Weird Mystery Tales was a mystery

Mystery fiction

Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...

 (horror

Horror fiction

Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...

) anthology

Anthology

An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...

 from DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

, which ran from July/Aug. 1972-November 1975. Like its sister books House of Mystery

House of Mystery

The House of Mystery is the name of several horror-mystery-suspense anthology comic book series. It had a companion series, House of Secrets.-Genesis:...

and The Witching Hour

The Witching Hour (DC Comics)

The Witching Hour was a DC comic book horror anthology that ran from 1969 to 1978. Its tagline was "It's 12 o'clock... The Witching Hour!"...

, it was known for its "monstrous stories" with shock endings.

Weird Mystery Tales was originally hosted by Destiny

Destiny (DC Comics)

Destiny is a DC Comics character created by Marv Wolfman and Bernie Wrightson, first appearing in Weird Mystery Tales #1 , and was regular host of that series for the first fourteen issues, after which he hosted Secrets of Haunted House. He is one of the Endless in Neil Gaiman's comic book series,...

, but was gradually taken over by Eve, who fully assumed the title with issue #15 (December 1974-January 1975). Early issues printed material by Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....

 that had been intended for his black-and-white, magazine-size DC comic, 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 boasted an impressive list of contributors, including Kirby, Berni Wrightson, Howard Purcell

Howard Purcell

Howard Purcell was an American comic-book artist and writer active from the 1940s Golden Age of comics through the 1960s Silver Age....

, Michael William Kaluta

Michael William Kaluta

Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta , is an American comic book artist and writer.-Early life:Born in Guatemala to U.S...

, and such Filipino

Filipino people

The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

 artists as Tony DeZuniga

Tony DeZuniga

Tony DeZuniga is a Filipino comic-book artist best known for his work for DC Comics, where he co-created the characters Jonah Hex and Black Orchid.-Early life and career:...

, Nestor Redondo

Nestor Redondo

Nestor Redondo was a comic-book artist best known for his work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other American publishers in the 1970s and early 1980s.-Early life and career:...

, and Alfredo Alcala

Alfredo Alcala

Alfredo P. Alcala was a Filipino comic book artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the Alcala Komix Magazine. His 1963 creation Voltar introduced him to an international audience, particularly in the United...

.

In 1996, DC released a free ashcan

Ashcan copy

An ashcan copy is a term that originated in the Golden Age of Comic Books, meant to describe a publication produced solely for legal purposes , and not normally intended for distribution.-Origins:...

 edition also 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

Anthony Williams (comics)

Anthony Williams is a Welsh comic book artist.-Biography:He broke into comics at Marvel UK, drawing for the series Action Force, The Real Ghostbusters and Transformers, among others...

.

