([October] 2012)
DC,
2012 Series
Published in English
(United States)
- Volume
- 1
- Price
- 19.99 USD; 22.99 CAD
- Pages
- 516
- On-sale Date
- 2012-08-29
- Indicia / Colophon Publisher
- DC Comics
- Brand
-
DC [peel]
- ISBN
-
978-1-4012-3520-8
- Barcode
- 9781401235208 51999
- Editing
- Rowena Yow (collection editor)
- Color
- color cover; black & white interior
- Dimensions
- standard Modern Age US
- Paper Stock
- cardstock cover; newsprint interior
- Binding
- squarebound; trade paperback
- Publishing Format
- collected edition
Issue Notes
Reprints stories from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #1-20.
[no title indexed]
cover / 1 page
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #17 (September 1957)
-
Showcase Presents Tales of the Unexpected
credits, title page / 1 page
- Letters
- typeset
Indexer Notes
Title page with company credits and indicia information.
[Tales of the Unexpected #1]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #1 (February-March 1956)
-
The "Out-of-the-World Club"
comic story / 6 pages
- Script
- ?
- Pencils
- John Prentice (signed as J. P.)
- Inks
- John Prentice (signed as J. P.)
- Letters
- ?
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Ross Rand discovers that the musicians at the new jazz club really are "out of this world."
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #1 (February-March 1956)
-
Indexer Notes
Contents pages lists title as "The Out-of-World Club". First panel of story does have "The Out-of-the-World Club" for the title.
The Dream Lamp
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Cyrus Perkins experiences his adventures through the help of a "dream lamp."
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #1 (February-March 1956)
-
Indexer Notes
Contents page credits John Prentice as artist.
The Secret of Cell Sixteen
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery; historical
- Synopsis
- Charles Duval searches for the one way out of his cell.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #1 (February-March 1956)
-
The Cartoon That Came to Life
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- An alien creature uses cartoonist Don Doyle and his comic strip to prepare an invasion of Earth.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #1 (February-March 1956)
-
Indexer Notes
Otto Binder credit from original index.
[Tales of the Unexpected #2]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #2 (April-May 1956)
-
The Magic Hats of M'sieu La Farge
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- M'sieu La Farge's hats have the ability to change men's lives by giving them the personality of the first owners.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #2 (April-May 1956)
-
The Fastest Man Alive
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- adventure
- Synopsis
- Adam Jessup and Clyde Baird compete to be the faster throughout their lives.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #2 (April-May 1956)
-
The Record of Doom
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- drama
- Synopsis
- Jack Marshall creates a sensation with the new single, "Blue Monday."
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #2 (April-May 1956)
-
The Gorilla Who Saved the World
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Professor Jonas Star pretends to swap his mind with his gorilla's to avoid being kidnapped by aliens.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #2 (April-May 1956)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #3]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #3 (June-July 1956)
-
The Highway to Tomorrow
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery; science fiction
- Synopsis
- A futuristic highway project is sabotaged by a man posing as a Native American shaman.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #3 (June-July 1956)
-
The Man Nobody Could See!
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A man discovers the formula to invisibility and uses it to make himself wealthy, but he misplaces the antidote. In order to become visible again, he must turn himself over to the police.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #3 (June-July 1956)
-
Indexer Notes
We formerly credited the inks to Mort Meskin.
I Lost My Past
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Paul Martin returns to his home town but finds that none of his old friends remember him. But it is all part of a plot to restore his memory of a Nazi formula.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #3 (June-July 1956)
-
The Man with 100 Wigs
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- A man steals a trunk of wigs that give the wearer the abilities of the people the wigs represent.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #3 (June-July 1956)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #4]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #4 (August 1956)
-
Seven Steps to the Unknown
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Zara seems to psychically know who the next target of a madman will be, but there is a logic to the attacks and rational explanation. You just have to know what it is, as Zara did.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #4 (August 1956)
-
The Day I Broke All Records
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- An athlete performs several amazing feats after he takes a mythological elixir, but he's not sure whether he actually performed the feats or, if he did, if the elixir was the reason.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #4 (August 1956)
-
The Flowers of Sorcery
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Painter Anton poisons Maria's lovers. To get him to confess, the police make him believe he killed Maria, but that a sorcerer can bring her back to life.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #4 (August 1956)
-
The House Where Dreams Came True
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- The dreams of the girls who live in Mrs. Moore's boarding house all have their dreams come true. All she asks in return is a lock of their hair to remember them by.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #4 (August 1956)
-
Indexer Notes
Contents page lists this as "The House Where Dreams Come True".
