View source for House of Secrets (DC Comics)

{{Short description|Anthology comic book series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox comic book title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> 
|image = House secrets v1 01.jpg 
|caption = Cover of ''House of Secrets'' #1 (November - December 1956), art by [[Ruben Moreira]].
|schedule = Varied between monthly and bi-monthly
|ongoing = y
|publisher = [[DC Comics]]
|date = {{collapsible list|'''(vol. 1)'''<br>'''(original run)'''<br/>November/December 1956 – September/October 1966 <br>'''(revival)'''<br>September/October 1969 - October/November 1978 <br> '''(vol. 2)'''<br> October 1996 - December 1998}}
|issues = {{collapsible list| '''(vol. 1)''': 154 <br> '''(vol. 2)''': 25}}
|genre= [[Horror comic|Horror]]<br/>[[Fantasy comic|Fantasy]]
|main_char_team =
|writers = {{collapsible list|'''(vol. 1)''' <br>[[Bob Haney]]<br>[[Len Wein]] <br> '''(vol. 2)''' <br> Steven Seagle}}
|artists =
|pencillers = {{collapsible list| '''(vol. 1)''' <br>[[Bernard Baily]]<br>[[Ruben Moreira]]<br>[[John Prentice (cartoonist)|John Prentice]]<br>[[Jim Mooney]]<br>[[Jack Kirby]]<br>[[Mort Meskin]]<br>[[Lee Elias]]<br>[[Dick Dillin]]<br>[[Bill Draut]]<br>[[Gray Morrow]]<br> [[Bernie Wrightson]]<br>[[Wally Wood]]<br>[[Jack Sparling]]<br>[[Michael Kaluta]]<br>[[Jim Aparo]]<br>[[Alfredo Alcala]]<br>[[Tony DeZuniga]]<br>[[Nestor Redondo]]<br> E.R. Cruz <br>[[Alex Niño]]<br>[[Rudy Nebres]]<br>[[Ernie Chan]]<br>[[Gerry Talaoc]]<br>Leo Durañona <br>'''(vol. 2)''' <br> [[Teddy Kristiansen]]}}
|inkers = {{collapsible list|'''(vol. 1)''' <br>[[Frank Giacoia]]}}
|letterers =
|colorists =
|editors = {{collapsible list|'''(vol. 1)'''<br>[[Jack Schiff]] (#1–56 and 66–80)<br>[[Murray Boltinoff]] (#57–65)<br>[[Joe Orlando]] (#81 and 91–147)<br>[[Dick Giordano]] (#82–90)<br>[[Paul Levitz]] (#148–154)<br>'''(vol. 2)'''<br>[[Shelly Bond]] (#1–25)}}
|creative_team_month =
|creative_team_year =
|creators =
|subcat = DC Comics
|sort = House of Secrets
}}
'''''The House of Secrets''''' is the name of several [[Mystery fiction|mystery]], [[fantasy comics|fantasy]], and [[Horror comics|horror]] [[Comics anthology|comics anthologies]] published by [[DC Comics]]. It is notable for being the title that introduced the character the [[Swamp Thing]]. It had a companion series titled ''The [[House of Mystery]]''.

