Mysterious Adventures #23
In "The Man Who Beat the Devil," a desperate man strikes a bargain with the Devil, trading his soul for wealth—on the condition he can only die by drowning. Twenty years later, the Devil arrives to claim him, but the man believes he’s outsmarted fate by fleeing to Death Valley, the driest place on Earth. Cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, this 1954 tale from Mysterious Adventures #23 delivers a chilling twist rooted in an ancient legend, where even the most clever escape can be undone by a single, fateful act.
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A down and out man makes a deal with the Devil. By selling his soul he will became super rich. After 20 years his soul will belong to the Devil. The man manages to create a clause that he can only die by drowning. After 20 years, the Devil comes to collect. The man flees to Death Valley, the driest place on Earth where he can't possibly drown. But the Devil still gets his due by causing torrential rain when his cloak is removed fulfilling an old Indian legend about the "Cloak of Storm".
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).