Category Archives: House Of Mystery

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RETRO REVIEW: House Of Mystery #202 (May 1972)

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Or – “A Holiday Fright For Ghouls And Boils Alike!”

There’s something really fun about a good comic book horror story (or, for that matter, even a BAD one.)  One of my horrifying memories of childhood was in reading a tale of the uncanny in which an unscrupulous pool hustler was somehow transported to a world of giants and crushed by the very 8-ball he used in life.  What was most horrifying was in seeing the giant player rubbing the bit of schmutz that used to be our protagonist on a rag before re-racking his table, seeing a life reduced to nothing more than a tiny splotch.  (Anybody who can tell me where this story appeared will get a coveted Bronze Blok Award for service above and beyond the Spoilerite call of duty.)  As for today’s fright-fest, I think one sentence sums it up:  Sergio Aragonés drawing a legendary tale of the uncanny.  Your Major Spoilers (Retro) Review awaits!

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Rapid-Fire Reviews: Channuchrismakwanzukahkaa-New-Year Edition!

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Or – “Where’s My Santa On The Shaver, Dammit?”

Sometimes the holidays turn into a blur of food and family and spectacle, like the Roman Empire right before the Dark Ages. When that happens, it’s good to have Rapid Fire Reviews: Reading the comics, so you don’t have to!

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Review: Rapid-Fire Reviews Battle Network 5 Operate Shooting Star!

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Or – “Hey, Vent! You Ready To Move Out?”

When you read monthly comic books the way that I do, often times you get to the point where you feel like you know what’s coming, when every title feels like you’ve read it before. On the other hand, you have the odd experience where you read a title or issues that you KNOW you’ve read before, but you cannot for the life of you remember how it’s supposed to end. With over a hundred monthly titles coming out, sometimes you need to play catchup, you need to go where everybody knows your name to the land of the Rapid Fire Revieeeeewwww!

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Rapid-Fire Reviews Unlimited: 3 Fast 3 Furious

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Or – “Cut Me Some Slack, I Been Working For A Promotion…”

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My day gig is a study in many things…  Management theories.  Inappropriate dress.  The mating habits of the Bisexuals Of The Plains.  But one thing that it is not, and has never been, is uncomplicated.  Thus, I have come to you, our Faithful Spoilerites, with another batch of mini-reviews, just like a Chili’s mini-burger entree only less likely to make your @$$ look like a truck.  (Also, be aware that I just barely decided not to do this one in limerick form, in honor o’ th’ wearin’ o’ the green…)

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House of Mystery: Room and Boredom Volume 1 Arrives Next Week

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homroomandboredom.jpgPress Release

Written by Matthew Sturges, writer of the Eisner-nominated JACK OF FABLES, and his JACK co-writer, FABLES creator Bill Willingham, HOUSE OF MYSTERY: Room and Boredom Vol. 1 (Vertigo | January 14, 2009 | 128pg. | Color | Softcover | $9.99 US | ISBN: 9781401220792), collecting issues #1-5, takes a classic DC Comics concept into the twenty-first century.

Everyone is a prisoner in one way or another, and Fig Keele—a feisty young architect who just happens to be running for her life—is no exception. Unfortunately for Fig, she’s ended up in the House of Mystery, a strange place like something out of her nightmares.

Fig is one of five unfortunate characters trapped at the House, trying to solve the mystery of how and why they’re imprisoned there. Each one has a terrible past they’d like to forget, and with no books, newspapers or TV allowed, they face an eternity of boredom. However, the House contains a supernatural bar where an eclectic mix of visitors eat, drink, and repent for their sins. To cover their tabs, stories become the new currency, and amazingly enough, the House attracts only the finest storytellers.

In his U.S. debut, artist Luca Rossi has illustrated HOUSE OF MYSTERY in the classic Vertigo horror tradition. Each issue in the first storyline also includes a second feature—a story told by one of the patrons—written by Willingham and illustrated by a myriad of guest artists, including two-time Eisner Award nominee Ross Campbell (WATERBABY), SANDMAN fan favorite and multiple Eisner winner Jill Thompson and, Mike Allred, best known for his Harvey Award nominated MADMAN. This collection is enclosed in an ethereal cover from Sam Weber (The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time Magazine).

“Magic—properly understood—is metaphor. When it comes to magic, you see not what is, but who you are.” Come on in to the HOUSE OF MYSTERY.


via Vertigo

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Review: A Very Rapid-Fire Christmas…

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Or – “Wasn’t There Another Reviewer At Major Spoilers?  Some Old Dude?”

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It’s a little known fact that the month of December contains space-time anomalies that keep you from ever completing anything on time.  Add to that a new paradigm at my office, wherein my team load has doubled and my patience halved, a tendency to want to spend time with my friends around the holidays, a scanner that works about half the time and my recent birthday, and I admit it…  I may have been neglecting my reviews.  Still, t’is nobler in the mind to beg forgiveness than it is to ask permission, so I’m back with a new batch of things you may have already read, but forgot to ask for my opinion on the first time.

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2-for-1 Vertigo Titles

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Vertigo has annouced that both Young Liars #1 and House of Mystery #1 have sold out at the distributor level, prompting the company to go back to press.  But instead of two reprints, Vertigo is combinging both issues into a 48-page flip book featuring the complete issues.  Best of all, Vertigo is keeping the price point at $2.99.  Smart move Vertigo!

“We’re thrilled to see that two of our new monthly series are in such demand,” says Karen Berger, Senior VP – Executive Editor, Vertigo. “Now you can get the first issue of two Vertigo staples for the price of one: the gritty crime fiction of YOUNG LIARS and HOUSE OF MYSTERY’s modern horror.”

The two-for-one issue arrives August 6, 2008.

via DC Comics

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Title Changes at DC

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DC has announced a couple of changes that may alter your buying habits in the coming months.

First up is All Star Batman & Robin that has issues 11 and 12 being resolicited at a future date with current orders being canceled.  As good as the last couple of issues have been, I can’t remember when I held that previous issue in my hand, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t see these hit the stands for another eight months.

The second change is an art issue as one of the short stories scheduled to appear in House of Mystery #3 by Bernie Wrightson is being bumped to future issue.  Replacing that story will be one featuring art by Sean Murphy.

via DC Comics

5
Review: House Of Mystery #1

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Or – “The Vertigo Problem.”

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Recently, Gatekeeper Manager Deon (who doesn’t get Howard The Duck, but somehow loves XO: Manowar) explained to me his problem with Vertigo comics:  They’re just weird for weirdness’ sake.  I don’t know how true that assessment is, but I can clearly see the kernel of truth at the bottom of that statement.  I love classic Swamp Thing, I have read Hellblazer religiously since day one, I have all the Sandman trade paperbacks, I even loved Shade: The Changing Man.  But there came a point where Vertigo seemed to have found a niche, a hook, and that hook was “Get the weird Gothy types.”  House of Mystery is a very old-school Vertigo comic book, but is that necessarily a bad thing?

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