Plop! #14

1973-76's Plop! was a sister anthology series of DC titles such as House of Mystery, House of Secrets and Secrets of Sinister House. Even though Plop! was hosted by horror hosts Cain & Abel as well as the lesser known Eve, this series was not a horror title. Instead, Plop! was a title devoted to the oddball and weird. There was definitely an element of humor running throughout this book as the majority of the stories and one-page gags revolved around the use of the word 'plop' to end the tale or for the punchline.

With Sergio Aragones, Basil Wolverton and Wally Wood all working on this book, Plop! felt like MAD Magazine lite. The trio had all at one point or another worked on the definitive humor mag of the 20th century. Aragones is a living legend, one of the last bastions of the William Gaines era of MAD. Wolverton was renowned for his grotesque creators such as the 'World's Ugliest Woman', Lena the Hyena and the cult-classic sci-fi storyline, 'The Brain Bats of Venus'! But it's Wally Wood that interests me the most!

Wallace Wood was one of the superstars of EC Comics. Known for work on such titles as Weird Science and Weird Fantasy and developing fan favorites in the Comics Code era such as THUNDER Agents, Wally Wood's artistic talent was set at 11. A tragic figure in comics, Wood battled a number of unexplained health issues and alcoholism, while maintaining a portfolio of work unparalleled to most.

The subject matter of the two main stories is rather varied. In the first yarn, a pair of spinster sisters are visited by their long-lost brother who returns home seeking his share of the family fortune. The ladies claim that they're flat broke. However, with the mystery of a forbidden, locked door, the brother is convinced that his share of wealth lies on the other side. Story 2 is a Marv Wolfman/Wally Wood collaboration. It has an aspiring knight looking for his place at King Arthur's Round Table. If he can rescue a damsel in distress, it will surely cement this squire's reputation. In a nearby castle, the young man finds a woman being terrorized by demons. Eager to save her life, the knight is faced with a dilemma that could make him a hero but it would damn the world in return.

Both stories were very good. The medieval story bears that signature MAD Magazine touch of adding funny signs and Easter eggs throughout the background scenery. The inheritance tale had just enough mix of kook factor and suspense to make the tale weird but not scary enough to warrant a place in DC's pantheon of horror titles.

The one-page gags were all weird. You can see a production number in the bottom corner of most. The numbers vary in range. I'm wondering if these were gags that were considered too unusual for MAD and not spooky enough for the House of Mystery. 

A good read that lacks the satirical edge of MAD Magazine as well as the adult edginess of EC Comics. I blame the age in which this work was produced. The 70s was a time of relaxing the rules of the Comics Code. If Marvel had produced this book, some of the material would have pushed the envelope. With DC, they were willing to tackle the ghouls, demons and other monsters finally allowed by the CCA. But when it came to counterculture and anti-establishmentism, DC just didn't do enough to be edgy. It would take a few more years before the publisher would be truly willing to stick it to the man. And when they finally do, Plop! would be a cancelled memory.

Worth Consuming! 

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Blue Devil #29

As you might recall, Blue Devil bought a condo which just happened to be the cousin to both the House of Mystery and House of Secrets. After allowing Cain and Abel to make some renovations, Dan Cassidy is ready to move into his new adobe. But there's only one problem: the House of Weirdness seems to be allergic to it's new owner. And now Blue Devil has an infestation problem. An infestation of imps! 

Boy does Cain hate imps!

A return to the kooky macabre roots of Blue Devil. The past 2-3 issues had been just odd. And while they were mostly great reads; they were far from perfect. Issue #29 was a perfection! 

If you love DC horror from the 70s and you like your superheroes a little on the zany- this is a dollar bin delight to search for!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Blue Devil #20

Blue Devil has a new residence- it's a condo! A condo that happens to be referred to as the House of Weirdness! 

After being evicted from the House of Secrets and the House of Mystery, brothers Cain and Abel have become the de facto landlords of this new domicile of the demented. But by being landlords and not tenets, that makes for Dan Cassidy becoming the newest resident. 

