House of Secrets #14

(November 1958)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Honor House Products Corp. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

The Curse of the Fire God (Table of Contents: 2)

comic story / 5.67 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Howard Purcell

Inks

Howard Purcell

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Pete Marek thought he had it made!

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

Pete Marek

Synopsis

Pete Marek has stolen a million dollars and escapes to Peru where he is pursued by detectives. He plunges into the jungle but his path is blocked by a festival to the Fire God. Told that the alternative route is 5 miles away he pushes through despite warnings the Fire God will seek him out. Further along a bolt of lightning sets fire to the track forcing him to change course. He then tries to cross a rope bridge which catches fire. He decides to go further up into the snow. The detectives see smoke coming from a hut and find Marek. His glasses have focused the sun's rays causing a fire.

Reprints

• in Mystery in Space (Thorpe & Porter, 1958 ? series) #8 ([circa 1959])
• in Five-Score Comic Monthly (K. G. Murray, 1958 series) #12 ([April 1959])
• in Relatos Fabulosos (Editorial Novaro, 1959 series) #2 (1 de octubre de 1959)
• in Big Boy (Arédit-Artima, 1956 series) #41 (February 1960)
• in Race for the Moon (Thorpe & Porter, 1962 ? series) #9 ([1963])
• in Big Boss (Arédit-Artima, 1970 series) #22 (1975) [N&B et recadré [B&W and reframed]]

Keywords

Fire God; glasses

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3) (Expand) /

Tootsie Roll / advertisement / 0.33 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

Showcase; Adam Strange / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Look to the Stars! (Table of Contents: 5)

public service announcement / 1 page (report information)

Script

Jack Schiff

Pencils

Lou Cameron

Inks

Lou Cameron

Colors

?

Letters

Ira Schnapp

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Gosh Bob, we're lost! What do we do now?

Genre

advocacy; math & science

Characters

Bob; Ted

Synopsis

Bob and his friends are saved from being lost in the woods because Bob knows how to find Polaris, the North Star.

Indexer Notes

Appeared across a range of DC comics in November/December 1958.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6)

Professor Eureka / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Pencils

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Inks

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Well, this is our camping site for the next several weeks...

Genre

humor

Reprints

• in Mystery in Space (Thorpe & Porter, 1958 ? series) #8 ([circa 1959])
• in Relatos Fabulosos (Editorial Novaro, 1959 series) #2 (1 de octubre de 1959)

The Swami of Broadway (Table of Contents: 7)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Bill Ely

Inks

Bill Ely

Colors

?

Letters

Pat Gordon

First Line of Dialogue or Text

From the mysterious jungles of Bengal to the glittering lights of an American city came the Swami--bringing with him a magic emerald possessing the power to unlock the forbidden secrets of the future!

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

Dean Hall; Orry Kane; swami [Jones]

Synopsis

Dean Hall and Orry Kane are on a trip in Bengal. Kane tries again to persuade Hall to sell him his theater, Hall again refuses. They enter a village and see a swami who predicts an elephant stampede. The square is emptied just in time. A month later Hall auditions acts for his theater when the swami appears on stage. He makes two predictions which comes true. Later the swami is asked to appear at the theater and he says he will not enter as it will be struck by a meteor. Hall sells the theatre to Kane and leaves. The swami is then revealed to be a fake. Then a meteor hits the theatre.

Reprints

• in Mystery in Space (Thorpe & Porter, 1958 ? series) #8 ([circa 1959])
• in Relatos Fabulosos (Editorial Novaro, 1959 series) #2 (1 de octubre de 1959)
• in Big Boy (Arédit-Artima, 1956 series) #37 (October 1959)
• in Race for the Moon (Thorpe & Porter, 1962 ? series) #9 ([1963])
• in The Unexpected (DC, 1968 series) #159 (September-October 1974)
which is reprinted
• in Terror Tales Album (K. G. Murray, 1977 series) #8 ([October 1978]) [Job number (B-1251), and copyright details deleted from reprint. Page headings deleted: “The Unexpected” (odd pages) and “The Swami of Broadway” (even pages), except for pp1.]
• in Big Boss (Arédit-Artima, 1970 series) #22 (1975) [N&B et recadré [B&W and reframed]]

Keywords

swami

The Fantastic Wishing Well (Table of Contents: 8)

comic story / 5.67 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Mort Meskin (signed as Meskin)

Inks

George Roussos; Mort Meskin ?

Colors

?

