Strange Adventures #187
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeStrange Adventures #187 introduced June Moone — the Enchantress — to the DC Universe, giving the Silver Age one of its earliest recurring female magic-users with a genuine dual-identity Jekyll-and-Hyde structure. The character's premise, a mild-mannered artist involuntarily bound to a separate supernatural persona, proved durable enough to outlast dozens of contemporaries, eventually anchoring major team books from the Suicide Squad to Justice League Dark. The issue also appeared at an inflection point in Strange Adventures' editorial life, arriving just as the anthology was actively cultivating recurring superhero features — Animal Man had debuted only seven issues earlier — signaling a conscious editorial pivot away from pure one-shot sci-fi vignettes toward character-driven series stars. Decades later, the Enchantress's cinematic appearance in DC's 2016 Suicide Squad film drew mainstream attention back to this otherwise modestly circulated Silver Age anthology.
In "The Enchantress of Terror Castle," June and Alan are drawn into a mysterious costume ball at an ancient estate, where a glowing minotaur on a tapestry triggers a hidden passage. June tumbles into the darkness, only to be confronted by a strange figure who reveals she’s the one destined to face the castle’s malevolent force—now branded as The Enchantress. Written by Bob Haney and illustrated by Howard Purcell with inks by Sheldon Moldoff, this 1966 DC tale blends gothic suspense and supernatural mystery, with a striking cover by Jack Sparling.
In "The Enchantress of Terror Castle," June and Alan attend a mysterious costume ball at an ancient estate, only for a gong to sound and a glowing minotaur on a tapestry to signal a sudden plunge into a hidden passage. Trapped in the castle’s depths, June confronts a strange entity that declares her the chosen one—The Enchantress—destined to face an evil presence that has taken root within the estate’s walls.
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The lead story, 'The Enchantress of Terror Castle,' was written by Bob Haney and drawn by Howard Purcell, with inking credited to Sheldon Moldoff and lettering by Stan Starkman. Jack Schiff edited the issue — a notable circumstance, since Schiff had only recently been reassigned from his long Batman tenure to oversee Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space after Julius Schwartz replaced him on the Bat-titles in 1964; Strange Adventures #187 was thus produced under an editor who was still acclimating to the anthology's sci-fi and supernatural mandate. The cover was illustrated by Jack Sparling, who also drew the issue's second backup feature, while George Roussos handled a third story, making the issue a multi-artist production typical of DC's anthology format of the era.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and origin of the Enchantress (June Moone), created by writer Bob Haney and artist Howard Purcell — cover-dated April 1966, on sale February 24, 1966.
- The lead story is titled 'The Enchantress of Terror Castle' and runs nine pages; it establishes June Moone's transformation trigger — speaking the words 'The Enchantress' — and her dual blonde/raven-haired appearance shift.
- The cover bills the character as 'The Switcheroo-Witcheroo,' a playful tagline that highlights the dual-identity hook DC was marketing to readers.
- Editor: Jack Schiff. Cover and backup art: Jack Sparling. Second backup ('What Happened to My Wife and Kids?'): art by George Roussos. The issue contains three separate stories totaling 36 pages.
- The lead story was reprinted in Adventure Comics #417 (March 1972) and later in the Weird Secret Origins collection, marking it as one of DC's own recognized key reprints.
- The Enchantress made only two further Silver Age appearances — Strange Adventures #191 (August 1966) and #200 (May 1967) — before going dormant for nearly 14 years, not resurfacing until The Superman Family #204–205 (1980–81).
- The character was eventually reintegrated into the DC Universe through the 1987 Legends crossover event, which formally inducted her into the modern Suicide Squad alongside Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, and Captain Boomerang.
- Enchantress received her first live-action adaptation in the 2016 Warner Bros. film Suicide Squad, portrayed by Cara Delevingne — the event most directly responsible for renewed collector interest in this issue.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Superman Presents Wonder Comic Monthly #15 (1966), Superman Presents Wonder Comic Monthly #16 (1966), Adventure Comics #417 (1972), Weird Secret Origins #[nn] (2004), DC Universe Secret Origins #[nn] (2012), DC Universe: Secret Origins #[nn] (2013)
Key issues in Strange Adventures
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