First story panel has title as "The House Where Dreams Came True".
[Tales of the Unexpected #5]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #5 (September 1956)
-
The Man Who Laughed at Locks
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Inventor Carl Farr "haunts" his friend and rival Emmet Durham to coerce a confession.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #5 (September 1956)
-
I Was Bewitched for a Day
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Henry believes that a strange little man has granted his wish to change his life, but it's just a prank played by his wife and a hidden camera TV show.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #5 (September 1956)
-
The Living Paintings
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Art expert Mr. Martin tells how he once used gimmicked paintings to produce a confession.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #5 (September 1956)
-
The Second Life of Geoffrey Hawkes
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- History repeats itself as mysterious actor George Hale plays Geoffrey Hawkes, but was Hale really Hawkes returned from the dead?
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #5 (September 1956)
-
Indexer Notes
Contents page credits Script to Jack Miller.
[Tales of the Unexpected #6]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #6 (October 1956)
-
The Telecast from the Future
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- After trying to fix it, TV producer Wilbur Miles has a monitor that sees across time and into the future.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #6 (October 1956)
-
Dial M for Magic
comic story / 5 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- A man petitions to join a magicians' club, but since he won't reveal just one of his tricks, it refuses entry to the greatest magician of all, Merlin.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #6 (October 1956)
-
The Forbidden Flowers
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Tom Halsey's flowers change color to match the mood of the person nearest, making a guilty man confess.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #6 (October 1956)
-
The Girl in the Bottle
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- People floating ashore in bottles may appear to be a supernatural occurrence, but it is only a sneaky way to smuggle foreigners into the U.S.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #6 (October 1956)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #7]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #7 (November 1956)
-
The Pen That Never Lied!
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- A magic quill pen only produces the truth, no matter what its user writes.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #7 (November 1956)
-
Beware, I Can Read Your Mind
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Synopsis
- As a child strange radiation gives Johnny Carter the ability to read minds, but a lifetime of hearing other people's thoughts is driving him mad.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #7 (November 1956)
-
The Forbidden Wish
comic story / 4 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Synopsis
- Cal Colby finds a Native American talisman that grants him whatever he wishes for, but warns him not to wish for immortality
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #7 (November 1956)
-
The Face in the Clock
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Synopsis
- Bart Crane can't escape the face appearing in timepieces that keeps announcing the time of his death because it belongs to Father Time.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #7 (November 1956)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #8]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #8 (December 1956)
-
The Man Who Stole a Genie
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Roger Hackett steals a statuette his compatriot Martin found that looks like a common trinket, but summons a genie. After proving the power of the statue true, Hackett prepares to head to a new life of wealth, but his native assistant breaks the statue while cleaning.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #8 (December 1956)
-
The Secret of the Elephant's Tusk
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Synopsis
- Noonan extorts the families of people paralyzed by contact with the ivory of a sacred elephant for money to kill the animal. A shaman sees what Noonan has done and curses him with death by ivory.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #8 (December 1956)
-
The Four Seeds of Destiny!
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Synopsis
- Ted Hall pilfers four seeds reputed to separately bring wealth, talent, beauty, and death from an Egyptian tomb. The first seeds apparently bring wealth, talent, and beauty, so Hall throws away the fourth seed, but he has misinterpreted the results of the first three seeds.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #8 (December 1956)
-
The Camera That Could Rob
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Synopsis
- A scientist creates a camera that produces three-dimensional versions of the items photographed. The scientist's neighbor Adam Hale sees the potential in the camera and steals it, killing the scientist in the process. Hale uses the camera, realizing that what he plucks from the pictures is actually taken from the subjects of the photos and that he has drawn the attention of the police. To hide from the authorities, he photographs himself, to hide in the film until a local boy releases him later. But the scientist's cat knocks over the camera and the film is exposed and ruined.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #8 (December 1956)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #9]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #9 (January 1957)
-
The Amazing Cube!
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Harvey Hacker meets a fellow gambler who has made his own dice from a meteor and with which he cannot lose. Following him, Hacker is able to snatch one when the other gambler crashes his car outside an atomic station. Planning to analyze the cube later, Hacker finds that it is apparently getting larger and larger through the night, nearly crushing him in his own house. But when scientists arrive from the atomic station, Hacker realizes it is he and his house that have been shrinking due to the combination of the radiation and meteor the cube was made of.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #9 (January 1957)
-
Indexer Notes
Script credit from the index for the World's Finest Comics issue reprinting this story.
