BEN GAVIN

Real Name: Ben Gavin

Identity/Class: Human magic user (1950s era)

Occupation: Glass-maker

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Fifi

Enemies: Mr. Arnold

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Squirt", "a two-bit glass-maker" (as called by Mr. Arnold)

Base of Operations: His workshop in an unidentified American city

First Appearance: Suspense#27/5 (February, 1953)

Powers/Abilities: The short and homely Ben Gavin was a professional glass-maker who specialized in manufacturing distorting mirrors (i.e. "fun-house" mirrors); he was also skilled at translating Egyptian hieroglyphics.

In an act of revenge, Gavin apparently used magic to make a distorting mirror which caused a viewer's body to take on the monstrous shape of its reflection (see comments).

Height: 5' 4" (by approximation)
Weight: 130 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History:
(Suspense#27/5 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Ben Gavin is largely unrevealed, but he became a professional glass-maker who specialized in producing mirrors. Under unrevealed circumstances, he translated the hieroglyphics on the pyramids of Egypt and discovered a formula for making a mirror, but he was afraid to use it.

   Gavin's services were eventually employed by circus-owner Mr. Arnold, and he supplied distorting looking-glasses for the circus' Hall of Mirrors.

(Suspense#27/5) - While installing some mirrors at the circus, Gavin paused to speak to circus-performer Fifi--this drew the jealous ire of Arnold, who ordered Fifi to get back to work; Arnold then got into a heated argument with Gavin and openly insulted him.

   Gavin still owed him one more mirror, so Arnold angrily told him that he would be terminating their business relationship after he delivered it; Arnold demanded that the last mirror had to be something different, and Gavin--greatly offended by Arnold's insulting remarks--assured him it would be very different.

   Gavin left the circus, and on his way home, he was consumed with anger and the desire for revenge--he decided that now would be the perfect occasion to finally use the Egyptian formula.

   In his workshop, Gavin began the process of building the mirror--he first consulted a book with the formula, then mixed a chemical concoction, poured it into a mold, and baked it at the hottest possible temperature in his furnace.

   Several days later, when the mirror was completed, Gavin carefully packed it in a crate and delivered it to the circus; he met Arnold at the Hall of Mirrors, and as he uncrated it, Gavin told the circus-owner that this looking-glass was special, because although it looked like an ordinary mirror--with no curved surfaces, but completely flat--yet it would show a monstrous image in its reflection.

   Gavin unveiled the mirror and had Arnold look into it--the circus-owner was indeed shocked by the ugly and dwarfish image he saw of himself in the mirror...but Arnold was even more horrified when he realized that his body had transformed into his distorted reflection!

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Dick Briefer (artist)

This 5-page story--Hall of Mirrors--never explained exactly how Gavin's distorting mirror worked, and I'm only assuming some form of magic was at work--since he got the formula for it from Egyptian hieroglyphics, perhaps Shamaz or the Egyptian gods were somehow involved.

Profile by Ron Fredricks.







CLARIFICATIONS:
Ben Gavin has no known connections to:

Ben Gavin's mirror has no known connections to:

Mr. Arnold has no known connections to:

Fifi has no known connections to:

Ben Gavin's mirror

Using an ancient Egyptian formula, Gavin built this mirror to get revenge on the obnoxious Mr. Arnold.

Unlike the other "funhouse mirrors" Gavin usually made, this mirror had no curved surfaces, for its surface was completely flat.

When Mr. Arnold looked into the mirror, he was shocked by the grotesque and dwarfish reflection he saw of himself...but he was horrified when he saw that his own body had taken the appearance of his hideous reflection.

--Suspense#27/5

Mr. Arnold

The obnoxious Mr. Arnold (first name unrevealed) was the owner of a circus, and he considered Fifi to be his "gal".

Arnold hired the short and homely Ben Gavin to supply distorting mirrors for his circus' Hall of Mirrors; but Arnold became jealous when he saw Gavin speaking with Fifi.

After getting into an argument with Gavin, Arnold terminated their business relationship; but Gavin still owed him one last mirror, and Arnold demanded that it be something different--greatly angered by Arnold's insulting remarks, Gavin assured him the last mirror would be very different.

Several days later, Gavin returned with the last mirror; when Arnold looked into it, he saw a grotesque and dwarfish reflection of himself... but he was horrified to find that his body had taken on the appearance of his hideous reflection.

--Suspense#27/5

Fifi

Fifi (last name unrevealed) was one of the performers at Mr. Arnold's circus, where she was a snake-charmer (see comment); Arnold considered her to be his "gal".

When Ben Gavin came to install some mirrors in the circus' Hall of Mirrors, Fifi went to speak with him; but this drew the ire of the jealous Arnold, who ordered Fifi to leave and work on her act.

(Comment: I'm only assuming Fifi was a snake-charmer, but considering what she has wrapped around her, I suppose it's a good bet...)

--Suspense#27/5

images: (without ads)
Suspense#27/5, p4, pan4 (Main Image - Ben Gavin in his workshop)
Suspense#27/5, p2, pan1 (Headshot - Ben Gavin)
Suspense#27/5, p3, pan5 (Ben Gavin reading formula for making a mirror)
Suspense#27/5, p3, pan6 (Ben Gavin mixing chemicals for mirror)
Suspense#27/5, p4, pan1 (Ben Gavin pours chemicals for mirror into mold)
Suspense#27/5, p4, pan5 (Ben Gavin finishes work on mirror)
Suspense#27/5, p5, pan6 (Mr. Arnold's reflection in mirror; Ben Gavin (right))
Suspense#27/5, p1, pan3 (Mr. Arnold (left) insults Ben Gavin)
Suspense#27/5, p3, pan1 (Mr. Arnold yelling at Ben Gavin)
Suspense#27/5, p5, pan7 (Mr. Arnold, transformed into his distorted mirror reflection; Ben Gavin and (probably) Fifi (background))
Suspense#27/5, p1, pan1 (Fifi with snake)
Suspense#27/5, p1, pan2 (Fifi)

Appearances:
Suspense#27/5 (February, 1953) - unidentified writer, Dick Briefer (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First Posted: 04/15/2020
Last updated: 04/15/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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