==Publication history ==
=== First series ===
The original [[Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]] series ran 80 issues, from November/December 1956<ref>{{cite book|last1=Irvine|first1= Alex|author-link = Alexander C. Irvine|editor-last = Dolan|editor-first = Hannah|chapter= 1950s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2010|location= London, United Kingdom|isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9|page= 81|quote = The mystery-suspense anthology series ''House of Secrets'' began the eighty-issue run of its first incarnation in December.}}</ref> to September/October 1966.<ref>{{gcdb series|id= 1192|title= House of Secrets}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1= Overstreet|first1= Robert M.|title= [[Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide]]|edition= 49th|publisher= [[Gemstone Publishing]]|date= 2019|location= Timonium, Maryland|pages= 764|isbn= 978-1603602334}}</ref> In addition to short "one-off" stories, several issues featured the adventures of modern-dress sorcerer [[Prince Ra-Man|Mark Merlin]], who first appeared in issue #23 (August 1959). The dual-personality supervillain [[Eclipso]] ("Hero and Villain in One Man!") was created by [[Bob Haney]] and [[Lee Elias]] and was introduced in issue #61 (August 1963)<ref name="dc-ency">{{Cite book|last = Wallace|first = Dan|contribution = Eclipso|editor-last = Dougall|editor-first = Alastair|title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia|page = 112|publisher = Dorling Kindersley|year = 2008|location= London, United Kingdom|isbn = 978-0-7566-4119-1}}</ref><ref>McAvennie, Michael "1960s" in Dolan, p. 109: "In August's ''House of Secrets'' #61, writer Bob Haney and artist Lee Elias used a black diamond to transform Dr. Bruce Gordon into Eclipso".</ref> and continued to the series' end. [[Prince Ra-Man]] the Mind-Master bowed in #73 (July - August 1965) and was a [[Doctor Strange]]-style "replacement" for Mark Merlin.<ref name="Markstein">{{cite web |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/ra-man.htm |title=Prince Ra-Man, Mind Master |first=Don |last=Markstein |year=2010 |website=[[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240526074053/https://www.webcitation.org/6BLd0KfOb?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/ra-man.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2024 |url-status=dead |access-date=October 11, 2012 |quote=The character came to be when powers within the company apparently decided Mark Merlin...wasn't working. Superheroes were what was selling, so that's what Mark needed to be replaced with. But instead of simply not using Mark Merlin anymore, and introducing something new where he'd formerly been, they attempted to retain whatever fans he may or may not have had by linking him to the new guy. |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite comic| writer= [[Bob Haney|Haney, Bob]]|penciller= [[Bernard Baily|Baily, Bernard]]|inker= Baily, Bernard|story= The Death of Mark Merlin|title= House of Secrets|issue= #73|date= July - August 1965}}</ref> Prince Ra-Man twice battled Eclipso.<ref name="Markstein" /><ref>{{cite comic| writer= Haney, Bob|penciller= [[Jack Sparling|Sparling, Jack]]; Baily, Bernard|inker= Sparling, Jack; Baily, Bernard|story= Helio, the Sun Demon!|title= House of Secrets|issue= #76|date= January - February 1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite comic| writer= Haney, Bob|penciller= Sparling, Jack; Baily, Bernard|inker= Sparling, Jack; Baily, Bernard|story= The Master of Yesterday and Tomorrow!|title= House of Secrets|issue= #79|date= July - August 1966}}</ref> The "Prince Ra-Man" feature ended in ''House of Secrets'' #80 (September - October 1966), the final issue of the series.<ref>{{cite comic|writer= Haney, Bob|penciller= Baily, Bernard|inker= Baily, Bernard|story= The Death of the Six-Sided Sun|title= House of Secrets|issue= #80|date= September - October 1966}}</ref> Other, lesser continuing features included "Peter Puptent, Explorer"; "Dolly and the Professor"; "Doctor Rocket"; and "Moolah the Mystic".

=== Revival (second run) ===
[[File:HouseOfSecrets92.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Cover of ''The House of Secrets'' #92 (July 1971), introducing the  [[Swamp Thing]], art by [[Bernie Wrightson]].<!--Note: Confirmed both pencils & inks-->]]

The series was revived three years later with a definite article as ''The House of Secrets'', beginning with issue #81 (August - Sept. 1969). Now its horror and suspense tales were introduced by a host named [[Abel (DC Comics)|Abel]],<ref>McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 134: "Abel never earned any respect from his brother...Yet it didn't stop him from reopening ''House of Secrets'' with issue #81, following the series' three-year hiatus".</ref> who would also host the [[satirical]] comic ''[[Plop!]]''. His brother, [[Cain (DC Comics)|Cain]], hosted ''The House of Mystery''.

The title had an early breakthrough for the mainstream part of the medium: issue #83 had a story, "The Stuff that Dreams are Made of", written by [[Marv Wolfman]]. As part of the framing story, Abel introduces the story by telling a tale told to him by a "wandering Wolfman". Upon examination, the censor bureau, the [[Comics Code Authority]] refused to give the issue its seal of approval since it mentions a wolfman, which was specifically forbidden along with other classic monsters. The series' editor, [[Gerry Conway]] explained that the writer's actual surname was Wolfman, and the CCA conceded on the condition that the distinction be made obvious with an explicit writer's credit in the story. That directive was complied with and suddenly the editorship of DC was inundated with complaints from other writers because of Wolfman's special consideration of a printed credit. In response, the editorship made writers credits standard practice for future publications.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cronin |first1=Brian |title=Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #119 |url=https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-119/ |website=CBR.com |date=September 7, 2007 |access-date=7 April 2021}}</ref>