Issues

Issue	Date	Title	Writer	Pencils	Host(s)	Notes
#1	July-Aug 1972	Introduction	Marv Wolfman Marv Wolfman Marvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.-1960s:...	Bernie Wrightson Bernie Wrightson Bernie "Berni" Wrightson is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.-Biography:...	Destiny
		Horoscope Phenomenon or Witch Queen of Ancient Sumeria?	Jack Kirby Jack Kirby Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....	Jack Kirby	Dr. E. Leopold Maas	originally written for Spirit World #2
		The Brothers Beaumont!	Howard Purcell Howard Purcell Howard Purcell was an American comic-book artist and writer active from the 1940s Golden Age of comics through the 1960s Silver Age....	Howard Purcell	Destiny	Destiny illustration by E. Nelson Bridwell E. Nelson Bridwell Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
		Special Delivery, based upon notes compiled from research done in conjunction with Dr. E. Leopold Maas	Mark Evanier Mark Evanier Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of... , Steve Sherman	none	Dr. E. Leopold Maas
#2	Sep-Oct 1972	Toxl the World Killer!	Jack Kirby	Jack Kirby	Dr E. Leopold Maas and Destiny	originally written for Spirit World #2
		Titanic	Howard Purcell	Howard Purcell	Destiny and Death	cover by Howard Purcell
		They're Still Up There!	-	-	none
#3	Nov-Dec 1972	The Burners!	Jack Kirby	Jack Kirby	Dr. E. Leopold Maas	originally written for Spirit World #2
		I Know Your Future!	Howard Purcell	Howard Purcell	none
		The Wizard's Gift!	-	-	none	reprint from House of Mystery House of Mystery The House of Mystery is the name of several horror-mystery-suspense anthology comic book series. It had a companion series, House of Secrets.-Genesis:... #95
		The Cosmic Log	-	Berni Wrightson	Destiny	cover by Nick Cardy Nick Cardy Nick Cardy , a.k.a. Nick Cardi, is an American comic book artist best known for his DC Comics work on Aquaman, the Teen Titans and other major characters....
#4	Jan-Feb 1973	Introduction		Michael W. Kaluta Michael William Kaluta Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta , is an American comic book artist and writer.-Early life:Born in Guatemala to U.S...	Destiny	Immortality Immortality Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering... -themed issue
		The Devil to Pay	Jack Oleck	Rubeny	none	Lucifer Lucifer (DC Comics) Lucifer is a DC Comics character that starred in an eponymous comic book published under the Vertigo imprint, whose entire run was written by Mike Carey...  appearance
		The Secret of Bat Island!			none
		The Hotel				cover by JA
		To Live Forever	Steve Skeates Steve Skeates Steve Skeates is an American comic book creator known for his work on books such as Spectre, Hawk and Dove, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Aquaman, and Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Career:...	Romy Gamboa, Rico Rival	Destiny (stock image)
		The Cosmic Log	Joe Orlando?, Raymond Feldman, Art Stampler, Clifford King	Bernie Wrightson
#5	Mar-Apr 1973
#6	May–June 1973
#7	July-Aug 1973
#8	Sep-Oct 1973	Final Take!	Michael Pellowsky, Robert Kanigher	Tony de Zuniga	Destiny
		Portrait of Terror	Jack Oleck Jack Oleck Jack Oleck was an American novelist and comic book writer particularly known for his work in the horror genre.The brother-in-law of comics pioneer Joe Simon, Oleck's comic book career was basically in two parts. During the Golden Age of comics Oleck wrote for EC Comics and the Simon-Jack Kirby...	Bernard Baily Bernard Baily Bernard Baily was an American comic book artist best known as co-creator of the DC Comics characters the Spectre and Hourman, and a comics publisher, writer, and editor.-Early life and career:...	none
		An Evil Pair	John Albano John Albano John Albano was an American writer who worked in the comic book industry. He was recognized for his work with the Shazam Award for Best Writer in 1971, and the Shazam Award for Best Individual Short Story in 1972 for "The Demon Within", in House of Mystery #201 .Albano's most famous co-creation...	Ernesto Patricio	Destiny	Western Western (genre) The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...  setting
		The Cosmic Log	Joe Orlando?, John Elliot, Barry Rosenstein, Keith Reed	Berni Writghtson	Destiny
#9	Oct-Nov 1973	Vampire's Gold!	Jack Oleck	Jess Jodloman	Destiny
		Checkmate!	John Jacobson, Robert Kanigher Robert Kanigher Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...	Nestor Redondo Nestor Redondo Nestor Redondo was a comic-book artist best known for his work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other American publishers in the 1970s and early 1980s.-Early life and career:...	Destiny
		Evil Power	Jack Oleck	AlexM	Eve
		The Cosmic Log	Joe Orlando?, Paul Edwards, Kenny Sugar, Lisa Anderson, Terry Pearce, Jed Rifkin	Berni Wrightson	Destiny
#10	Dec-Jan 1974	The Curse	Bill Reilly	G.K.	Destiny	Destiny is a featured character in the story
		Lady Killer	Jack Oleck	Alfredo Alcala Alfredo Alcala Alfredo P. Alcala was a Filipino comic book artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the Alcala Komix Magazine. His 1963 creation Voltar introduced him to an international audience, particularly in the United...	Destiny	Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper "Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...  story
		The Sunken Pearls of Captain "Hatch"	Michael Fleischer	Jess Jodloman	Eve
		The Cosmic Log	Joe Orlando?, Tom O'Connell, Howard Kaye, Carole Morrison, Guy Lillian III	Berni Wrightson	Destiny, Eve
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19	June 1975	Fire Dance	Bob Kanigher	Abe Ocampo	Eve
		Flight	Lee Marrs Lee Marrs Lee Marrs is an American comic book writer, animator, and one of the first women underground comix creators. She is best known for her comic book series, The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp, which lasted from 1973 to 1978.-Underground comics:Marrs was a frequent contributor to...	Lee Marrs	Eve
		Death-Calling	Kanigher	Rubeny	Eve
		Witch's Tales		-	Eve
#20
#21
#22
#23	October 1975	The Quiz Show	Michael Fleisher	Fred Carrillo
		Fair Exchange	Sergio Aragones & Steve Skeates	Wallace Wood
#24	November 1975

External links

• Weird Mystery Tales cover gallery