the
Mirror would indicate that he knew the incantation, making him a
magic-user.
The fact that he blundered into the demonrealm may have indicated he was a novice, or that he just acted rashly in this instance.
Who is he? How did he get his hands on the (a?) Black Mirror? I'd love to see some back story on him.
The text -- following the Mirror's creation/delivery to the 16th century sorceress and notation that it was intended as a gift to one she loved -- noted that over the centuries the Black Mirror fell into many hands, as it was (they were) valued for its (their) ability to serve as a portal through time.
During that narrative, it shows the man looking at the Black Mirror and then entering it (in the left and right panels, respectively), followed by his emergence in another century (as seen in the sub-profile for his presumed destination, the 17th century).
Later, when Lenore tells that
"unless there is another such mirror in the exact time and place the
traveler means to journey to, he will step into another world, the
world of the mirror's demon-creatures, from which there is no return,"
the same man (apparently) is shown emerging in the realm. The demons
are shown swarming (with one breathing fire), and, while the man's fate
is not shown or specifically spelled out, it is implied that he
perished.
That image is shown here:
Obviously, however, there is a way to return from there, as Dracula did so with Taj Nital....
I see nothing to indicate that this was not the Black Mirror obtained by the 16th century sorceress and/or the one involved with the Cornerstones.
(Tomb of Dracula I#4 (fb)) - An unidentified man used the Black Mirror to travel from his century (perhaps the 19th century) to another (perhaps the 17th century).
--Tomb of Dracula I#4
The text noted that over the centuries the Black Mirror fell into many hands, as it was valued for its ability to serve as a portal through time.
During that narrative, it shows the man looking at the Black Mirror and then entering it, followed by his emergence in another century (as seen in the sub-profile for his presumed destination, the 17th century).
Their outfits made me think 17th century England, but again, could be another country and/or another century.
More interesting to me is, who are they?
And how did they get the (a?) Black Mirror?
We only see one woman, apparently somewhat elderly and using a cane...
...and presumably one man in the buckled shoe...
Were there more than the two shown?
And, what was the interaction with their traveler from the apparent future?
I'd love to see some back story on them.
I see nothing to indicate that this was not the Black Mirror obtained by the 16th century sorceress and/or the one involved with the Cornerstones.
A Black Mirror existed in a Transylvanian mausoleum in the 19th century. Noteworthy is that Dracula mentioned that his own ancestors were buried in this graveyard.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Escaping the demon realm via a Black Mirror, Dracula and Taj Nital emerged in a
Transylvanian mausoleum in the late 1890's, shortly after Abraham van Helsing had
staked Dracula.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5 - BTS) - Trapping
Taj within a stone coffin in the mausoleum, Dracula departed,
vampirizing the young woman Ora and targeting Abraham van Helsing.
When locals assaulted Dracula, he slaughtered an/or vampirized them.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Recovering Ilsa Strangway's grimoire,
Frank and Rachel correctly determined when and where Dracula had
traveled, and they activated the Black Mirror, traveling back to the
late 1890's perhaps a couple days after Dracula's arrival.
"Ad apertus, speculum niger!
Carry us beyond the
gate which time as closed in every hate!
Into that day or into that
night whence Count Dracula has gone from sight
Nos portare!"
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Arriving in the mausoleum, Rachel and Frank freed Taj from the stone coffin.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5 - BTS) - Having sensed his enemies' arrival via the Black Mirror, Dracula
released his servant Lenore DeCade to attack them.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Fleeing his enemies, returning to the mausoleum of the Black Mirror, and joined by Lenore, Dracula spoke the incantation and led Lenore through the Black Mirror back to the present from which he had initially traveled.
Arriving soon thereafter, Frank asked Rachel to recite the incantation so they could follow and destroy Dracula.
(Tomb of Dracula I#6) - Dracula and Lenore emerged through the mirror in the fetid crypt of a ruined chapel somewhere on an English moor, unknowingly observed by Randolph Dering (aka the Moorlands Monster).
Frank, Rachel, and Taj emerged from the Black Mirror in Ilsa Strangway's manor, thinking they were shortly behind Dracula.
--Tomb of Dracula I#5
At least two Black Mirrors existed in the demon realm...one through which beings arrived, and another through which beings could depart (but only if they weren't immediately slain by demons upon arrival).
(Tomb of Dracula I#4) - Pursued by vampire-hunters Frank
Drake and Taj Nital, Dracula fled to the Black Mirror and spoke the
incantation.
The incantation finished with "...et nostrum vex"
As Dracula began to pass through the mirror's portal, however, he was tackled by Taj Nital, and they both passed through the portal.
(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Emerging into the demon
realm, Dracula engaged the demons that assaulted him, initially
invoking Beelzebub and Sathanus, whom he believed they served, to cease
their attacks.
Initially, Dracula redirected the demons to assault Taj, but after considering that he might need human blood to survive in that realm, Dracula rescued Taj and led him across a silvery pathway the demons avoided.
