Killing (comics)
Killing is an Italian photo comic series about a vicious criminal, the title character. It has been published intermittently since the 1960s under various titles.
Synopsis
Killing is a vicious criminal, totally without mercy and portrayed throughout the series without credit by Aldo Agliata. Wearing a black and white costume styled on a human skeleton, he slaughters other criminals unrepentantly, often stealing their once-stolen loot. He crafts masks from a flesh-like substance to imitate his victims. Killing's methods are brutal and sadistic, and the lurid covers and stories often feature him attacking, torturing, and murdering scantily clad women.Supporting characters include Killing's lover Dana, the only person who has seen him unmasked, and Inspector Mercier, a determined police officer who always just misses catching and detaining Killing for his crimes. The series also featured a rotating troupe of actors who also appeared in many European spaghetti westerns, spy films, sword and sandal, giallo and exploitation films of the era.
The character of Killing was inspired by several previous characters from French and Italian pulp fiction, including Fantômas, Diabolik, and especially Kriminal. Killing's books, however, were far more violent and sexually explicit than those of his predecessors.