Tales of the Unexpected #90
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeTales of the Unexpected #90 marks the debut of Dean and Desmond Farr — the psychically-linked twin brothers who each take the mantle of Tiger-Man — introduced in the third-story slot of DC's long-running Silver Age sci-fi anthology. That single 1965 appearance would remain the only Pre-Crisis outing for both brothers, making the issue a rare, self-contained origin that nonetheless planted seeds hardy enough to survive into the post-Crisis era. Decades later, writer Beau Smith deliberately excavated Desmond Farr from this obscure issue and rebuilt him as a recurring supporting character in Guy Gardner: Warrior, demonstrating the anthology era's habit of quietly seeding characters whose full potential took generations to recognize. Most recently, Dean and Desmond were adapted for the big screen in director James Gunn's Superman (2025), placing a 60-year-old anthology backup squarely in mainstream pop culture.
In "The Hero of 50,000,000 B.C.," Reed McCall’s self-reliance is put to the ultimate test when the Green Glob deposits him on prehistoric Earth, where he’s forced to team up with a band of alien game hunters to survive the monstrous creatures they’ve unleashed for sport. Written by Dave Wood and illustrated by George Roussos, this 1965 tale blends sci-fi adventure with primal peril, all framed by Jack Sparling’s striking cover.
Reed McCall, proud of his self-reliance, finds himself far from home when the Green Glob strands him on prehistoric Earth—where survival means trusting a band of alien hunters to face the monstrous creatures they’ve unleashed for sport.
Desmond Farr is driven to uncover the truth behind his brother Dean’s transformation into the fabled Tiger-Man, a creature of myth and terror. As the hunt deepens, Desmond confronts a chilling realization: to catch the beast he must become one himself.
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The issue was produced during the final years of editor Jack Schiff's tenure on Tales of the Unexpected, a period when the title was cycling through short anthology features after the departure of its long-running Space Ranger serial. Writer Dave Wood — a prolific Silver Age DC hand who co-created characters ranging from Animal Man to the Challengers of the Unknown — scripted the Tiger-Man story, while Canadian-born artist Jack Sparling, then a busy DC and Dell contributor, handled both the interior art and the issue's cover. George Roussos, listed among the creative team in DC's own database for the Farr brothers, likely contributed inking duties, though the precise division of labor on the Tiger-Man segment is not fully detailed in surviving records.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Dean Farr (Tiger-Man I) and Desmond Farr (Tiger-Man II), twin brothers who can each transform into a feral man-tiger hybrid after drinking an ancient Indian 'tiger potion.'
- The Tiger-Man story appears as the third feature in the issue, titled 'My Twin--The Tiger-Man,' running in Tales of the Unexpected #90, cover-dated August 1965 (on-sale date indexed as August–September 1965).
- Creative team on the Tiger-Man feature: script by Dave Wood, art by Jack Sparling; George Roussos is also credited among the characters' creators by the DC Database.
- The issue is an anthology containing two additional stories: 'The Hero of 50,000,000 B.C.' (a Green Glob adventure scripted by Dave Wood with art by George Roussos) and 'The Doom-Makers' (art by Bernard Baily).
- Jack Sparling also drew the issue's cover, making him the dominant artistic voice of the entire package.
- This single story is the only Pre-Crisis appearance of either Farr brother; the characters sat unused for roughly three decades before being revived.
- Desmond Farr was brought back as a supporting cast member of the Guy Gardner: Warrior ongoing series (1994–1996), written by Beau Smith, where he joined Buck Wargo's globe-trotting Monster Hunters alongside Guy Gardner.
- Dean and Desmond Farr were adapted to live-action in the 2025 Superman film, portrayed by real-life twins Jonah and Christian Lees — one of the more unexpected Silver Age resurrections in recent superhero cinema.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Historias Fantásticas #146 (1966), All Star Adventure Comic #48 (1967), Eclipso #1 (1968), Aventures Fiction #47 (1975)
Key issues in Tales of the Unexpected
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