Weird Mystery Tales

Weird Mystery Tales

Weird Mystery Tales #1 (July-August 1972).
Art by Michael Kaluta.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
Schedule Bimonthly
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication date July-August 1972–November 1975
Number of issues 24
Main character(s) Dr. E. Leopold Maas
Destiny
Eve
Editor(s) E. Nelson Bridwell, Joe Orlando, Tex Blaisdell

Weird Mystery Tales was a mystery horror anthology published by DC Comics from July-August 1972 to November 1975.

Publication history

The title Weird Mystery Tales was first used for DC 100 Page Super Spectacular #4 in 1971. It reprinted stories from My Greatest Adventure #8, 12, 14, 15, and 20; Sensation Mystery #110 and 116; House of Secrets #2; The Phantom Stranger #1; Tales of the Unexpected #15 and 24; and House of Mystery #49.[1]

The Weird Mystery Tales series was launched in July-August 1972[2] and was originally hosted by Destiny,[3] but was gradually taken over by Eve, who fully assumed the title with issue #15 (December 1974-January 1975). The title's name was partially inspired by the sales success of Weird War Tales and Weird Western Tales.[4] Early issues printed material by Jack Kirby that had been intended for his black-and-white, magazine-size DC comic, Spirit World, which lasted only one issue.[5] These stories featured Dr. E. Leopold Maas as host, sometimes with an appended hosting segment by Destiny.

Weird Mystery Tales contributors in addition to Kirby included Alfredo Alcala, Tony DeZuniga, Michael Kaluta, Howard Purcell, Nestor Redondo, and Bernie Wrightson.

In 1996, DC released a free ashcan edition titled Weird Mystery Tales, with the tagline, "Welcome to the Dark Side of DC"; it was written by Adam Philips and drawn by Anthony Williams.[6]

Collected editions

References

  1. ↑ DC 100-Page Super Spectacular #4 at the Grand Comics Database
  2. ↑ Weird Mystery Tales at the Grand Comics Database
  3. ↑ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. The host that was first presented in a framing sequence by scribe Marv Wolfman and artist Bernie Wrightson would provide endless creative material for Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series decades later.
  4. ↑ Daniels, Les (1995). DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. Bulfinch Press. p. 153. ISBN 0821220764. 'Carmine Infantino and I found out that the word weird sold well.' [editor Joe] Orlando recalls. 'So DC created Weird War and Weird Western.'
  5. ↑ Cooke, Jon B. (December 1996). "Spirit World & Other Weird Mysteries". Jack Kirby Collector (TwoMorrows Publishing) (13). Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ Weird Mystery Tales (ashcan) at the Grand Comics Database

External links