Inside The House of Secrets

The DC Universe is no stranger to creating fiendish villains and daring heroes. However, back in 1956, DC broke the cookie-cutter mold and created an anthology series full of mystery, fantasy, and horror. How much do you know about the secrets this series held?

The original Silver Age House of Secrets ran for 80 issues between 1956 and 1966. While most of the series featured “one-off” short stories, several issues followed the adventures of modern-dress sorcerer Mark Merlin. Merlin made his first appearance in issue 23, created by Mort Meskin. Introduced in issue 61 was Bob Haney and Lee Elias’ dual-personality super villain Eclipso, followed by the Mind-Master Prince Ra-Man in issue 73. This particular character was meant to be a Doctor Strange-style replacement for Mark Merlin. Other, lesser known features included Peter Puptent, Explorer; Dolly and the Professor; Doctor Rocket; and Moolah the Mystic.

In 1969, three years after the final issue, House of Secrets was revived as The House of Secrets. Now, the horror and suspense tales were introduced by Abel, who would also host the satirical comic – Plop! During this revival, Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson introduced their now iconic character, Swamp Thing, in issue 92. The House of Secrets ran until issue 154 in 1978, sporting many covers by Neal Adams, Wrightson, and Michael Kaluta during that time. A second revival for House of Secrets took place during DC’s Vertigo imprint, but largely in name only. This series established the House of Secrets as a mobile manor, appearing in many different places. The building itself was haunted by a group of ghosts called the Jursi. This new series, which began in 1996, ran for 25 issues, plus a two-part House of Secrets: Facade special.

Although the doors to the House of Secrets have been closed for some time, the lasting impact from the mysterious series can still be found throughout pop culture.