Mystery Tales was a series of comic books published by Atlas Comics (now known as Marvel) from March, 1952 to August, 1957. It ran for 54 issues. Issue 40 was featured on Lost during the episode "Cabin Fever", while one of the short stories within the issue, March Has 32 Days, was also referenced in the latest Lost ARG.
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Issue 40, cover dated April 1956 with the cover teaser "What was the secret of the mysterious 'HIDDEN LAND!'", was one of Richard's items presented to John Locke as a test in "Cabin Fever". Ultimately the 5-year-old Locke did not choose the comic book as an item that already belonged to him.
In the Lost ARG, Dharma Initiative Recruiting Project, the HTML source code of the first email from Octagon Global Recruiting contains the hidden comment "March Has 32 Days".
The short story, referenced in the Lost ARG, has perhaps the most interesting comparisons with the show's narrative. The story is of John Billings, who fails to inspect a bridge on March 31st in order to say goodbye to his wife, Lisa, at the airport before she leaves on a flight to an unspecified location. Later that day the bridge collapses, and although no one is hurt, John feels guilty. John wishes he could live that day over again, although he laments that he would just wind up making the same decision again, anyway. Without explanation, he blacks out and wakes up to find that the date is still March 31st. John is determined to inspect the bridge this time, but he is persuaded otherwise by a colleague who insists that the bridge has already been inspected and is safe. On his way to the airport, John realizes he's doing just what he feared he would, and drives to the bridge instead. There, he finds a structural flaw, and prevents the bridge's collapse. While John dismisses the experience as a dream, astronomers note with confusion that they have determined that this year, March had 32 days, "and we'll never know why!"
The episode "Whatever Happened, Happened", which explores the central question of the story "March Has 32 Days," was first broadcast on April 1, 2009 (i.e., March 32nd).
John Billings, the protagonist of the story, is also the name of a very well-known Australian doctor who developed a natural contraception method known as the Billings Ovulation Method. Dr. Billings's death on April 1, 2007 was significant enough to warrant a 500-word obituary in The New York Times.
There are many parallels between the real Dr. John Billings, the John Billings of the comic book story, and the Lost TV show, including the fact that Dr. Billings is Australian, that he is best known for his research regarding pregnancy, and that he died on April 1st (i.e., March 32nd).
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