31 Nights of Horror Hosts | Night 9 | Madame Xanadu

 Many of DC's horror hosts moved on to other things when their books were cancelled.  Madame Xanadu is one of them.  In fact, it wasn't until very recently that I learned she was once a horror host.  She first appeared in Doorway to Nightmare #1, cover dated February 1978.

Madame Xanadu had an unassuming shop on Christy Street in New York's Old East Village.  The name on the window read "Madame Xanadu, Advisor."  A sign on the door read "Enter Freely and Unafraid."  Some who tried to enter found the door locked.  Those who were in true need of her services were able to enter.  For some, the door was a gateway to realized dreams... to others, it was a Doorway to Nightmare...

Madame Xanadu was a little different from the other hosts we've covered so far; she was a character in the storyline, rather than an omniscient observer.  

Doorway to Nightmare lasted only five issues, then the title was folded into The Unexpected.

I was introduced to Madame Xanadu through the Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, a "Who's Who" of characters from DC's first 50 years (artwork below).  In Crisis on Infinite Earths, she also appeared along side magic-based heroes like Zatanna, Phantom Stranger, and Dr. Fate.  From there she became a familiar face in the DC Universe, whenever mystical characters gather.  


   

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