31 Nights of Horror Hosts | Night 5 | Cain

The House of Mystery comic book had a decades-long before its host was introduced--Cain, the "able caretake" made his debut in issue #175, cover dated August 1968.  The preceding issue marked a return to the horror theme of the book. 

Issue #175 also introduced Cain's pet gargoyle, part of that issue's second feature, "The House of Gargoyles."  Cain also had a cat named Oskar.

In addition to introducing the stories, Cain lent his name to humor pages like "Cain's Game Room" and "true" horror stories in "Cain's True Case Files."

Of Cain, Peter Sanderson writes, "It has been suggested that Cain suffers from severe mood swings.  In the past he has often appeared to be a jovial, strange, but ultimately harmless person with an eccentric taste for macabre humor and horror stories.  But Cain is genuinely sadistic, and endlessly plays a murderous 'game' with his hapless brother in which the re-enact the 'First Story," the killing of the biblical Abel by his brother, the original Cain" (Who's Who in the DC Universe).

In issue #252, writer Paul Kupperberg revealed the House was situated near the Kentucky state line, somewhere north of Louisville.   As a resident of the Louisville Metro area for 11 years and the Northern Kentucky region for 3, I never happened upon the house.  You can read the relevant parts of issue #252 here:  https://kupps.malibulist.com/2020/02/03/the-secret-origin-of-the-house-of-mystery   

The title ended with issue #321 in 1983.... However, that was neither the end of Cain, nor the end of The House of Mystery... Stay tuned for more... 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Secret Origin of... PETER CANNON - THUNDERBOLT

Image
Though there were other comics series with similar names before and after, the longest-running  Secret Origins  comic book was published by DC Comics from April 1986 to August 1990.  It included 50 regular issues, three annuals, and one special edition.  This series of blog posts focuses on the stories that would have been, should have been, or otherwise follow the spirit of that series. The Secret Origin of... PETER CANNON - THUNDERBOLT        Charlton Comics published the comic book adventures of a number of "Action Heroes," including Captain Atom, the Blue Beetle, the Peacemaker, Judomaster, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt.  Charlton ceased publication before I started reading comics, but many of the Charlton Action Heroes were acquired by DC Comics in the early 1980s.  They were introduced into the DC Universe in the 12-issue maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths.  They were also featured in the encyclopedic Who's Who, the Defini...
Read more

Comics and the Bible | The Seraph in "Echo of Evil!" | Super Friends #46

Image
The Seraph in "Echo of Evil" from  Super Friends  #46 Rivkah's cousin from Los Angeles is visiting Masada, a site in the Eastern Judean desert.  She is introduced to Chaim Lavon, who senses the clammy nearness of a malevolent being.    A caption box sets up the remainder of the story: "The influx of American visitors to Masada promised to be a joyful event, yet the place was haunted by the venomous presence of a demon... A ghostly butcher eager to slaughter 960 men, women, and children... Echo of Evil!" Despite the moment of unease, Chaim shares the history of Masada with cousin Wendy: "King Herod the Great turned Masada into a pleasure palace and formidible fort around 36 to 30 B.C.  100 years later, Rome sacked Jerusalem.  The last band of Jewish fighters fled into the desert to continue their battle for freedom... From Masada, they harried the Romans for two years....Then, Flavius Silva, with the Roman Tenth Legion, plus 10,000 colonial troops and s...
Read more

I Met... SANDY PLUNKETT!

Image
  I Met... Sandy Plunkett! Chillicothe Comics Center, a local non-profit, sponsored a special event at Wheatberry Books, our local bookstore.  They invited Sandy Plunkett, an Athens-based comic book artist, for a time of conversation and signings.  Although the name was unfamiliar, I learned that he had worked for both Marvel and DC, in addition to other projects throughout the years.  He penciled entries in the original Who's Who series for the Fiddler, a Golden-Age Flash villain, and Tim Trench, a private investigator who appeared in Wonder Woman.  So I took my 50-pound Who's Who Omnibus Vol. 1 for him to sign, which it graciously did.       But I also learned during his presentation that he drew the cover for Comic Book Creator #29, the first issue I worked on during my time with TwoMorrows Publishing.  Had I realized that, I would have brought that magazine for him to sign as well.  Next time!
Read more