Women Wednesday: Elvira and Harley Quinn Team Up Announced

Exciting news for DC's Harley Quinn and Elvira, The Mistress of the Dark Pair Up. The big event is scheduled for the summer of 2025. I can't wait to read this and I really hope the House of Mystery makes an appearance.

Elvira and Harley Qyinn Team Up Coming Summer 2025

Countdown to Halloween 2019 Day 25: Elvira's House of Mystery Special #1

Merry Christmas and here is Elvira's House of Mystery Special #1 from DC Comics that I originally posted on Christmas Day 2008 with larger pictures:

Christmas Countdown 2014 Day 4: DC Super Star Holiday Special Part 2

Today's Christmas Countdown 2014 continues the look at DC Super Star Holiday Special (Spring 1980).

The House of Mystery story is actually three short stories told by the horror hosts at DC Comics. The three witch sisters (Morded, Mildred, and Cynthia) from The Witching Hour tells one followed by Cain telling another. Destiny from Secrets of Haunted House breaks in to tell a story. The Phantom Stranger and Madame Xanadu shows up after everyone starts bickering. Poor Abel never gets to tell his tale.

Sgt. Rock of Easy Company in "The Longest Night!":

Finally, the Legion of Super-Heroes are featured in "Star Light, Star Bright... Farthest Star I See Tonight!":

I love the last panel with Superboy and the Legionnaires gathered around a Christmas tree:

Wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!

Countdown To Halloween 2012 Day 30: Haunting Halloween 1977 Ad From DC Comics

Found this Haunting Halloween ad in DC's The Flash #246 (January 1977). Cain is telling a group of kids to keep quite while he reads them a horror story. There are actual logos for their horror comic titles including Ghosts, The House of Mystery, Weird War Tales, Unexpected and The Super-Stars of Magic.

House Of Mystery In Justice League Dark #10

The House of Mystery makes an appearance in Justice League Dark. Seems that John Constantine won the key in a poker game with Father Time and Dr. Occult. He unlocks a door in an alleyway and the house is explained as being a twin to the House of Secrets. They are both way stations on the road to limbo and move around a lot.

The group is introduced to n'aall, a demon that is the caretaker of the House of Mystery:

Comic Books That Amazon Recommended This Christmas

I received an email from Amazon this morning with the following pictures that recommended a few of the Showcase Presents and Marvel Essentials collections:

For those that want to pick any of these comic books up (and help me out a little in the process), here are the links:
Showcase Presents: DC Comics Presents Superman Team-Ups Vol. 1
Showcase Presents: House of Secrets Vol. 2
The Savage Sword Of Conan Volume 6
Showcase Presents: Bat Lash
Showcase Presents: The Flash Vol. 3
Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 4
Essential Sub-Mariner, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 1)
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern, Vol. 4
I actually have several of the DC Comics Presents issues in my collection and I love the cover to the Showcase Presents edition.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 14: The House of Mystery #297 and #315

The cover of The House of Mystery (October 1981) was done by Joe Kubert for DC Comics. This issue features chapter five of the "I...Vampire" series titled "Zen Flesh! Zen Bones!" Other chilling stories include "Beat the Devil" and "The Idols of Millons". This issue "Cain's Game Room" is about what happens when a princess kisses a mutated frog. Interesting ads includes BubbleYum (now in six flavors), Hostess Cup Cakes presents Batman in "Lights...Camera...Crime!", Life Savers sleeping bag, Olympic Sales Club (sell seven items for Huffy Motocross Bike or seventy-five items for a Magnavox Solid State Portable TV) and Magnum 440 race set from Tyco. This issue has one page devoted to "Cain's Mail Room".

Michael Kaluta did the cover for The House of Mystery #315 (April 1983) and features an untitled "I...Vampire" tale. The other chilling tales includ "The Accusing Hand!" and "The Highest Court in the Land!" Cain and Abel in "Abel Finds Work!" is a one page funny strip. Interesting ads include four tokens for free MPC kits, TSR's "Dungeons & Dragons", half page ad for Masterworks Series of Great Comic Book Artists" from Sea Gate Distributors (shown is two covers featuring Shining Knight by Frank Frazetta), BubbleYum presents "Behind the Candy Counter" one page strip, subscription offer of DC Comics featuring a full figure of the Warlord, a subscription offer for The Omega Men and Atari. A small black and white picture of Brooke Shields reading a Superman comic is featured on the "Meanwhile..." news page. This issue features one and a fourth pages devoted to "Cain's Mail Room" (the other three fourths is dedicated to DC Coming Comics and the cover to Amethyst #1 on sale February 3rd).

This wraps up the coverage of The House of Mystery horror comics that I have in my collection. Several were bought at a yard sale (hence the writing on the covers like #315). They were not common comics found at the local grocery stores where I was buying my comics at the time or I would have bought more.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 13: The House of Mystery #293 and #296

Michael Kaluta did the cover for The House of Mystery #293 (June 1981) for DC Comics. The chilling tales include "Henson's Pooch" (one of my favorites), "The Senior Sin" and the "I...Vampire" series continues with chapter three titled "The Burning!" Interesting ads include Fun Factory (own fake vampire blood for $1.50 and x-ray vision see thru glasses for $1.95), BubbleYum, Grit, Superman Club, Hostess Twinkies Cakes presents Superman in "Gold Mine Rescue", Life Savers Sweepstakes (win a year's supply of candy and lollipops) and Johnson Smith Company (own spy pen radio for only $3.75 and a ventriloquist dummy for $3.49).

