The Unexpected
#189
(January-February 1979)
DC,
1968 Series
- Volume
- 24
- Price
- 1.00 USD
- Pages
- 68
- Indicia Frequency
- bi-monthly
- On-sale Date
- 1978-10-10
- Publisher's Age Guidelines
- Approved by the Comics Code Authority
- Indicia / Colophon Publisher
- DC Comics Inc.
- Brand
-
DC [bullet]
- Barcode
- 0709893070502
- Editing
- Jack C. Harris (editor); Joe Orlando (managing editor)
Issue Notes
On-sale date from Comic Reader #161.
With this issue, the series starts the Dollar Comics giant format with no ads for six issues. This issue permanently subsumes the Witching Hour, House of Secrets, and Doorway to Nightmare series. The hosts/characters for those series are here to introduce their sequences.
The original cover logos for Doorway to Nightmare (DC, 1978 series), The Witching Hour (DC, 1969 series), and House of Secrets (DC, 1956 series) occur on the covers of many Unexpected issues from #189 through #205.
With this issue, the series starts the Dollar Comics giant format with no ads for six issues. This issue permanently subsumes the Witching Hour, House of Secrets, and Doorway to Nightmare series. The hosts/characters for those series are here to introduce their sequences.
The original cover logos for Doorway to Nightmare (DC, 1978 series), The Witching Hour (DC, 1969 series), and House of Secrets (DC, 1956 series) occur on the covers of many Unexpected issues from #189 through #205.
The Haunted Skyscraper
cover / 2 pages
- Script
- ?
- Pencils
- Luis Dominguez (signed as LD [overlapping])
- Inks
- Luis Dominguez (signed as LD [overlapping])
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- Gaspar Saladino ?
- Job Number
- C-784
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Reprints
-
in Horror (BSV - Williams, 1972 series) #107 -
in Terror Tales Album (K. G. Murray, 1977 series) #11 ([October 1979]) [Originally a wraparound cover, only the front is printed on this reprint. Wording changed from “10 Fear-Filled Features” to “12 Fear-Filled Features”. Job number (C-784) deleted.]
-
Indexer Notes
wraparound cover
The Unexpected
Abel; The Three Witches / illustration / 1 page
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Mildred; Mordred; Cynthia; Abel
Indexer Notes
Inside front cover.
The Haunted Skyscraper
comic story / 6 pages
- Job Number
- J-5797
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Jonah Willis; Sally; Bert
- Synopsis
- Jonah has his childhood home placed atop a skyscraper he owns and keeps his wife prisoner there.
- Reprints
- in Horror (BSV - Williams, 1972 series) #107
- in Terror Tales Album (K. G. Murray, 1977 series) #11 ([October 1979]) [Artwork slightly extended on last panel of pp1.]
-
Indexer Notes
The Unexpected
Escape from the Grave
comic story / 7 pages
- Job Number
- J-5693 ?
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Dr. Grimsby; Pete Tupper; Mr. Finch; Alfie; Dr. Ware
- Synopsis
- Pete Tupper fakes his death in an attempt to avoid execution.
- Reprints
- Keywords
- grave robber
Indexer Notes
The Unexpected
Death Was in the Driver's Seat!
comic story / 4 pages
- Job Number
- J-5711
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Harriet Grant; Horace; Rosita Morales
- Synopsis
- Harriet and Horace want to know what is the secret of the red box of Rosita's.
- Reprints
- in Horror (BSV - Williams, 1972 series) #97
- in Haunted Tales (K. G. Murray, 1973 series) #40 ([August 1980])
-
Indexer Notes
The Unexpected
Face of Death
comic story / 4 pages
- Job Number
- J-5697
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Arnold Bryant; Maria Delgato; Dr. Juan Aleman
- Synopsis
- Arnold Bryant is tricked into plastic surgery to make him look like the dictator of a Latin American country.
- Reprints
- Keywords
- plastic surgery
Indexer Notes
The Unexpected
Feeble Fables
cartoon / 1 page
- Script
- Dave Manak (signed)
- Pencils
- Dave Manak (signed)
- Inks
- Dave Manak (signed)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- Dave Manak ?
- Job Number
- J-5548
- Genre
- humor
- Reprints
The Witching Hour
The Three Witches / cartoon / 1 page
- Job Number
- J-5804
- Genre
- humor; horror-suspense
- Characters
- Mildred; Mordred; Cynthia
- Synopsis
- The witches stop and ask a man for the time.
- Reprints
Killer Pack
The Three Witches / comic story / 5 pages
- Job Number
- J-5796
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Mordred (host); Colin Canis; George Harlow; Mrs. Harlow
- Synopsis
- Colin Canis trains his dogs to attack the man who got him fired from his job.
- Reprints
Indexer Notes
Witching Hour
Cruise of Corpses
The Three Witches / comic story / 7 pages
- Script
- George Kashdan
- Pencils
- Jerry Grandenetti
- Inks
- Jerry Grandenetti
- Colors
- Tatjana Wood
- Letters
- Karin Kish (credited as Karin)
- Job Number
- J-5739
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Cynthia (host); Brad; Rita; Crile; Eric Halston; Diane Halston
- Synopsis
- Eric Halston plans his revenge against the three people he believe killed his wife with witchcraft.
