My memory of the House of Mystery late-Silver Age/Bronze Age anthology format is that Cain sat around introducing the stories, made snarky quips, and occasionally bullied his brother Abel. As I’ve mentioned before, my memory was off, at least regarding the format’s first year. There’s no Abel (he debuts in mid ’69) and the House of Mystery in #175 (following an all-reprint issues) functions as a physical boarding house, with Cain taking in ill-fated tenants.
We’re now up to #180 and #181 and Cain is still taking in tenants. It’s no surprise I didn’t know this — I never followed House of Mystery and 1969 was a year I didn’t read comics much. I am curious if the series dropped this angle after a while — anyone got a clue?
In #181, for instance, Robert Kanigher and some guy named Bernie Wrightson tell the story of a man who becomes obsessed with an ancient Egyptian queen to the point of stealing her sarcophagus and the mummy within. He winds up taking a room at the House of Mystery to hide from the rightful owner; you will not be shocked this does not save him. It’s an uninspired script (too many half-baked elements) though the art is terrific, of course.
The tale in the previous issue, “His Name is … Kane” was considerably more interesting.
Written by Mike Friedrich and drawn by Gil Kane has Kane frustrated with the hack stories he’s turning out to meet deadline. Taking rooms away from the DC bullpen, maybe he’ll be able to concentrate without annoyances and create something good.
Oops.
That’s Joe Orlando showing up at Kane’s rooms to pester him. Kane finally snaps and kills him. Things do not improve for the artist.
Finally he ends up trapped inside his own work, where he’ll face his punishment — drawing endless second-rate, uninspired crap! Cain comes in, wonders where his tenant disappeared to (Cain-as-landlord seems oblivious to what a strange borading house he lives in) and sees what remains behind.
When I read this bit of metafiction I wondered if Kane was engaged in self-mockery. According to Brian Cronin, the mockery was Orlando’s, a response to Kane’s statements in interviews that comics art was superior to the puerile writing and editing. Friedrich joined in the mockery (he said later he regretted it); as the chef’s kiss, Orlando hired Kane for the art. Kane was not the type to turn down a gig, even one like this.
The format of HOM has changed already — it’s doing well enough that Orlando’s no longer including reprints — so I’ll keep reading and see if the landlord aspect fades away down the road.
Oh, since I brought up Abel, I’ll take a moment to discuss his debut in DC Special #4 (cover dated July/September). It’s one of those I wish was on the DC App —while the reprints look like typical bargain-basement horror fare from older suspense/horror books, the framing sequence containing them brings together Cain, Abel, the Three Witches of Witching Hour, Judge Gallows (introduced as the host of Tales of the Unexpected the previous month), the Mad Mod Witch and the Phantom Stranger. It’s the Crisis of Infinite Anthologies! Abel became host of a revived House of Secrets right afterwards.
#SFWApro. Art top to bottom by Neal Adams (x2), Wrightson, then Kane, then Neal Adams again at the end.
I don’t love the passive-aggression (or aggressive-aggression) in hiring Kane to draw something that mocks him, though it also looks like Orlando isn’t portrayed well either. But the story sounds wild and the art looks incredible (inks by Wally Wood)! I gotta track that one down, and then compare it to the issue of Brave and the Bold where Jim Aparo appears.
Hopefully they’ll reprint some House of Mystery in the new DC Finest format. Or at least a facsimile of the Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-23 where the Kane story reappears.
I’m guessing they’ll do some HOM in DC’s Finest — there’s a lot of nostalgia for the book. But that’s only a guess.
The overall meta commentary is made even more deliciously funny in that mini assistants panel due to the fact that Kane, even by the standards of his generation, employed lots of assistants, including a young Howard Chaykin.
That #181 cover is just beautiful, with washes I assume by Jack Adler. If there’s a better run of Silver Age covers than House of Mystery from the period under discussion until about #200 with Adams, Wrightson and Kaluta, then I’d love someone to show me them!
I didn’t know that about Kane.
Yeah, much as I’m not into HOM stories the covers are gorgeous. Nick Cardy did some great horror-book covers too.