Dampyr #105 (2008) pages 40-41: Restraints? How kinky! (NSFW)

Sonderling hopes that Tess O'Day is a sincere fan of his art but fears she may be a spy:

“I lean, alas, toward the second hypothesis. Tie Miss O'Day up with your hair, Druj. That way we can interrogate her at our leisure.”

“With pleasure!”

“A fascinating erotic game? Why not? And here are my wrists!”

“I appreciate your delicacy in tying her up, Druj. After all, the young lady claims to appreciate my art.”

“But I… I didn't mean to just tie her wrists. There's a strength in her that repels me. Don't trust her, Sonderling.”

“A figure model, jealously protecting her painter. How romantic! Were you the one who posed for this pretty hag's painting?”

“Hisss!”

“Enough, Druj. Take her to the Sabbath. I'll go first. Now you'll discover how you can travel in my paintings, Miss O'Day. And I hope, for your sake, that you are what you say you are.”

(Tess considers the plaque beneath the skull-headed self-portrait of Sonderling.) “'The artist and his destiny in the mirror.' But no, Gerolamo. You have escaped from that fate of death. Let's say you've frozen yourself forever in your self-portrait.”

They enter the Witches' Sabbath painting where Kurjak is being tortured. Druj speaks: “Enough nonsense. Sonderling wants to invite you to the Sabbath, my dear. Come with me! Do you like it? Soon, I hope, you will share that man's fate.”

Tess O'Day continues to confuse the villains with her gushing commentary. They're used to getting their way through intimidation as much as through violence, and they don't know what to do with her blasé response. They probably don't get a lot of compliments either, which lowers their guard.

Artist Michele Cropera does an interesting trick with the art on panels 2-4 of page 40. He rendered the fine wisps of Lady Druj's hair in black-on-white, then digitally reversed the colors to achieve fine white lines against a black background. See additional images for the published results. The caption beneath the painting on page 41, panel 2 was also digitally enlarged.