This week we're taking a spooky tour through Unusual Tales #12. Cue spooky theremin noises.
Cover
Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio did this beautiful cover. The glowing orbs stand out as especially mysterious and eerie. The halo of light surrounding the orbs really pops against the navy blue of the sky. Finally, the dynamic stances of the wife, husband, and child effectively indicate motion and shock.
We're treated to a splash page that outlines the premise of this story. Jack Collins, an otherwise ordinary family man, is seen correctly guessing the exact number of beans in a jar. Ok, so with the title being "A Matter of Luck" and his impeccable estimation abilities on display we can surmise that this story will centre around his uncanny ability to guess things correctly. Perhaps a twist will be thrown in??
A twist of fate
Our story begins with Jack doing, presumably, what Jack does every Tuesday afternoon: down on all fours meticulously scanning his front lawn for four-leaf clovers. He's quick to emphasize that he doesn't believe in luck, despite him having nothing better to do than inspect his lawn for hours on end in search of a weed synonymous with fortune. Presumably Jack has a family and a job yet this activity takes centre stage in his routine? What are you running from Jack??
We cut to Jack just chillin' on the side of some road. I've decided that Jack is either very rich, or very sad. Regardless, he gets a feeling that the oncoming car's license plate is "ZV-36110" and, lo and behold, he's correct!
Jack can't believe his luck! He guesses several more cars correctly. Eventually his non-generically-named friend, "Tom", sidles on up and is immediately blasted with a proposition from Jack to bet on the license plates of oncoming cars. No "how's the wife?" or "how are you feeling emotionally as a human today?". No, just "let's stand on the side of a backroad and gamble". I don't know, maybe this is just how you tended to friendships back in the day. I'd personally offer to play some boardgames but you do you Jack.
Of course, Jack beats Tom and is now one dollar richer. Tom wises up and declines to keep playing. I like Tom. He checked in on his friend but maintained his boundaries when said friend decided to go on a power trip and swindle him.
Testing his luck
Hot on the heels of his success, Jack decides to try his luck at betting on horse races. Unsurprisingly he's wildly successful and guesses correctly every-time. He exclaims his joy at the sudden windfall of money. I guess Jack was just sad and not rich after all. Maybe it's because he's a jerk to his friends like Tom.
I don't know why I'm so defensive of Tom. I just don't like how his feelings aren't being considered at all and how he's merely a flimsy plot device to advance the story of Gamblin' Jack. Maybe I'm just projecting.
A look at some old comic ads
Our story is interrupted with some ads. This is one of my favourite parts of old comic books. You get a peek into what was considered popular with kids at the time. Things like joy buzzers, whoopee cushions, and two-headed coins stand out. Presumably kids back then liked razzing people. Maybe they also liked idly standing on sides of roads and defrauding their friends?
Sucked in by greed
Okay I feel like I've given Jack a bad rap. Would I be so innocent if I fell into a similar fate? Who am I to prematurely judge him? If I'm to maturely judge him I should get to know him better first. Let's continue with the story..
Jack, in his astuteness, realizes he should quit betting on horses while he's ahead lest the house catch on.
We now reach the principal scene of our story. The bean-guessing scene. A shop owner has set up a contest to guess the number of beans in a jar. Jack guesses that there are 3764 beans and he is once again a jerkcorrect!
The store owner is quick to note that in order to collect his one hundred dollar prize Jack will first have to buy something. He acquiesces and opts for a, in his words, "cheap" wrist watch for his daughter. I'm giving Jack the benefit of the doubt for now but I'm filing that one away for later.
Our friend Jack then bets the store owner that if he guesses the serial number on the back of the watch correctly that he get to keep the watch for free. If he loses he'll give him ten dollars. I was really rooting for this store owner. He's lost one hundred dollars already (a value of $910 in today's money!) and now some dude is propositioning him to double down and potentially lose more. Alas he capitulates and, of course, loses.
Well, I feel like I've seen enough. Jack clearly has some things to work on. Perhaps a therapist would help? It can be helpful to talk out your odd disposition towards gambling and OCD-level of lawn inspection with a specialist.
An odd ending
Jack is on a high. He heads home but decides not to tell his family. You know - the people in the world that he's the closest to.
He's greeted by his wife and daughter who promptly tell him they're in luck. I can already sense a reversal of fortune looms and I'm getting excited!
In a humdinger of a plot twist they reveal that they have _both_ found their own additional ten-leaf clovers. Jack exclaims "Gosh!". And that's it. That's the end of the story.
- Why is everyone in this family so obsessed with scouring their lawn??
- Where's Jack's comeuppance?? Adding more luck into his life is not what I would call cosmic justice.
- Why is everyone so trusting of Jack?
- Was standing on the side of a road a past-time back then?
Closing thoughts
This was a fun story to dissect. For all the cheek, I think it effectively creates a sense of unease and foreboding. And I think Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio did an incredible job on this cover. If you enjoyed it too, you can buy a 24x36 inch, museum-quality poster, made on thick and durable matte paper, of the cover of Unusual Tales #12 to hang on your wall by visiting our shop!