For detailed information about this series, see: House of Mystery at DC Database
Cain (left) and the House of Mystery from the cover of Welcome Back to the House of Mystery.
House of Mystery is a series of horror, fantasy, and mystery comics anthologies published by DC Comics. While the first issues don't feature any overarching narrative, the titular House is introduced in issue 175 alongside the host Cain; following comics sometimes include stories centered around Cain and the house itself.
Following the Anthology rule, all self-contained stories featured in the comics are themselves considered part of the House of Mystery series.
Comics
Comics published are specifically:
Regular series
- House of Mystery (December, 1951 - October, 1983), 321 issues. Originally consisting in anthologies of horror stories, it switched to sci-fi in the mid-50s, then issues 143 through 173 included super-hero stories, switching back to horror starting with issue 174.
- Elvira's House of Mystery (January, 1986 - January, 1987), 11 issues. A sequel to the original series starring Elvira as the new host. It received a special issue:
- Elvira's House of Mystery Special (November, 1987), also known as Elvira's Haunted Holidays.
- House of Mystery (July, 2008 - December, 2011), 42 issues. Published by DC's Vertigo imprint. It received two special issues:
- House of Mystery Halloween Annual #1 (December, 2009)
- House of Mystery Halloween Annual #2 (December, 2010)
Minor comics
- Super DC Giant #S-20 (November, 1970), including reprints of old House of Mystery stories, it also includes original framing sequences starring Cain.
- The Brave and the Bold #93 (January, 1971), including a Batman-House of Mystery crossover story.
- DC Special #11 (March 1971), including reprints of old House of Mystery stories.
- Limited Collectors' Edition #C-23 (November, 1973), including reprints of old House of Mystery stories.
- DC Special Series #21 (April, 1980), Christmas comic including an original House of Mystery story.
- DC Comics Presents #53 (January, 1983), including a Superman-House of Mystery crossover story.
- Welcome Back to the House of Mystery (July, 1998), including reprints of old House of Mystery stories, it also includes an original introduction starring Cain.
Links to other series
Note: most appearances of Cain after becoming a regular character in Sandman comics, are not listed here since they're considered references to the Sandman (Vertigo) series; similarly, most appearances of The House of Mystery after becoming the base of the Justice League Dark are considered references to the Justice League series.
| Direction | Series | Date | Description | Type
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| Martian Manhunter | June 1964 | House of Mystery issues 143 through 173 include Martian Manhunter stories. | 2
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| Dial H for Hero | January 1966 | House of Mystery issues 156 through 173 include Dial H for Hero stories. | 2
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| House of Secrets | September 1969 | Cain from House of Mystery appears in House of Secrets #81, where his brother Abel is introduced, and Abel then appears in House of Mystery #290; additionally the House of Mystery series occasionally reprinted stories from House of Secrets and vice verca. | 1
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| Doctor Thirteen | October 1970 | The story "The Walking Stick" from House of Mystery #24 is reprinted in Phantom Stranger #9 as a story "From the Serect Files of Dr. Thirteen". | 1
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| Super DC Giant | November 1970 | Super DC Giant #S-20 includes House of Mystery stories. | 2
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| The Brave the Bold | January 1971 | The Brave and the Bold #93 includes a Batman - House of Mystery crossover story. | 2
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| Batman | January 1971 | The story in The Brave and the Bold #93 is a crossover between the two series, and the House of Mystery also appears in All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12; additionally a character dressed like Cain appears in Batman #237. | 1
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| DC Special | March 1971 | DC Special #4 features Cain from House of Mystery as the host; additionally DC Special #11 features reprints of House of Mystery stories. | 1
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| The Unexpected (DC Comics) | August 1971 | The Unexpected #126 features a reprint of a House of Mystery story, while House of Mystery #195 and subsequent issus include reprints of stories from Tales of the Unexpected. | 2
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| Witching Hour (DC Comics) | September 1971 | The Witching Hour issues 16 and 38 feature reprints of House of Mystery stories. | 2
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| My Greatest Adventure | November 1971 | The House of Mystery series occasionally featured reprints of My Greatest Adventure stories, starting with issue 196. | 2
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| Ghosts (DC Comics) | December 1971 | The Ghosts series occasionally featured reprints of House of Mystery stories, starting with issue 2. | 2
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| Phantom Stranger | February 1972 | The House of Mystery series occasionally featured reprints of Phantom Stranger stories, starting with issue 199. | 2
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| Weird War Tales | April 1972 | The Weird War Tales series occasionally featured reprints of House of Mystery stories, starting with issue 4. | 2
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| Sinister House | September 1972 | Cain from House of Mystery appears in Secrets of Sinister House #6 and later issues; additionally House of Mystery #225 includes a reprint of a story from Sinister House of Secret Love #1. | 1
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| Plop! | October 1973 | Cain from House of Mystery appears as one of the hosts of Plop! | 1
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| Spectre (DC Comics) | May 1974 | The House of Mystery series occasionally featured reprints of Spectre stories, starting with issue 224. | 2
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| Secrets of Haunted House | May 1975 | Cain from House of Mystery is a recurring character in the Secrets of Haunted House series. | 1
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| Limited Collectors' Edition (DC Comics) | February 1976 | Limited Collectors' Edition issues C-23, C-43 and C-52 feature reprints of House of Mystery stories, with Cain appearing on the cover of issue C-43 interacting with other characters from the comic. | 1
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| DC Special Series | April 1980 | DC Special Series #21 includes a House of Mystery story and it's part of a single narrative in the book. | 1
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| I, Vampire | March 1981 | House of Mystery issues 290 through 319 include I... Vampire stories. | 2
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| DC Comics Presents | January 1983 | DC Comics Presents #53 includes a Superman - House of Mystery crossover story. | 2
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| Superman | January 1983 | The story in DC Comics Presents #53 is a crossover between the two series. | 1
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| Swamp Thing | February 1985 | Cain from House of Mystery appears in Swamp Thing Vol 2 issues 33, 49 and 50; additionally Elvira finds a copy of Swamp Thing #48 in Elvira's House of Mystery #5. | 1
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| Elvira | January 1986 | Elvira's House of Mystery is a crossover between the two series. | 1
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| Blue Devil | January 1986 | Cain from House of Mystery is a recurring character in Blue Devil, starting with issue 20; additionally Elvira finds a copy of Blue Devil #20 in Elvira's House of Mystery #5. | 1
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| Sandman (Vertigo) | February 1989 | Cain from House of Mystery is a recurring character in the Sandman series; the Vertigo House of Mystery series features references to the Sandman series. | 1
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| Resurrection Man | October 1998 | Cain from House of Mystery makes an appearance in Resurrection Man #18. | 1
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| Secret Six | August 2006 | The House of Mystery is a recurring location in the Secret Six series, starting with issue 2. | 1
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| 52 | November 2006 | The House of Mystery appears in 52 #18. | 1
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| Unknown Soldier | December 2008 | House of Mystery Vol 2 #6 includes a preview of Unknown Soldier Vol 4 #1. | 2
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| Solomon Grundy | June 2009 | Cain from House of Mystery appears behind the scenes in the Solomon Grundy series, startning with issue 2. | 1
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| Justice League | August 2012 | The House of Mystery appears in Justice League Dark #10 and becomes the base of the team. | 1
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| Bizarro | November 2015 | The House of Mystery appears in Bizarro #4. | 1 |