The Carbon Copy Man
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Frank Dorne has been faking teleportation with the help of his twin brother George, whose existence is unknown to the outside world since the brothers were brought up in separate orphanages. When a trick goes wrong and George is killed, Frank figures the gig is over until it appears that George has fulfilled his part of the act once again. Investigating, Frank is fatally wounded, but not before being meeting a third brother -- triplets all separated at birth -- who was trying to join in the scam.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #9 (January 1957)
-
The Day Nobody Died
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Dr. Jim Morgan is worried about performing his first surgery, but he notices an odd man about who seems to be able to ensure no one dies. He tries to get him to his surgery the next day, but Death's vacation is over.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #9 (January 1957)
-
The Man Who Ate Fire
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Tommy Briggs discovers that Edward Hermes is really an alien from Mercury and sent to Earth to prepare an invasion, but Tommy and his father alert the authorities and prevent it, with the help of the Statue of Liberty.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #9 (January 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #10]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #10 (February 1957)
-
The Strangest Show on Earth
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A failing circus takes on bizarre new acts billing themselves as the Martian Circus. Though they pretend to be faking their alien acts, they are real Martians on Earth to smoke out a Martian criminal.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #10 (February 1957)
-
The Phantom Mariner
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- When Bruce Blake witnesses three captains going down with their ships in identical ways he begins to wonder about a connection. But when he sees one breathing underwater, and thinks about all three captains' initials, he realizes he might have been dealing with Davy Jones himself.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #10 (February 1957)
-
The Duplicate Man
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense; science fiction
- Synopsis
- Orry Conn kills the inventor of a duplicating machine and creates a duplicate of himself to take the rap. But later he realizes that whatever happens to the original or the duplicate happens to the other, and, unfortunately for him, his duplicate is sentenced to die!
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #10 (February 1957)
-
I Was Slave to the Wizard's Lamp
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Emmet Mason purchases a lamp accompanied by a legend that the owner must keep it lit for ten years or be cursed with death. Mason protects the lamp at all costs until it is destroyed in a fire and a blue ruby found inside. The curse was a cover for the stolen gem, everyone is certain, except for Mason, who still wonders about the curse.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #10 (February 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #11]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #11 (March 1957)
-
Who Am I?
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A man with amnesia is forced to steal against his will by a disembodied head. He is a robot, and the head belongs to his creator. When the police trail the robot home, the scientist tries to escape, but he and the robot end up falling to their deaths.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #11 (March 1957)
-
I Was a Man From the Future
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Blake travels back in time through a crevice in a mountain side where he frees a good man and falls in love with a beautiful girl. To protect his new friends he returns to the present for a weapon, but when he tries to rejoin them the crevice is gone and he is stuck in the present.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #11 (March 1957)
-
The Ghost of Hollywood
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Miles Turner makes a deal with a ghost to help him create realistic special effects for a film. But when he is forced to break the deal, through no fault of his own, the ghost ruins the film.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #11 (March 1957)
-
The Man Who Hated Green
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- The paintings of Jean Malreaux put their owners into comas. Hector Abbott notices the paintings lack the color green and deduces that the painter is an impostor with an aversion to the color green, striking out at people associated with that color.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #11 (March 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #12]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #12 (April 1957)
-
The Four Threads of Doom
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Synopsis
- Four convicts on their way to death row escape but are re-captured as destined by the threads woven by the three Fates of ancient Greek myth.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #12 (April 1957)
-
The Witch's Statues
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Wygand Cornish fakes the deaths of valuable animals, creates statues of the animals for their owners, then replaces the statues with the real things in order to collect money from the grateful owners. But his plot is discovered when he makes a statue not quite as accurate as it needed to be.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #12 (April 1957)
-
The All-Seeing Eye
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- A newspaperman inherits the "all-seeing eye" which allows him to make all kinds of scoops. But when criminals try to steal it from him, he uses it to alert the police and decides it is too dangerous to keep.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #12 (April 1957)
-
The Indestructible Man
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- A man is safe from all harm and can commit any crime as long as he wears a special glove covering his vulnerable spot. But when he dips his hand in what he thinks is ink, but is really poison, he is struck dead.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #12 (April 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #13]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #13 (May 1957)
-
Weapons of Destiny
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- A man with no memory is compelled to steal three weapons, but he doesn't know why. When he sees Professor Desmond on television, he senses he can solve the mystery. And he does, by telling the man he is artist Ted Thorn and he is to draw those weapons for the professor's latest book.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #13 (May 1957)
-
Indexer Notes
Script credit from the index for the World's Finest Comics issue reprinting this story. Verification needed as to whether Binder is credited in that reprint.