The [[Swamp Thing]] first appeared in ''The House of Secrets'' #92 (July 1971) in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century written by [[Len Wein]] and drawn by [[Bernie Wrightson]].<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 146: "'Swamp Thing' was the name of Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson's turn-of-the-century tale, and its popularity with readers led a modernized version of the character into his own series a year later".</ref> The woman appearing on the cover of this issue was modeled after future comics writer [[Louise Simonson]].<ref>{{cite book|quote= When Swamp Thing debuted in this issue of ''House of Secrets'' as a "one-shot", no one could have known it would lead to an enduring hit franchise, least of all its cover model, future comics writer Louise Simonson.|author-link= Paul Levitz|last=Levitz|first= Paul|title= 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking|publisher= [[Taschen]]|year=2010|location= Cologne, Germany|isbn=978-3-8365-1981-6|page= 481}}</ref> The Patchwork Man, a character from the ''[[Swamp Thing (comic book)|Swamp Thing]]'' ongoing series, was to have become an ongoing feature in the series, but only appeared in one issue.<ref>{{cite comic|writer= [[Gerry Conway|Conway, Gerry]]|penciller= [[Nestor Redondo|Redondo, Nestor]]|inker= Redondo, Nestor|story= Reprise: The Patchwork Man|title= House of Secrets|issue= #140|date= February - March 1976}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://comicsbulletin.com/dc-shake-up-and-fallout-the-patchwork-man/|title= DC Shake-Up (and fallout): The Patchwork Man|first= Jim|last= Kingman|date= January 26, 2010|website= [[Comics Bulletin]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150924201841/http://comicsbulletin.com/dc-shake-up-and-fallout-the-patchwork-man/|archive-date= September 24, 2015|url-status= live|quote= Despite the potential, the great artwork, the intriguing cast, and the interesting plot points, ''House of Secrets'' was suddenly 'canceled' after issue #140 – The Patchwork Man’s first and only appearance in what was meant to be an ongoing run in the series.}}</ref>

The revival of ''The House of Secrets'', sporting many covers by [[Neal Adams]], Bernie Wrightson and [[Michael Kaluta]], ran through issue #154 (Nov. 1978), with six months passing between issues #140 (February - March 1976) and 141 (August - September 1976). Cancelled as a result of the [[DC Implosion]], it was then "merged" into ''[[The Unexpected (1968 comic book)|The Unexpected]]'' with issue #189<ref>{{Citation|last = Wells|first = John|title = 'Lost' DC: The DC Implosion|newspaper = [[Comics Buyer's Guide]]|issue = 1249|page = 132|date = October 24, 1997|location= Iola, Wisconsin|quote= Following its cancellation with #154, ''House of Secrets'' was merged with ''The Witching Hour'' and ''Doorway to Nightmare'' in ''The Unexpected'', which was expanded to Dollar Comic size to accommodate the changes.}}</ref> through issue #199. The series was 68 ad-free pages, allowing all three portions to be full-length issues.

The House of Secrets also came to be the name of the actual edifice in which Abel lives. Writer [[Mike Friedrich]] and artist [[Jerry Grandenetti]] introduced the house and explained its origins. The building itself was constructed for a Senator Sanderson using only materials from Kentucky, and went under the enchantment that only pure-blood Kentuckians would be able to live there. Later, Sanderson's wife went insane in the upper floors, leading the Senator to sell the house. The next four owners, none of them pure Kentuckians, found themselves driven away for various reasons. The following owner attempted to move the home from its original location, but the house tore itself free from its trailer, ran its owner over a cliff to his death and settled less than 200 yards from the Kentucky state line in a graveyard.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, Vol. 1|publisher=DC Comics|year=1984|location=New York, NY|pages=1}}</ref> Whether by fate or some mystical alignment, the companion House of Mystery stands at the other end of the graveyard. Shortly after this, Abel was driven to the house and entrusted as its caretaker by a man who revealed himself to be an aspect of the House's existence, but making vague references to an employer. Abel was showing living in the House of Mystery in the quarterly ''[[DC Special]]'' #4, published one month earlier (July - Sept. 1969).

In the 1980s and 1990s, ''[[The Sandman (Vertigo)|The Sandman]]'' series revealed that the House of Secrets edifice exists both in the real world of the DC Universe and in the [[The Dreaming (comics)|Dreaming]], as a repository for secrets of all kinds. The character of Abel would later become a recurring character in ''The Sandman'' (vol. 2) and related series such as ''[[The Dreaming (comics)|The Dreaming]]''.

=== Second series ===
{{main article|House of Secrets (Vertigo)}}
DC's [[Vertigo (DC Comics)|Vertigo]] imprint revived the name ''House of Secrets'' as a new title and concept. Here the House of Secrets was a mobile manor, appearing in different places. The building itself is haunted by the Juris, a group of ghosts who summon those with secrets in order to judge them and pass sentence. To the Juris, all offenses carry the same weight, from rape and murder to simply lying at a crucial moment. A runaway named Rain Harper stumbled upon the House of Secrets and took up a position as an unwilling witness to the Juris trials, validating the judgments and either condemning the tried souls to imprisonment in the basement, or setting them free to live their life purged of their secret.

