mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
comics anthology
A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication to co ...
published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
from July–August 1972 to November 1975.
Publication history
100 Page Super Spectacular
The title ''Weird Mystery Tales'' was first used for ''
DC 100 Page Super Spectacular
''DC 100 Page Super Spectacular'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1971 through 1973, featuring only reprints initially and later including new stories. The "100 Page" count included both sides of the front and back cov ...
'' #4 in 1971. It reprinted stories from ''
My Greatest Adventure
''My Greatest Adventure'' was a DC Comics comic book that began in 1955 and is best known for introducing the superhero team Doom Patrol.
Publication history
The title was originally an anthology series with adventure stories told in the first ...
Phantom Stranger
The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint. The character first appeared in an ...
House of Mystery
''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series.
First serie ...
'' #49.
Ongoing series
The ''Weird Mystery Tales'' ongoing series was launched in July–August 1972 and was originally hosted by
Destiny
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
. The hosting role was gradually taken over by
Eve
Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
, 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
''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983.
Publication history
The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...
'' and ''
Weird Western Tales
''Weird Western Tales'' is a Western genre comics anthology published by DC Comics from June–July 1972 to August 1980. It is best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 (Jan.–Feb. 1977) when the character was promoted to hi ...
''. Early issues printed material by
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...
that had been intended for his black-and-white, magazine-size DC comic series, ''Spirit World'', which lasted only one issue. 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
Alfredo P. Alcala (August 23, 1925 – April 4, 2000) was a Filipino comics artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the ''Alcala Komix Magazine''. His 1963 cre ...
,
Tony DeZuniga
Antony de Zuñiga (November 8, 1932 – May 11, 2012) who worked primarily under the name Tony DeZuniga, was a Filipino comics artist and illustrator best known for his works for DC Comics. He co-created the fictional characters Jonah Hex and ...
,
Michael Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born August 25, 1947), is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero ''The Shadow'' with writer De ...
Jack Sparling
John Edmond Sparling (June 21, 1916 – February 15, 1997), was a Canadian comics artist.
Biography
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child. He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New ...
, and
Bernie Wrightson
Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...
. Howard Purcell's last known work in the comics industry was a story each in ''Weird Mystery Tales'' #1–3 (Aug.–Dec. 1972), plus the cover of #2.
Ashcan edition
In 1996, DC published 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.
Collected editions
* ''Spirit World'' includes "Horoscope Phenomenon or Witch Queen of Ancient Sumeria?" from ''Weird Mystery Tales'' #1; "Toxl the World Killer!" from ''Weird Mystery Tales'' #2; and "The Burners!" from ''Weird Mystery Tales'' #3, 108 pages, May 2012, .