The Thing from the Skies
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Rupert Corbin sees a small spaceship land, but is told by its inventor that it is only a mechanical prop. Corbin figures he can make money to pay back his gambling debts from pictures of the craft anyway, and kills Professor Lucas to do it. But Corbin is visited by small space travelers who reveal that Lucas was their contact on Earth and they take him home to their planet to face justice.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #13 (May 1957)
-
Second Warning!
comic story / 4 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural; war
- Synopsis
- Pete Newell returns to the battlefields of World War II where he is saved from angry locals by ghostly help.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #13 (May 1957)
-
I Was a Prisoner of the Supernatural
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- horror-suspense
- Synopsis
- Jasper Murdock, an actor playing the role of Mephistopheles, agrees to a deal with the Devil, but refuses to fulfill the contract and is rewarded.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #13 (May 1957)
-
The Face Behind the Mask
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Jay Hamilton woos an actress who spends each night with her face covered in bandages. She claims to be 300 years old and to have a magic potion that keeps her young for a short period of time. Since she has run out of the potion, Jay and his father accompany her to meet the sorcerer who sells her the elixir, but Zoe Ann admits it's all a scam and the men turn the "sorcerer" over to the police.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #13 (May 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #14]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #14 (June 1957)
-
The Forbidden Game
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- A sorcerer gives Alex Denton unlimited power as long as he never rides in a vehicle of a certain color, but the sorcerer refuses to say which color. Denton tricks the sorcerer into revealing the color, but then is in accident that leaves him color blind and he accidentally enters a car of the forbidden shade.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #14 (June 1957)
-
Cry, Clown, Cry
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Tom Grayson follows his father into the family business as a circus clown, though the family line is subject to an ancient curse. But Tom finally breaks the curse by learning to laugh at himself.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #14 (June 1957)
-
The Man Who Owned King Arthur's Sword
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Criminals use a phony sword of King Arthur to defraud the public, but when one of the criminals kills his partner and then loses the sword in the ocean he must dive for it. Below he finds the real sword of King Arthur, but it severs his air hose and he dies too.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #14 (June 1957)
-
The Green Gorilla
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- A blackmailer is pursued by a green gorilla only he can see or hear thanks to the mystical Tibetan statue he extorts from one of his victims.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #14 (June 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #15]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #15 (July 1957)
-
Three Wishes to Doom
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- detective-mystery
- Synopsis
- Inmates Ram Crowder and Silky Martin find a magical lamp which grants them three wishes, including freedom, though not riches. But Ram is OK with that because he stashed the stolen money from his last job...which is Silky's cue to reveal this was all a sting to get Ram to reveal the location of the money.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #15 (July 1957)
-
The Sinister Cannon
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Men are compelled to create a cannon for a being claiming to be a moon-dweller, supposedly to send him back to the moon, but the moon-dweller is really a mole-man and the cannon is to send him back into the Earth. Once accomplished the men seal the hole in the ground so he can't return.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #15 (July 1957)
-
The Rainbow Man
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Dr. Hargate discovers how chameleons change color and gives himself the same abilities in order to commit crimes. But he doesn't realize he has a color-blind neighbor who can spot him.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #15 (July 1957)
-
The City of Three Dooms
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A Nazi sub travels through time to three different eras, but decides it would be better for them if they just turned themselves in in the present.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #15 (July 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #16]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #16 (August 1957)
-
The Magic Hammer
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Gerald Bard finds Thor's hammer and uses it as a rainmaker, but Thor arrives to retrieve it.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #16 (August 1957)
-
I Was a Spy for Them
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Aliens use a scientist to do research on Earth for them before their invasion, but they don't count on him having a secret weapon to stop them.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #16 (August 1957)
-
The Exile from Earth
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Kirk Randall uses an ancient Egyptian ring to makes himself invulnerable -- as long as he doesn't touch the ground -- to commit a string of robberies, but he falls onto a roof garden and is caught.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #16 (August 1957)
-
The Interplantary Line-Up
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A detective searches a science-fiction writers' masquerade ball for an alien. After several mistakes, he finally spots the tell-tale clue giving the alien away.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #16 (August 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #17]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Pencils
- Ruben Moreira; Jack Adler (washes)
- Inks
- Ruben Moreira
- Letters
- ?
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #17 (September 1957)
-
Who Is Mr. Ashtar?
