The House of Secrets

House of Secrets # 97 (DC Comics)

Writers/Artists (v)

DC Comics published a number of horror/science fiction story anthologies of which House of Secrets was one of the longest running. Like all anthologies the stories varied in quality, but were generally a good read. The cover story The Curse of Castle Morby was standard fare as were most of the others, though the two pager The Day After Doomsday did amuse.

This particular issue was a 52 page 25c edition which was a disastrous format for DC as they priced themselves out of circulation. The format didn't last long and in some titles the use of reprints to fill the pages didn't always appeal to those of us wanting something new, which Marvel was certainly delivering at the time.

Funnily enough the first copies of this title I purchased as a child did not contain horror stories at all. Like many similar comics, House of Secrets was publishing "super-hero" stories.

Eclipso, later to become one of the major villains in the DC universe along with the somewhat lame and long forgotten Prince Ra-Man shared House of Secrets in the mid sixties. Really only worth tracking down if you are a bit of a DC completest.

One major character that did make a first appearance in House of Secrets #92 was the Swamp Thing, revamped, re-imagined and still going in DC's "New 52" Universe.



Finally of course House of Secrets, like most of these comics had a host Abel, who would introduce the stories.....



Those were the days...