The Unexpected #114

DC's long-running anthology of dread delivers a genuinely unsettling September 1969 cover by Neal Adams, who both penciled and inked this striking image: a wide-eyed man is thrust upward from a churning, explosive well by a wild-haired, cackling hag, her speech balloon chillingly declaring "Your wish has come true… you cannot change your mind… TAKE IT!" The feature story is "The Well of Second Chances," and the cover poses the series' signature dare — "Have You the Nerve to Face THE UNEXPECTED?" — which feels entirely earned here. At just 15¢, this is Adams' cover craft at its atmospheric best, with the crashing waters and moonlit horror composing a scene that grabs you and doesn't let go.