The House of Mystery #296 (September 1981) cover was done by Carmine Infantino and Joe Orlando (their initials are found at the lower right hand corner). The chilling tales include "Night Watch", "Work for the Dying", "Killed in the Ratings" and "New Hope". Ads of interest includes Hostess Twinkies Cakes presents "Wonder Woman Versus the Robot Master", Life Savers sleeping bag, free Attack of the Mutants game when you send two dollars for catalog to Yaquinto Publications and half page ad for Superman II movie magazine.

Both issues features "Cain's Mail Room" but the second has only half a page of letters.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 12: The House of Mystery #290 and #291

Joe Kurbert did the covers for The House of Mystery #290 (March 1981) and #291 (April 1981) for DC Comics. The first comic features the start of "I...Vampire" written/created by J.M DeMatteis and drawn by Tom Sutton. Other chilling tales include "An Exercise in Fear" and "Special Deffects". There is also a one page "Cain's Game Room" that features Fifi the witch turning a prince into a mouse instead of a mouse. Ads include Sea-Monkeys, Hostess Cup Cakes presents Wonder Woman and The Baron, Creature Creations posters from Canopus One and an half page ad for Mystery In Space.

The House of Mystery #291 features "Night of the Living Undead" (chapter two of the "I...Vampire" series, "A Cardboard Hero", a two page "Cain in the House of Mystery" and "The Seas Run Red!" Interesting ads in this issue features BubbleYum (now in wild cherry, tropical punch and grape), a half page offer to join the Superman Fan Club, Hostess Twinkies Cakes presents Wonder Woman in "Old Gold" and Sea-Monkeys.

Both issues have Cain's Mail Room full of letters from fans.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 11: The House of Mystery #284 and #288

The cover art of The House of Mystery #284 (September 1980) and #288 (January 1981) were done by Michael Kaluta. The first horror comic features "Ruby", "The King and the Dragon", "Friends to the End" and "Deadly Peril at 20,000". An ad featuring Batgirl in "A Matter of Good Taste" promotes Hostess Twinkies. The second horror comic features "The Piper at the Gates of Hell", "Blood on the Sand" and "When the Sea Gives Up Its Dead!" Cain has a one page of gags that features more do's and don'ts for monsters. A Hostess Fruit Pies ad presents "The Flash Meets the Bureauc-Rat". Both issues have a one page Cain's Mail Room filled with letters.

Halloween Countdown 2009 Day 10: The House of Mystery #282

The cover artist for The House of Mystery #282 (July 1980) was Joe Kubert, who is best known for his work on Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. The first page features Cain and boy editor, Len Wein. The chilling tales are "The Lady Killer Craves Blood", "I'm Off To My Funeral" and "Some Place Where The Sun Don't Shine". The funny one pager is "Cain's Game Room".

Interesting ads found in The House of Mystery #282 include Hubba Bubba (I remember liking this gum too when it first came out), O.J. Simpson hawking Spot-bilt autographed shoes, Hostess Twinkies Cakes presenting the Flash in "A Flash in the Dam", promo for Wonder Woman #269, BubbleYum Wild Cherry, The Black Hole MPC models, historic wargames from Atlantic Products, Superman Fan Club and DC Stars stamps. The stamps features characters that would be appearing as back up features in other comics such as Adam Strange in Green Lantern and the Huntress in Wonder Woman. Other features included Cain's Mail Room and Daily Planet volume 80, number 15.

"The Computers That Saved Metropolis" is the extra twenty-eight page bonus comic included with this issue and teams Superman with two kids using Radio Shack TRS-80 computers against Major Disaster.

2008 Halloween Countdown 29 Bonus: Blog Alert - Vinnie Rattolle's Records

Not only does Vinnie Rattole's Records provides some groovy music albums to download but he also provides reviews videos and full issues of comics. In fact, he has Elivira's House of Mystery #2, 3 and 4 available in pdf and jpg formats. Be sure to check his Elvira posts for even more treats featuring the Mistress of the Dark.

2008 Halloween Countdown 15: Elvira's House of Mystery #11

Elvira's House of Mystery #11 (January 1987) is the final issue of the series from DC Comics. The cover of her riding a broom is by Dave Stevens. The five page segment featuring the Mistress of the Dark is simply titled "Elvira's House of Mystery" pencilled by Gene Colan and inked by Dick Giordano (unfortunately, the writer is once again uncredited). The three horror stories in this issue are the following: "Bugs", "Deadly Affairs" and "Killer Turf". I have included all four pages of Elvira's Post-Mortems that features the winner of the "Find Cain" contest.

Elvira's House of Mystery #11 cover

Elvira's House of Mystery page 1

Elvira's House of Mystery page 2

Elvira's House of Mystery page 3

Elvira's House of Mystery page 4

Elvira's House of Mystery page 5

Elvira's Post-Mortems page 1

Elvira's Post-Mortems page 2

Elvira's Post-Mortems page 3

Elvira's Post-Mortems page 4
For larger images, check out Elvira's House of Mystery.