The Unexpected (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1969.
Synopsis for "The Shriek of Vengeance"
Johnny Peril finds himself incarcerated at the hands of a maniacal judge and executioner. He is accused of selling government secrets to a foreign power but the executioner promises him leniency if he hands over the documents. Peril remains steadfast that he will keep the location of the documents to himself and he is swiftly chained in a medieval type dungeon. While he is incarcerated, Peril meets a couple of other inmates who are also awaiting judgement. Peril confesses that he is not actually a criminal but rather he is working undercover to find out what happened to missing criminals that have a secret stash waiting on the outside. Peril breaks loose from his confinement and overpowers his guards. He escapes to the outside world using a mysterious door and finds himself in the middle of a swamp area. He subdues his pursuers and takes the executioner and his men into custody. The executioner had been a fanatic about justice but he was also greedy. He only spirited away criminals that had hidden loot somewhere. Once he obtained information on the hidden loot, he would release the criminals into the swampy area and hunt them down.
Appearing in "The Shriek of Vengeance"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Executioner
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Okefenokee Swampland
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Eyes of Death"
A criminal on the run from police named Gus Moran suddenly acquires a strange power. He witnesses a hit and run incident in which the pedestrian is killed but moments before the death, he sees a strange apparition leave their body. He then observes a construction worker falling to his death and once more he observes a spirit like apparition leave the body moments before death. Moran concludes that he can see death seconds before it happens. Moran proceeds to hold up a store but as he rushes in he sees his reflection in a window and observes a ghostly spirit hovering above him. He suddenly grasps his chest and collapses dead. Moran had suffered a sudden heart attack as a result of his exertion as he ran from police.
Appearing in "The Eyes of Death"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Gus Moran
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Tunnel of Fear!"
A man sinks his life savings of $27,000 into a tunnel of love attraction. He realizes that it may be a risky investment but he uses dummies to recreate famous love scenes to make the attraction more interesting. He recreates historical love scenes involving Romeo and Juliet, Pocahontas and John Smith as well as Anthony and Cleopatra. Opening night seems to go well until people emerge from the ride in fear. The police warn him to shut down the attraction to prevent mass hysteria. The owner is puzzled as to why people are leaving in fear so he decides to take a ride on the tunnel of love himself. He comes upon the first scene which has changed. It appears that Romeo has hanged Juliet on a rope and the dummy figures move as if almost alive. The next scene shows Cleopatra killing Anthony with an Asp. The man approaches the Cleopatra dummy and almost gets bit by a live asp. He then arrives at the Pocahontas display and finds that the Indians have executed John Smith. The man jumps into the water to escape the Indians. He then concludes that the ride is somehow being sabotaged by the previous owner so that he can buy the attraction back at a rock bottom price. The man arrives at the apartment of the previous owner only to find that he had been dead for a number of days. He then returns back to the attraction where he finds city workers busy trying to fix a gas leak. The man surmises that the leak caused his customers to hallucinate. In anycase the attraction is abruptly closed never to open again.
Appearing in "The Tunnel of Fear!"
Featured Characters:
- Judge Quentin Gallows (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Bigmouth
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also