Letters

Artie Simek

First Line of Dialogue or Text

If you'd have told me some time ago I'd find a wishing well that actually worked, I'd have laughed at you.

Genre

crime; fantasy-supernatural

Characters

Brad Horton

Synopsis

Brad Horton has stolen $150,000 in marked money. He jumps from a train into some woods looking for a place to bury the money until it is safe to spend. He trips and falls into an old well. He wishes he never left the train and suddenly finds himself back there. Leaving the train again he finds his way back to the well where a stone tells him that wishes cost a nickel. He wishes for a million dollars and uses this to buy up the well and surrounding land. Officials visit and want to know the source of his wealth. He makes a wish to escape but the nickel is fake and he is arrested.

Reprints

• in Superman Presents Wonder Comic Monthly (K. G. Murray, 1965 ? series) #121
• in Mystery in Space (Thorpe & Porter, 1958 ? series) #8 ([circa 1959])
• in Relatos Fabulosos (Editorial Novaro, 1959 series) #2 (1 de octubre de 1959)
• in Big Boy (Arédit-Artima, 1956 series) #37 (October 1959)
• in Race for the Moon (Thorpe & Porter, 1962 ? series) #9 ([1963])
• in House of Mystery (DC, 1951 series) #195 (October 1971)
which is reprinted
• in House of Mystery: The Bronze Age Omnibus (DC, 2018 series) #1 (2018 [March 2019])
• in Shock Classics (Classics/Williams, 1972 series) #25 (1974)
• in Skrekk Magasinet (Illustrerte Klassikere / Williams Forlag, 1972 series) #2/1974 ([februar] 1974)
• in Skrækmagasinet (Williams, 1972 series) #2/1974 ([Februar] 1974)
• in Horror (BSV - Williams, 1972 series) #19 (March 1974)
• in Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery (DC, 2006 series) #2 ([May] 2007) [black and white]

Keywords

marked money; nickel; wishing well

Indexer Notes

Signature (Meskin) on lower edge of splash panel.

Following discussion on GCD Main, inker changed from Mort Meskin to George Roussos with a query on Meskin as inker. Meskin and Roussos had a collaborative relationship from the 1940s onwards (information from Lambiek).

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 9) (Expand) /

Tootsie Roll Pop / advertisement / 0.33 page (report information)

I Haunted Corby Castle (Table of Contents: 10)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

Nature's Lucky Family! (Table of Contents: 11)

cartoon / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

Julius Schwartz

Pencils

Morris Waldinger

Inks

Tom Nicolosi

Colors

?

Letters

Milt Snapinn

Genre

non-fiction

Reprints

• from The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog (DC, 1952 series) #15 (May-June 1954) [top 3 panels re-arranged]

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 12) (Expand) /

Palisades Amusement Park / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

The Man Who Stole Air (Table of Contents: 13)

comic story / 7.67 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Nick Cardy (signed as NC)

Inks

Nick Cardy (signed as NC)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

What strange things did Eric Fowler see in the air around us.. which no one else saw?

Genre

science fiction

Characters

Eric Fowler; Harry (G.S.A. Agent - voice on radio only); George Croft (G.S.A. Agent)

Synopsis

Former scientist Eric Fowler is seen collecting samples of air. George Croft is assigned and tails him back to his house. Inside he sees Fowler talking to tiny aliens. Suddenly the tiny aliens are giants and they head towards the nearby army base. Fowler recovers from being stunned and tells Croft that he tried to trick the aliens into giving him their secrets by promising them helium which they need for fuel. The aliens have a magnifying device which created the giant images. Croft disables the device and the giants disappear. The aliens are given helium and leave Earth.

Reprints

• in Mystery in Space (Thorpe & Porter, 1958 ? series) #8 ([circa 1959])
• in The Hundred Comic Monthly (K. G. Murray, 1956 ? series) #37 (October 1959)
• in Relatos Fabulosos (Editorial Novaro, 1959 series) #2 (1 de octubre de 1959)
• in Race for the Moon (Thorpe & Porter, 1962 ? series) #9 ([1963])

Keywords

giant aliens; helium; spaceship; tiny aliens

Indexer Notes

Nick Cardy NC monogram in the lower right splash panel.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 14) (Expand) /

Tootsie Roll / advertisement / 0.33 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 15) (Expand) /

Stephens Credit Sales / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16) (Expand) /

Charles Atlas / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 17) (Expand) /

American Specialty Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)