The Unexpected – Volume 24 Issue 190

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The traitorous general stands over the hacked-up body of El Presidente’s secretary of state, El Condor. The man would not give up the location of the country’s leader, and for that El Condor must die. Not in the traditional way of hanging. No, the local legend of a ghostly hero spawned by a fallen soldier would not be fulfilled. No legend can rise from a puzzle made of flesh! Or, can it?

In the turn of the century frozen northwest, two American pioneers have just struck oil in the fields of Alaska. Hutch and Morgan have worked long and hard for this break. Their oil derrick is in its last life, being overworked and ill repaired, but patience has paid off. Now the men are both multimillionaires. Or will greed show its face?

Dave was a crack reporter, but his story has gotten a little too strange. Backstage at the nightclub he had one job to do, interview international superstar comic and ventriloquist, the Great Rombeau. The only issue is the old man has been declining in health since his European tour. Now the dummy – Orville, looks more alive than its puppeteer!

In the small French town of St. Martin, a family-owned tapestry mill is about to close. The owner, Monsieur Robert, is about to lay off the entire workforce to save his portfolio. What will the people do as the mill is the only source of meaningful employment? The only chance to save the town lies in the hands of the mill owner’s son. The young man has overseas clients interested in the tapestries, but the workers are short of materials for the sales sample. Where will desperate workers get six feet of material overnight?

Scott Radner was the general manager over at Maxwell Clothes, Inc., located in the fabrics district in New York city. His company was one of the leading manufacturers in worldwide fashion in 1979. The industry was very competitive, some would say cutthroat, but Scott always ran Maxwell on the up and up.

Yesterday Scott was handed some information about Sherred Clothing, a direct competitor, which has been on federal and consumer fraud watch lists for years. In a foolish move, he confronted Carter Sherred in the man’s downtown corporate office. Scott threatened to expose Carter’s new “material processing” scam to the world. The results where not what Scott expected.

Now Scott Radner sits in his high-rise apartment debating what to do next. Should he go to the police? Maybe try the district attorney? Then a light knocking came to his front door. Maybe it’s his new girlfriend Shirley come for a nightcap…

Ilene Cavanaugh sits in the small office of police detective Howard Colbert. It has been a stressful three days. Ilene’s troubles all started when her brother Danny answered that ridiculous personals ad in the local newspaper, “Well-To-Do Widow Wants a Husband”. After making a few internal calls, detective Colbert discovered to his surprise that Danny Cavanaugh was not the only male in his early thirties to go missing in the area. Maybe its time for Howard Colbert to answer the ad to become Lola’s new husband.

The residents of the small town of Mt. Nilmah are not very fond of drifters. No, those filthy men are no better than rats. What’s worse than drifters? Drifters who play a musical instrument! Phineas Mott was just trying to make a few bucks at the local bistro. Why are all the squares yelling at him to leave? Phineas will take it up with his new friends, the giant-sized sewer rats!

In the little shoppe located somewhere on Christy Street, Greenwich Village – New York City, apartment superintendent Stephen Prince has wandered in off the street looking for answers. The darkhaired woman with steal blue eyes welcomes him with open arms. There is something strange going on at Stephen’s building, and it’s not leaky pipes. His residences are all on edge since that strange man moved into apartment sixteen.

At first it was a few of the elderly tenants complaining about the heat during the overnight hours. Then they started conversing the halls talking about bad dreams. Now the phenomena spread throughout the whole building. Stephen watched from the distance at first, sometime pretending to fix faulty smoke alarms, then making excuses to visit each apartment individually. Then one day Stephen caught that weird Mr. Hazel leaving a neighbor’s apartments in the middle of the night. He confronted Hazel but the man retreated to his own abode. Now Stephen is having vivid nightmares.

Madame Xanadu sits and lists to Stephen Prince intently. She already has an idea what is troubling the eastside apartment complex. “I can help you, Stephen”, Madame Xanadu proclaims. “But first you must read this book.” The tarot reader walks over to one of her many bookshelves surrounding reading room. She looks for a minute, then pulls a blue leather-bound book from its resting spot. The book title reads “Incubi — Incubus: The Nightmare Demon; Dream-Parasite”.

I came for the Doorway to Nightmares and got a whole lot more. The Unexpected #190 is basically three comic books rolled into one. DC gives us a regular issue of the Unexpected, an issue of the House of Secrets, and a full Madame Xanadu story in Doorway to Nightmares (which ran for five issues in 1978). I’m not sure why DC editors decided to combine the Unexpected and House of Secrets, as they are basically the same anthology style stories.

The only interesting extra the House of Mysteries gives us is a small skit with the narrator character Abel. He dearly wishes to get away from the House, which is its own character, but fails when a DC assistant editor directs him to a door leading back to the House. Funny stuff.

If you are a Doorway to Nightmare collector, I would recommend getting this issue of the Unexpected. The other stories are kind of hit and miss. Death Takes of Curtain Call is the only other one I thought stands merit. If you like rats, skinned humans, haunted jackets, and random supernatural stuff you should be satisfied. I’m giving this issue four out of five stars.

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