House of Secrets (DC Comics)

House of Secrets (German house of secrets, house full of secrets, abbreviated HoS ) is the name of several comic book series, published 1956-1966 with the U.S. publisher DC Comics.

All series that were published under the title "House of Secrets", told stories that the areas of " horror and horror stories ", " horror " and " Mystery" are attributable. Here, each issue contained several, mutually detached stories of different protagonists who lived through various adventures in different scenarios, negotiated, and were most often designed by different creative teams. The popularity of the "House of Secrets " series finally gave her a branch with the same concept pledged series " House of Mystery ". Both series are still its incarnations closely interwoven in all together.

House of Secrets, 1st series ( 1956 to 1966 /1978) had

The first House of Secrets series, which brought it to eighty editions, was launched in December 1956 and was initially released until October 1966. Among the most popular and most enduring features of the series it included, among other things, the row about the magician Mark Merlin, the macabre antics of the schizophrenic astronomers Eclipso ( Hero and Villain in One Man!, from issue # 61, August 1963) and the changing experiences of Prince Ra -Man the Mind Master ( from issue # 73, October 1965 ). Other features were: Peter Puptent, Explorer, Dolly and the Professor, Doctor Rocket and Moolah the Mystic.

After the temporary suspension of House of Secrets due to dwindling sales the series by the publisher was first thrust into a " editorial revision break ". This lasted for three years until the series was resumed in September 1969, thereby continuing the old numbering with issue # 81. This time the series ran nine years until it was ebgesetzt again with issue # 154, November 1978.

Among the innovations that experienced the series after its resumption, belonged especially the "host " of the series, a man named Abel, who turned under breaking through the fourth wall directly to the reader and in each issue anew the individual, independent stories held together by a frame story metadiegetic. The House of Mystery, so far only a title, who was elected to his horror feelings evoked euphony, has now been expanded within the fiction of the series to a representational concept by a material existing within the imagination of the series House, the Abel House of Secrets designated, made to Abel's home and the setting for the frame story.

The figure of Abel proved to be so popular that he as a narrator of the series Plop! ( a satire series ) was used. The sister series House of Secrets, House of Mystery, fittingly, Abel 's brother Cain was assigned as the narrator ( Cain ). Among the most popular artists working on the series in these years included the artist Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson and Mike Kaluta, and the author Len Wein. Undoubtedly, the most famous and popular series, which was told in those years in the series, Swamp Thing was, the fortsponn the creepy tale of the adventures of the eponymous Thing from the Swamp beginning with issue # 92 (July 1971) from month to month.

House of Secrets, 2nd series (1996 to 1998)

In October 1996 started at DC's Vertigo imprint publisher's own, which specializes in comics for " adult reader " who correspondingly a slightly " harder line " take, a new series entitled "House of Secrets". This series ran until 1998 and brought it to 25 editions. The existing within the series "material" house building is a mobile home that can move from place to place and from spiritual beings which are referred to as " Juris " is haunted here. In addition two specials published under the title "House of Secrets: Facade ".

Reprints

In 2000, all of Swamp Thing stories from HoS under the label " Millennium Edition " were reissued.

• DC Comics