Sinister Tales #217

In "Man in a Trance," Ronnie’s obsession with the past leads him to a radical experiment, unlocking a way to step into a moment that still exists—where he encounters Nancy and the mystery of the Drake Diamond. Torn between retrieving the treasure and protecting her, he faces a choice that tests his grasp on time, truth, and love.

In "The Man Who Didn't Belong!", Steve pulls Rex from the wreckage of a cyclotron, only to find the man with no memory and an uncanny charm that makes everyone around him feel at ease. As Steve grows uneasy watching Rex effortlessly win over friends and strangers alike, he begins to question just how real Rex’s perfection truly is. When Rex steps back into the cyclotron and disappears without a trace, Steve shares his story with Denise—only to suddenly realize she’s the mother of the boy he never knew he’d fathered.

In "Forever Is a Long Long Time!" from Sinister Tales #217, a ruthless businessman seizes a revolutionary device from a reluctant scientist, eager to extend his life to a thousand years like a redwood. Ignoring the inventor’s dire warnings, he activates the ray in his mansion—only to discover too late that immortality comes at the cost of being frozen in place, as still and unyielding as the ancient tree he coveted.

In "The Footprints," a curious boy searches for elves beneath a rock, only to be gently steered away from his belief by his mother—just before the hidden creatures transform the very stones he left behind into gold nuggets. A quiet, wistful fantasy that lingers on the edge of wonder, this 1987 tale from Sinister Tales #217 captures a fleeting moment where belief and loss walk side by side.