This was the only good reason to read Tales of the Unexpected.

I mean, where else could you find Dr. Thirteen and his daughter Traci Thirteen, Infectious Lass, Captain Fear, I … Vampire, Anthro the First Boy, Genius Jones, the ghost of J.E.B. Stuart, and the Primate Patrol (Nazi apes, one of which becomes a VAMPIRE Nazi Ape…)

*SPOILERS*

Versus Mark Waid, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison, no less!

http://comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=34523&zoom=4

Those characters were dragged up from the DC pits, for this special occasion because they were down there in the first place.

I’m probably more happy if this 8 parter was the end of it.

I’m as big a fan of Brian Azzarello as you will find (and of Cliff Chiang’s, for that matter), but I didn’t think he had a story like this in him. It’s sweet, sad, and poignant, and it reveals a genuine fondness for the characters. It’s also freaking hilarious. The page that follows the above panel is comic gold.

If you’ve ever complained that the fun has gone out of superhero comics, you HAVE to read this one.

Thanks, glad to see such an old character hasn’t gone forgotten. That’s one of my favorite aspects of DC. They have SUCH a long lineage of characters, and it seems that no matter how goofy, weird, or idiosyncratic the concept was, somebody at some point will come up with a way to spin the character into a decent modern day read.

I mean, where else could you find Dr. Thirteen and his daughter Traci Thirteen, Infectious Lass, Captain Fear, I … Vampire, Anthro the First Boy, Genius Jones, the ghost of J.E.B. Stuart, and the Primate Patrol (Nazi apes, one of which becomes a VAMPIRE Nazi Ape…)

Am I the only one who read that and thought “hmm, sounds like the DC version of Agents of Atlas?

Which actually sounds like a good idea…

Also, I just stumbled across the solicit that went up this afternoon and came here to mention it, but unsurprisingly, my fellow CSBG readers are all over it. Still, worth noting what an awesome Super-Friends cover homage Chiang has delivered:

http://comicbookresources.com/news/preview2.php?image=solicits/dccomics/200708/dcu/DR13_AM_TPB.jpg

I loved the cast of characters and I think the set up for hte next story is there, but where to after that?

Regardless, I still want more Team 13 and all the absurdity that goes with it.

You just pegged me. I had no interest in the new Spectre, so I passed over it, not even realizing these back-ups were in it. But I now plan on picking up the trade just to try it out.

Plus, Vampire Nazi Gorilla. How can you turn down a comic including Infectious Lass, Genius Jones, Doc 13 and Vampire Nazi Gorillas?

“Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang join forces to tell the adventures of Dr. Terrence Thirteen, a parapsychologist who disproves reports of supernatural activity. In this story collected from TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #1-8, Dr. Thirteen rounds up a group of the world’s magical beings to prevent strange forces from tearing asunder the very fabric of the past, present, and future!”