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A hotel detective helps a man from the future get a picture of blueprints of a weapon necessary to repel a Martian invasion in 2957.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #17 (September 1957)
-
Beware the Thinking Cap
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- fantasy-supernatural
- Synopsis
- Johnny Manton steals a cap from a museum reputed to give its wearer great intelligence, but Manton doesn't know that the cap only allows itself to be used for good.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #17 (September 1957)
-
The Bullet Man
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Due to a mixture of elements from a meteorite and scrap metal from an atomic research lab in his ID tag, inmate Chick Durant is able to leave his cell for 25 minutes at a time. But Durant is stuck on an uncharted island when he reshapes his tag, altering the mixture.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #17 (September 1957)
-
The Impossible Voyage
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- As a prank, aliens take people lining up for a new amusement ride on a real ride through the solar system.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #17 (September 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #18]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #18 (October 1957)
-
The Man Without a World
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Howard Chase accepts the opportunity to leave Earth forever offered by aliens, but he eventually becomes homesick. The aliens insist he keep his part of the bargain until he saves the life of one of them.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #18 (October 1957)
-
The Riddle of the Glass Bubble
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A bomb meant for another planet will destroy Earth in 12 days unless someone finds a way to deactivate it. Though scientists are stumped a boy's dog whistle proves just the thing.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #18 (October 1957)
-
The Amazing Swap Shop
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- People are able to barter for amazing scientific marvels at an odd little shop, but only for a brief time, as the proprietor is only collecting Earth objects for his space fair for a limited time.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #18 (October 1957)
-
The Man Who Collected Planets
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Astronomer Bradley Wells is abducted by the alien Sardor who has captured and shrunk several planets to extract their elemental resources. But Wells traps Sardor, returns the planets to their proper sizes and positions, and returns to Earth.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #18 (October 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #19]
comic story / 1 page
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #19 (November 1957)
-
The Man From Two Worlds
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Aliens convince a man he is one of them in order to get his help procuring radium, but he realizes they are lying about him being an alien and he tricks them into leaving empty-handed.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #19 (November 1957)
-
D-Day on Planet Vulcan
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #19 (November 1957)
-
- Keywords
- The planet Vulcan contacts Earth for help coming up with a military strategy to defend themselves ag
The Human Lie Detector
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A man's face changes colors when in the vicinity of someone lying. He aids the police until gangland hears of his ability and kidnaps him. As he escapes from them, he hits high-voltage wires and loses his ability.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #19 (November 1957)
-
The Menace of the Fireball
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A scientist accidentally draws a fireball towards Earth and nothing seems able to stop its course until his wacky inventor father provides just the machine needed.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #19 (November 1957)
-
[Tales of the Unexpected #20]
cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page
- Genre
- science fiction
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #20 (December 1957)
-
The Earth Gladiator
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Aliens will take possession of Earth unless John Trent can defeat their champion in a game of survival. Though out-gunned, Trent uses his wits to protect the world.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #20 (December 1957)
-
The Remarkable Mr. Multiplier
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Thad Merkel invents a machine to mass-produce copies of things like cars and planes, but the machine seems to have a childlike mind of its own. This playfulness helps the inventor stop a group of thieves, but the idea of a self-aware machine is too dangerous, and Merkel destroys its master circuit.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #20 (December 1957)
-
I Was Marooned on Planet Earth
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- A Saturnian is accidentally rocketed to Earth where he must find a source of radium in order to return home.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #20 (December 1957)
-
You Stole Our Planet
comic story / 6 pages
- Genre
- science fiction
- Synopsis
- Working on a way to create a barrier against nuclear fallout, two scientists are visited by creatures accusing humans of having stolen their world. Eventually the creatures realize they are not on their planet and the scientists reverse their experiment, sending the creatures back to their universe.
- Reprints
- from Tales of the Unexpected (DC, 1956 series) #20 (December 1957)
-
[The Graphic Novels Section of DCCOMICS.com]
promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page
Indexer Notes
Listing of other Showcase Presents titles available at DCCOMICS.com
Editing
Related Scans
Table of Contents
-
0.
[no title indexed]
-
1.
[no title indexed]
-
2.
Showcase Presents Tales of the Unexpected
-
3.
Table of Contents
-
4.
[Tales of the Unexpected #1]
-
5.
The "Out-of-the-World Club"
-
6.
The Dream Lamp
-
7.
The Secret of Cell Sixteen
-
8.
The Cartoon That Came to Life
-
9.
[Tales of the Unexpected #2]
-
10.