- Keywords
- radiation poisoning; witchcraft
Indexer Notes
Witching Hour
The Killing Machine
The Three Witches / comic story / 8 pages
- Script
- George Kashdan
- Pencils
- Nardo Cruz (credited as Nards Cruz)
- Inks
- Noly Panaligan
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- Esphid Mahilum (credited as Mahilum)
- Job Number
- J-5763?
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Mildred (host); Bert; Elaine; Mr. Ezeel; Felix
- Synopsis
- Mr. Ezeel challenges four gamblers to a pinball contest.
- Reprints
- in Weird Mysteries (K. G. Murray, 1980 series) #46 ([March 1981])
-
- Keywords
- gambling; pinball machine
Indexer Notes
Witching Hour
[no title indexed]
Abel's Fables / cartoon / 1 page
- Script
- Dave Manak (signed)
- Pencils
- Dave Manak (signed)
- Inks
- Dave Manak (signed)
- Colors
- ?
- Letters
- Dave Manak ?
- Job Number
- J-5516
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- Now!! Throw the switch Igor...
- Genre
- humor; horror-suspense
- Reprints
- in Terror Tales Album (K. G. Murray, 1977 series) #15 ([October-November 1981])
-
[no title indexed]
Abel / foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page
- First Line of Dialogue or Text
- O-oh... Hello, fear fanatics...
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Abel
- Reprints
- in Horror (BSV - Williams, 1972 series) #107
-
in Sueurs Froides (Arédit-Artima, 1982 series) #1 (1er trimestre 1982)
-
A Deadly Game
Abel / comic story / 3 pages
- Job Number
- J-5707
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Abel (host); Luke Haney; Bert Clemens
- Synopsis
- Luke Haney pulls one to many practical jokes.
- Reprints
- in Horror (BSV - Williams, 1972 series) #107
- in Terror Tales Album (K. G. Murray, 1977 series) #12 ([January 1980]) [Illustration of Abel (host) removed from pp1.]
- in Sueurs Froides (Arédit-Artima, 1982 series) #1 (1er trimestre 1982)
-
The Revenge of the Toymaker
Abel / comic story / 8 pages
- Script
- Murray Boltinoff; John Albano; Coville (idea)
- Pencils
- John Albano
- Inks
- Bill Draut
- Colors
- Jerry Serpe
- Letters
- ?
- Job Number
- J-2052
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Abel (host); Alberto the Toymaker; Emperor Shal-Fizah; Raschid
- Synopsis
- The evil Emperor first kills Alberto's son, then Alberto himself, but Alberto's toys get their revenge.
- Reprints
- in Horror (BSV - Williams, 1972 series) #107
- in Haunted Tales (K. G. Murray, 1973 series) #38 ([February 1980])
- in Sueurs Froides (Arédit-Artima, 1982 series) #1 (1er trimestre 1982)
-
- Keywords
- Turkey
Dead Man's Eyes!
Abel / comic story / 8 pages
- Job Number
- J-3898
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Characters
- Abel (host); Frank Bronson; Ed Macy; Madam Zara; Myra
- Synopsis
- Frank Bronson consults a fortune teller to advise him on the best time to move against a rival crime boss.
- Reprints
- in Terror Tales Album (K. G. Murray, 1977 series) #13 ([April 1980]) [Two illustrations of Abel (host) removed from pp1.]
- in Sueurs Froides (Arédit-Artima, 1982 series) #1 (1er trimestre 1982)
-
in The Steve Ditko Omnibus (DC, 2011 series) #1 ([October] 2011)
-
- Keywords
- blindness; crime boss; fortune teller; witch
[no title indexed]
Unexpected Mail / letters page / 1 page
- Job Number
- B4079
Indexer Notes
Inside back cover. Features stories on the supernatural; no letters.
Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
-
0.
The Haunted Skyscraper
-
1.
The Unexpected
Abel; The Three Witches -
2.
The Haunted Skyscraper
-
3.
Escape from the Grave
-
4.
Death Was in the Driver's Seat!
-
5.
Face of Death
-
6.
Feeble Fables
-
7.
The Witching Hour
The Three Witches -
8.
Killer Pack
The Three Witches -
9.
Cruise of Corpses
The Three Witches -
10.
The Killing Machine
The Three Witches -
11.
["Now!! Throw the switch Igor..."]
Abel's Fables -
12.
["O-oh... Hello, fear fanatics..."]
Abel -
13.
A Deadly Game
Abel -
14.
The Revenge of the Toymaker
Abel -
15.
Dead Man's Eyes!
Abel -
16.
[no title indexed]
Unexpected Mail
This issue was modified by, among others
- Nick Caputo
- Peter Croome
- CTGarry
- Gregory Fischer
- Bob Hughes
- Mike Nielsen
- Jim Van Dore
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