Starting fresh with a new #1 (October 1996), this series ran 25 issues, plus a two-part special ''House of Secrets: Facade''. This ''House of Secrets'' series was creator-owned, except for its title which was "licensed" by DC to the series' creators. The letters column in issue #6 indicates that, for legal reasons, they could not include Cain and Abel in the stories. This series was used for the framing story in the first Vertigo ''Winter's Edge'' special, featuring Rain happening upon an art gallery in the House whose paintings allow her to see stories from ''[[The Sandman (Vertigo)|The Sandman]]'' (vol. 2), ''[[The Dreaming (comics)|The Dreaming]]'', ''[[Hellblazer|John Constantine, Hellblazer]]'', ''[[The Invisibles]]'', ''[[The Books of Magic]]'', ''The Minx'', ''[[Sandman Mystery Theatre]]'' and ''[[Nevada (comics)|Nevada]]''.

== Secret Six headquarters ==
In the mid-2000s, the [[Secret Six (comics)|Secret Six]] made their headquarters in the House of Secrets. [[Scandal (comics)|Scandal]] stated in issue #5 of ''[[Villains United]]'' that the House would not show up on technological scans or mystical surveillance. She also said that Mockingbird claimed the House was a "house of victims".

==In other media==
The House of Secrets appeared in the ''[[Young Justice (TV series)|Young Justice]]'' episode "Secrets". In the series, it is a magic shop across the street from the house of [[Secret (DC Comics)|Greta]] and Billy Hayes.<ref>{{cite episode|title= Secrets|series= Young Justice|series-link= Young Justice (TV series)|credits= [[Peter David|David, Peter]] (writer); Oliva, Jay (director)|network= [[Cartoon Network]]|air-date= November 18, 2011|season= 1|number= 18}}</ref>

== Collected editions ==
* ''The [[Jack Kirby]] Omnibus'' includes stories from ''House of Secrets'' #3–4, 8, and 12, 304 pages, August 2011, {{ISBN|1-4012-3107-1}} 
* ''[[Showcase Presents]] Eclipso'' collects the Eclipso stories from ''House of Secrets'' #61–80, 296 pages, August 2009, {{ISBN|1-4012-2315-X}}
* ''Showcase Presents House of Secrets''
** ''Volume 1'' collects ''The House of Secrets'' #81–98, 544 pages, August 2008, {{ISBN|978-1-4012-1818-8}}
** ''Volume 2'' collects ''The House of Secrets'' #99–119, 496 pages, October 2009, {{ISBN|1-4012-2523-3}}
* ''The [[Steve Ditko]] Omnibus Volume 1'' includes ''The House of Secrets'' #139: "The Devil's Daughter" and ''The House of Secrets'' #148: "Sorcerer's Apprentice", both by [[Jack Oleck]] and [[Steve Ditko]], 480 pages, September 2011, {{ISBN|1-4012-3111-X}}
* ''House of Secrets: The Bronze Age Omnibus''
** ''Volume 1'' collects ''The House of Secrets'' #81–111, 864 pages, February 13, 2018, {{ISBN|978-1-4012-7684-3}}
** ''Volume 2'' collects ''The House of Secrets'' #112–154, 872 pages, December 31, 2019, {{ISBN|978-1-4012-9465-6}}
* ''House of Secrets Omnibus'' collects ''House of Secrets'' (vol. 2) #1–25, 752 pages, April 2013, {{ISBN|978-1-4012-3673-1}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id=1980|title=''House of Secrets''}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id=639|title=''House of Secrets'' (Vertigo)}}
* [http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/house-of-secrets ''House of Secrets''] at Cover Browser
* [http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/series.php?seriesid=1081 ''House of Secrets''] and [http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/series.php?seriesid=1082 ''House of Secrets'' (Vertigo)] at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

{{DC Comics Mystery Titles|state=collapsed}}
{{Jack Kirby}}
{{Justice League Dark}}
{{Secret Six|state=collapsed}}
{{Steve Ditko}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Secrets}}
[[Category:1956 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1966 comics endings]]
[[Category:1969 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1978 comics endings]]
[[Category:Comics anthologies]]
[[Category:Comics by Arnold Drake]]
[[Category:Comics by Bob Haney]]
[[Category:Comics by Carl Wessler]]
[[Category:Comics by George Kashdan]]
[[Category:Comics by Jack Kirby]]
[[Category:Comics by Len Wein]]
[[Category:Comics by Steve Ditko]]
[[Category:Comics magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:DC Comics locations]]
[[Category:Defunct American comics]]
[[Category:Fantasy comics]]
[[Category:Fictional houses]]
[[Category:Horror comics]]
[[Category:Mystery comics]]