The Magic Hats of M'sieu La Farge
-
11.
The Fastest Man Alive
-
12.
The Record of Doom
-
13.
The Gorilla Who Saved the World
-
14.
[Tales of the Unexpected #3]
-
15.
The Highway to Tomorrow
-
16.
The Man Nobody Could See!
-
17.
I Lost My Past
-
18.
The Man with 100 Wigs
-
19.
[Tales of the Unexpected #4]
-
20.
Seven Steps to the Unknown
-
21.
The Day I Broke All Records
-
22.
The Flowers of Sorcery
-
23.
The House Where Dreams Came True
-
24.
[Tales of the Unexpected #5]
-
25.
The Man Who Laughed at Locks
-
26.
I Was Bewitched for a Day
-
27.
The Living Paintings
-
28.
The Second Life of Geoffrey Hawkes
-
29.
[Tales of the Unexpected #6]
-
30.
The Telecast from the Future
-
31.
Dial M for Magic
-
32.
The Forbidden Flowers
-
33.
The Girl in the Bottle
-
34.
[Tales of the Unexpected #7]
-
35.
The Pen That Never Lied!
-
36.
Beware, I Can Read Your Mind
-
37.
The Forbidden Wish
-
38.
The Face in the Clock
-
39.
[Tales of the Unexpected #8]
-
40.
The Man Who Stole a Genie
-
41.
The Secret of the Elephant's Tusk
-
42.
The Four Seeds of Destiny!
-
43.
The Camera That Could Rob
-
44.
[Tales of the Unexpected #9]
-
45.
The Amazing Cube!
-
46.
The Carbon Copy Man
-
47.
The Day Nobody Died
-
48.
The Man Who Ate Fire
-
49.
[Tales of the Unexpected #10]
-
50.
The Strangest Show on Earth
-
51.
The Phantom Mariner
-
52.
The Duplicate Man
-
53.
I Was Slave to the Wizard's Lamp
-
54.
[Tales of the Unexpected #11]
-
55.
Who Am I?
-
56.
I Was a Man From the Future
-
57.
The Ghost of Hollywood
-
58.
The Man Who Hated Green
-
59.
[Tales of the Unexpected #12]
-
60.
The Four Threads of Doom
-
61.
The Witch's Statues
-
62.
The All-Seeing Eye
-
63.
The Indestructible Man
-
64.
[Tales of the Unexpected #13]
-
65.
Weapons of Destiny
-
66.
The Thing from the Skies
-
67.
Second Warning!
-
68.
I Was a Prisoner of the Supernatural
-
69.
The Face Behind the Mask
-
70.
[Tales of the Unexpected #14]
-
71.
The Forbidden Game
-
72.
Cry, Clown, Cry
-
73.
The Man Who Owned King Arthur's Sword
-
74.
The Green Gorilla
-
75.
[Tales of the Unexpected #15]
-
76.
Three Wishes to Doom
-
77.
The Sinister Cannon
-
78.
The Rainbow Man
-
79.
The City of Three Dooms
-
80.
[Tales of the Unexpected #16]
-
81.
The Magic Hammer
-
82.
I Was a Spy for Them
-
83.
The Exile from Earth
-
84.
The Interplantary Line-Up
-
85.
[no title indexed]
-
86.
[Tales of the Unexpected #17]
-
87.
Who Is Mr. Ashtar?
-
88.
Beware the Thinking Cap
-
89.
The Bullet Man
-
90.
The Impossible Voyage
-
91.
[no title indexed]
-
92.
[Tales of the Unexpected #18]
-
93.
The Man Without a World
-
94.
The Riddle of the Glass Bubble
-
95.
The Amazing Swap Shop
-
96.
The Man Who Collected Planets
-
97.
[no title indexed]
-
98.
[Tales of the Unexpected #19]
-
99.
The Man From Two Worlds
-
100.
D-Day on Planet Vulcan
-
101.
The Human Lie Detector
-
102.
The Menace of the Fireball
-
103.
[no title indexed]
-
104.
[Tales of the Unexpected #20]
-
105.
The Earth Gladiator
-
106.
The Remarkable Mr. Multiplier
-
107.
I Was Marooned on Planet Earth
-
108.
You Stole Our Planet
-
109.
[The Graphic Novels Section of DCCOMICS.com]
-
110.
Tales of the Unexpected Volume 1
This issue was modified by
- Katie
- Boris Ammerlaan
- Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
- Bob Hughes
- Ramon Schenk
- Jim Stangas
- Jim Van Dore
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