Friday, May 2, 2008

Weekly Dose Of Weird!

That is one horrific quilt.
Unexpected #123 -- Again with the patchwork look. It's becoming something of a trend on these DCs.

I. "Death Watch!" -- Charlie Miller, a wealthy man with a weak heart, is targetted by his friend Gil, who aims to kill him, take his money, and his girl Leah! Driving him into a coma by scaring him, Gil is on the home stretch, but doesn't count on Charlie's fear of the afterlife -- coupled with his unstoppable hatred -- helping him cling to life.

II. "Man In The Attic!" -- Landlady Mydia. Magloon and her old biddy tenent Lydia are afraid of the serial strangler terrorizing the city. Just then, the odd Mr. Purvis comes to rent a room. Lydia is convinced he is the killer, while the widow Mydia thinks only of marriage. When she goes to see Mr. Purvis in his room, Mydia says he reminds her of her late husband, then goes all wild-eyed and strangles him, saying she wants to feel her hands around his neck like all the others.

III. "Unexpected Mail" -- Letters column, with a highlight including a reader correctly identifying the Grang Guignol.

IV. "Curse Of The Sea Hag!" -- Jerry, on the run from the law for some reason, happens up a "ghost ship" named the Sea Hag. Sneaking aboard to hide out, he runs into Roseanne, who tells him about how she and two toughs attempted to ron the ship's owner, the aged Mrs. Heggerty. They suddenly discovered themselves set out to sea, and, with the men drowned after a failed escape, Roseanne found herself trapped on the Sea Hag for a year, until someone more evil came along to replace her. Jerry slaps Roseanne, then runs into Mrs. Heggerty, and promptly finds himself trapped out at sea.

V. "Voice In The Night" -- Michael is haunted by the spectral voice of his wife Jean, who died in a car accident. Seeking professional help, he soon discovers that it's not his wife, but he himself doing the haunting -- because Michael is a ventriloquist, driven insane by his guilt.

Overall Weird Factor: 2 (out of 5).

Not a bad little mystery/horror comic, but overly exceptional either. The third story is the best of the bunch, but the second's twist ending is good. The issue does a good job of playing on the title's theme, with twists to make things "unexpected," not entirely unlike the other DC genre titles of the era.

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