Dracula observed a building upon which corpses burned but did not disintegrate; investigating, Dracula found a mirror through which he pushed Taj before passing through himself.
Dracula and Taj emerged in a
Transylvanian mausoleum in the late 1890's, shortly after Abraham van Helsing had
staked Dracula.
--Tomb of Dracula I#5
The rear view of the mirror can be seen here, including the altar and the being in supine position -(on the back) on the altar, dead/alive/undead or otherwise.
The two Black Mirrors in the demon realm would seem to indicate their being different from each other, but perhaps the Black Mirror in that realm was split, with one functioning for ingress and one for egress.
If you're supposed to emerge in the demon realm if you don't cast the proper spell to travel to another mirror, then why did Dracula and Taj escape the demon realm in the first place?(Tomb of Dracula I#5) - Fleeing his enemies in the 19th century, returning to the mausoleum of the Black Mirror, and joined by Lenore, Dracula spoke the incantation and led Lenore DeCade through the Black Mirror back to the present from which he had initially traveled.
(Tomb of Dracula I#6) - Dracula and Lenore emerged through the mirror in the fetid crypt of a ruined chapel somewhere on an English moor, unknowingly observed by Randolph Dering (aka the Moorlands Monster).
Frank, Rachel, and Taj emerged
from the Black Mirror in Ilsa Strangway's manor, thinking they were
shortly behind Dracula, but they were surprised to learn from Whitby
that he had kept watch and Dracula had not emerged from this Mirror; he
suggested Dracula had come out of a different mirror.
They soon learned of vampirized bodies in the Moors and headed there in pursuit of Dracula.
--Tomb of Dracula I#6
The Moorlands mirror is one specific example of the mirror existing in separate locations within the same dimension/planet at the same time (as are the two Black Mirrors in the demon realm).
Additionally, Dracula and Lenore's
emerging through a different Black Mirror, of which Dracula had no
prior knowledge, is not explained.
If there are truly multiple mirrors as opposed to manifestations of the same mirror, it is unrevealed whether other Mirrors contain a page of the Darkhold or not.
Perhaps the Moorlands mirror is still there...waiting for some writer to use it..
images: (without ads):
Tomb of Dracula I#3, pg. 18, panel 2 (Langston standing in front of mirror);
#4, pg. 9, panel 3 (auction);
panel 6 (16thc bargain);
pg. 10, panel 1 (demon delivers mirror);
panel 2 (male owner);
panel 3 (male owner enters, mostly full);
panel 4 (male owner emerges in the past);
pg. 19, panel 1 (male owner emerging in demon realm);
panel 2 (demons attacking male owner)
#5, pg. 1 (Dracula and Taj struggle as enter mirror);
pg. 2, panel 3 (demonrealm, creatures approach fallen Dracula);
panel 4 (approaching as Dracula stands);
pg. 3 (close on faces of Dracula and demons);
pg. 4, panel 1 (Dracula vs. demons; showing landscape);
panel 3 (cliff structure overlooking silvery pathway);
pg. 6, panel 2 (Drac and Taj on silvery pathway);
panel 3 (temple);
panel 4 (altar & mirror);
pg. 7, panel 1 (entering mirror in demon realm);
pg. 16, panel 4 (19th century mausoleum containing black mirror);
panel 5 (Frank and Rachel emerge through 19th century mausoleum mirror);
#6, pg. 1 (Dracula and Lenore emerging in Moorlands chapel);
Dr. Strange II#42, pg. 9, panel (Adirondack mansion - external);
pg. 10, panel 6 (Adirondack mansion - internal);
pg. 17, panel 2 (Strange entering mirror);
panel 3 (Strange emerging from mirror in Kaichek);
#43, pg. 4, panel 5 (Wong entering mirror);
panel 6 (Wong emerging from mirror in Kaichek);
pg. 16, panel 5 (Tibetan temple);
pg. 17, panel 1 (Kan emerging from mirror in Kaichek);
#44, pg. 10, panel 9 (Shadowqueen image in mirror in Tibet)
Marvel Fanfare I#42/2, pg. 3, panel 4 (Marie showing full length Mirror);
pg. 4, panel 3 (Cagliostro's mirror);
pg. 10, panel 8 (Captain Marvel returning via Cagliostro's mirror);
Mystic Arcana#3, second story, pg. 11, panel 1 (close-up, partial);
pg. 17, panel 4 (full distant);
pg. 19, panel 3 (Minoru ancestor);
pg. 20, panel 1-2 (mirror shattered; Darkhold page folded);
third story, pg. 2 (Darkhold page unfolded);
pg. 4, panel 1 (mirror reformed, with other Cornerstones);
Marvel Tarot#1, pg. 44 (Darkhold/Black Mirror represented as Ace of Wands)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
First posted: 04/10/2020
Last updated: 02/19/2021
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Black Mirror of 
Black Mirror in the 
later 
Demon realm mirrors