Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery

    (DC, 2006)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

Some may wonder what took DC so long to hop on the bandwagon of thick, low-cost, black and white “phonebook” reprint editions pioneered by Cerebus and lately favored by Marvel. However, if the House of Mystery volume is any indication, it proves the adage “better late than never.”

Editor Joe Orlando rescued House of Mystery in the late 1960s, when it had become a dumping-ground for C-level super-hero features (J’onn J’onz and Dial H for Hero) and converted it into a horror anthology as intense as the Comic Code would allow. Orlando published some of the earliest works by groundbreaking talents like Berni(e) Wrightson, Neal Adams, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman and others, alongside new and reprinted work by Alex Toth, Gil Kane, Wally Wood, Jack Kirby, Leonard Starr and Al Williamson—all wrapped in eye-catching covers by Adams and Wrightson, and punctuated by hilarious single-page gag strips by Sergio Arragones.

That early run of House of Mystery, roughly from 174-200, languished in the quarter bins for decades, but word got out in the 1990s and prices for the back issues skyrocketed. Now DC has made the first 21 issues available in glorious black and white at a bargain price of $16.99. Since most of the stories run 4-8 pages, that’s a huge variety of art and writing in a nice lightweight edition. Only the Adams covers really miss the full color, and the black and white reproduction of the interior work is super-clean. Showcase: House of Mystery is a must-have for any fan of Bronze Age comics, competently-told horror/suspense, and top notch art.

— Rob Salkowitz
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#2

7-Mar-2007
Cover Price: $16.99
1 copy available for $20.00 		Joe Orlando, Jack Oleck, Sergio Aragonés, Gerry Conway, Lore Shoberg, Len Wein, Sam Glanzman, Lynn Marron, John Albano, Steve Skeates, Robert KanigherSergio Aragonés, Nestor Redondo, Mort Meskin, Ralph Reese, Bernie Wrightson, Bernard Baily, Michael W. Kaluta, Gray Morrow, Alex Toth, Wayne Howard, Lore Shoberg, Nick Cardy, Joe Orlando, Gil Kane, Jack Sparling, Leonard Starr, Dick Dillin, Mike Sekowsky, Sam Glanzman, Wallace Wood, Jack Kirby, Rich Buckler, Bob Oksner, John Giunta, Bob Brown, Tony DeZuniga, Adolfo Buylla, Ruben Moreira, Jim Aparo, Gene Colan, Sid Greene, John Prentice, Ernie Chan, John Albano