Format Ongoing series Genre Horror comics | Publisher DC Comics | |
 | ||
Schedule Bimonthly, then monthly Publication date List
(vol. 1)
February–March 1969 – October 1978
(vol. 2)
1999–2000 Number of issues List
(vol. 1): 85
(vol. 2): 3 Main character(s) The Three Witches
(Morded, Mildred, and Cynthia) Writer(s) List
(vol. 1)
Alex Toth
Dennis O'Neil
Gerry Conway
Steve Skeates
Marv Wolfman
George Kashdan
Carl Wessler
(vol. 2)
Jeph Loeb Similar Secrets of Sinister House, Weird Mystery Tales, House of Secrets, The Unexpected, House of Mystery | ||
The Witching Hour was an American comic book horror anthology published by DC Comics from 1969 to 1978.
Contents
Publication history
The series was published for 85 issues from February–March 1969 to October 1978. Its tagline was "It's 12 o'clock... The Witching Hour!" and was changed to "It's midnight..." from issue #14 onwards. The series was originally edited by Dick Giordano, who was replaced by Murray Boltinoff with issue #14. Nick Cardy was the cover artist for The Witching Hour for issues #1–6, 11–12, 15–16, 18–52, and 60. Stories in the comic were "hosted" and introduced by three witches, based on Macbeth's Weird Sisters: Morded, Mildred, and Cynthia. The witches defined the archetypal Maiden/Mother/Crone—in reverse order—triumvirate of womanhood. A prototype version of the extraterrestrial Psions appeared in issue #13 (February–March 1971).
After The Witching Hour's cancellation as a result of the "DC Implosion", the title was merged with The Unexpected, until issue #209. The witches were later revived—along with the hosts of the companion series House of Secrets and House of Mystery as important characters in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman.
Vertigo limited series
Vertigo published an unrelated The Witching Hour limited series by writer Jeph Loeb and artists Chris Bachalo and Art Thibert in 1999–2000.
2013 one-shot
The Witching Hour title was revived for a one-shot anthology by Vertigo in 2013.
Collected editions
