The Weird Mystery Tales ongoing series was launched in July–August 1972[3][4] and was originally hosted by Destiny.[5] The hosting role was gradually taken over by Eve, who fully assumed the title with issue #15 (December 1974–January 1975).[1] The title's name was partially inspired by the sales success of Weird War Tales and Weird Western Tales.[6] Early issues printed material by Jack Kirby that had been intended for his black-and-white, magazine-size DC comic series, Spirit World, which lasted only one issue.[7] These stories featured Dr. E. Leopold Maas as host, sometimes with an appended hosting segment by Destiny.
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.[9]
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, ISBN1401234186.[10]
References
^ abcThompson, Steven (February 2015). "Those Were Weird Times: Weird Mystery Tales". Back Issue! (#78). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 23–30.
^McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1970s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 152. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. 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.
^Cooke, Jon B. (December 1996). "Spirit World & Other Weird Mysteries". Jack Kirby Collector (#13). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. Retrieved October 21, 2012.