Weekly Dose Of Weird!

Weird Mystery Tales #19 -- Alright, Mothra!  This time you've gone too far!

I. "Firedance" -- Jon Anderson, a lonely forest ranger, dreams of meeting a beautiful girl... any beautiful girl.  In the meantime he takes his furstration out by burning the large flocks of moths which populate his forest.  On day, he sees the girl of his many dreams swimming in the lake.  He follows her, captivated -- until she reveals herself as the queen of the moths he burned to dust.  After a lightning strike sets the brush ablaze, Jon finds that he now shares their fate.

II. "Flight" -- Blonde (and greedy) secretary Ms. Nash cracks her boss's safe (and head) and steals all of the cash inside.  She makes a break to the airport, despite her paranoid fear of flying.  She finds herself on a plane populated entirely with obnoxious, nasty people, and they seem to be constantly being delayed or rerouted and hit with turbulance.  Going mad with anxiety, Nash bursts into the cabin to see the pilot... who sports fangs and horns, and informs her that they are going to be in the air for a long time!

III. "Death-Calling" -- On Santa Bella Island, young lighthouse keeper Will Addams is haunted by a ghoslty and angelic song coming from the sea.  One night, he spots a fully rigged sailing ship, the Lorelei.  When he tells his relief man about it, he learns that the ship went down against the rocks a century earlier, taking everyone to the bottom with it!  After his week ashore, Will returns to the lighthouse, and finds himself drawn to the voices once more.  Diving into the sea, he finds the wreck of the Lorelei... along with all those aboard it, who welcome him to their watery eternity.

IV. "Witch's Tales" -- Eve, our hostest with the mostest, answers letters.

Overall Weird Factor: 3.5 (out of 5)

Solid mid-70s DC stuff.  The third feature is pretty standard, but the first two are well done.  "Firedance" has an ending which is easily guessed at, but the idea of a man taking such enthusiasm in burning moths makes it worthwhile.  The second feature, "Flight," is the best.  Lee Mars turns in an almost Crumb-like design sense, and the various passengers on the plane look like they stepped out of a Aragones strip in Mad.  It's not often that I have seen the DC books of this perioid step out of the "comfort zone" of art, so this was a very pleasant surprise.