For his first night as occupant, Cassidy, along with Cain and Abel, must prevent a literal invasion of Hell on earth when a deceased 60s rock star seeks to make his triumphant return to earth at the expense of the souls of several thousand concert attendees. 

A beautiful mix of humor, macabre and weirdness. Post-Crisis Blue Devil is a return to that zany vibe that made me fall in love with the series!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

House of Whispers #1

A Voodoo Sorceress maintains the dream whelm of her followers aboard her houseboat, The House of Whispers. Through the secrets of her devotees, Erzulie Freda is able to view any malpractices of magic through her looking glass. One such misuse of the dark arts involves two pairs of girls who are reciting incantations from a powerful notebook. While playing the classic parlor game of telephone, the children get the words wrong. Each time they misspeak, the girls lure a powerful entity that much closer into the real world. 

Erzulie must stop these girls. But in her over-zealousness, she accidentally transports the House of Whispers to parts unimaginable- right into the back yard of brothers Cain and Abel!

This Cajun cousin of The House of Mystery and The House of Secrets was a mixed bag. I really enjoyed the concept of a new domicile of darkness being added into Vertigo's new Sandman Universe collection of titles. But there was such a jumble of scene cuts that it took a little while to understand what is going on. 

The House of Whispers is not really an anthology title like it's relatives. There's snippets of assorted stories, but the crux of the action is between Erzulie and the young ladies playing telephone.

I was just about ready to say that I will wait until this is collected to read the rest when at the end of this first issue, Cain and Abel show up. This really isn't a spoiler as myself and a lot of other readers had been hoping for this to happen. Well it did and it's made me want to read more! AND I'm not willing to wait until next year for it to be reprinted as a hardcover or trade paperback.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Elvira's House of Mystery #1

 

  The House of Mystery has a new owner in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

   Upon fleeing an angry mob, Elvira takes refuge in what is revealed to be the House of Mystery. Upset upon the loss of it’s owner Cain, the House, which all of a sudden can talk secretly hopes Elvira will find him. So the House of Mystery, under the guise of the domicile protecting her from the violent throng outside sends Elvira throughout time and space in hopes of finding something that will calm the crowd and return Cain as the spooky mansion’s rightful owner.

   Stories include a real life game of Dungeons and Dragons that turns deadly for a coven, a battle between elderly sorcerers in medieval Japan, and a group of kids hoping to win a thousand dollar prize take advantage of a nebbish child in order to do it. As is tradition with the horror version of the House of Mystery, there was also a couple of humorous comic strips peppered throughout.

     Of the three tales, the one about Japan was my least favorite. It had good art and the story was good but it was long. It was all narration (nobody speaks!) and it ran for 36-pages whereas the other yarns were only about 8-pages apiece.

     Elvira’s House of Mystery #1 doubled as a 64-page Halloween Special. As specials go it wasn’t bad. But compared to the quality of the Cain led House of Mystery books, this was a pale imitation as best. I think I understand why this book only lasted 11 issues.

   Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

House of Mystery, Volume 4:The Beauty of Decay

The House of Mystery has been sent to the City of the Space Between. However, sinister forces are causing the house and several of it’s residents to begin to lose themselves in more ways than one. 

A very good chapter. It really helps to read these volumes pretty close together. I enjoyed finding out just how Cain ended up losing the House of Mystery. The why still has yet to be determined.

This volume also includes a House of Mystery Halloween Annual (#1) that guest stars some of the supernatural stars of the DC universe, including Hellblazer, Madame Xanadu, and iZombie.

Interestingly enough, the iZombie story had me hooked and I want to find that series real soon.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Showcase Presents: House of Mystery, Vol. 1

WORTH CONSUMING!

Horror Comics were the first comics I ever bought. I was probably 3-5 years old. Oh, how I loved those old horror books. I probably spent many a quarter and then dollar, raiding the cheap bins at the local comic shop.

Now, 25 years late, little has changed- except now a vintage horror book will run you $10-$25 a pop! Thanks to DC for deciding to put these old tales into a digest reprint format. They were great fun.

 The biggest problem with this book is availability. Vol. 1 is now out of print and you may find yourself paying double the cover if you’re lucky to find this gem.  This volume is worth consuming, so happy hunting!