When you open a copy of DC's horror title UNEXPECTED, you... you... well, you expect the unexpected from an issue of UNEXPECTED!
But, in the case of UNEXPECTED #202 (DC Comics, Cover Date: September 1980), there was more "unexpected" than usual!
Yesterday (September 13, 2026), upon opening this comic for the first time to log it into my collection, between the cover and first page, I found THIS...
...Yes, really!
Now, over the years, I've found many a stowaway tucked between the pages of a vintage comic book... strands of hair, cookie or cereal crumbs, and even the centerfold of a completely different comic!
In the case of the hair and crumbs I simply brush them out, and with the unrelated centerfold I left it there in appreciation of the novelty, but what to do with a FOOTBALL WORD ASSOCIATION PUZZLE?
The other finds are at least somehow part of the comics reading experience (eating while reading, for instance), but THIS?
However, even this particular UNEXPECTED issue's inexplicably unexpected occurrence has an additional dose of the unexpected to it!
What more unexpected about this could possibly be, you ask?
Well I found that unexpected addition hiding in my copy of UNEXPECTED #202... (ready for it?)... on the FIRST SUNDAY of the 2026 NFL FOOTBALL SEASON!
...And did so while simultaneously watching the NEW YORK JETS season opener - which (after only three wins in the 2025 season) the Jets ACTUALLY WON!!! ...Talk about "unexpected"!
2 comments:
I had a similar experience last week when a shelf collapsed and I discovered a Scrambled Word puzzle of my own making, apparently for a class on superheroes. The puzzle included "straight" versions of the alter ego names and scrambled versions of the hero (or heroine) names which then had to be placed on the line next to the appropriate person. Not too hard for someone acquainted with superhero comics and/or movies, but I imagine a nightmare for anyone who had no idea who anyone was in the first place.
But my real question is--what on earth is that story about that is depicted on that bizarre cover? It looks like an Easter-themed horror story, and I can't imagine how that would work! Not even sure if I would be able to handle reading it!!!
And, yes, the shelf collapsing was a bit of an ordeal and for a few minutes the pathway to the bathroom was blocked--but I cleaned it up and then went out and bought some plastic containers and, long story short, the stuff got re-stacked (somewhat ) safely. All's well that ends!
Scarecrow:
First, apologies for the lateness in publishing this comment and issuing a reply! It seems that I recently received one comment that was so obviously spam that, when I marked it as such, it sent subsequent comments to my Spam Folder as well! Hopefully, I’ve rectified that… er, “UNEXPECTED” situation!
Also very sorry to hear of the shelf-collapse! We collectors know how bad such a thing can be! Hoping the damages were slight to none!
But at least your surprise stowaway was one of your own making and you are not left with questions about its origin with regard to cleanliness and other such factors! Also, was it left inside another book, or just normally tucked away on the fallen shelf after being long forgotten?
As for “Hopping Down the Bunny Trail”, I must admit that it was much more unsettling than a typical 1970s-early ‘80s DC horror story would normally be. Those tended to be more like the stories you would have seen on ROD SERLING’S NIGHT GALLERY than the infamously more gruesome EC horror comics which brought about the Comics Code!
That often-lighter touch and the ironic “kicker” endings are what I like about them… but this one was basically “For years you kids have been BITING INTO CHOCOLATE EASTER BUNNIES! Well turnabout is fair play!” (an actual quote) after the kids had been given an, er… “unexpected” chocolate bath!
To be honest I didn’t care for that one either – but it was the exception and not the rule! The irony was certainly there, but it needed more of a lighter touch, maybe with the kids escaping and swearing off chocolate Easter Bunnies! And that’s what it ordinarily would have been… but I guess that, in this case, *I* wasn’t expecting the UNEXPECTED!
Oh, and I removed the Football Word Association Puzzle from its cozy place between the inside front cover and interior page one – and stored it OUTSIDE THE PLASTIC BAG AND BACKING BOARD, though directly in front of the comic, with a yellow Post-It Note saying “Found in Unexpected #202”!
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