House of Mystery #11 The Deadly Game of G-H-O-S-T

Issue Description

An Englishman, touring China, buys a broken clock. The shopkeeper warns the Englishmen that the clock, if repaired, would allow him to control time. Back in England, the Englishman has a strange dream. The figure on the clock comes to life, and offers him the power to control time. The figure also warns the Englishman that he will become a slave to time, should he not wield his power wisely. The next morning, the Englishman finds the clock working in perfect order. It's even set to the correct time. On a lark, the Englishman sets the hands of the clock back 24 hours.

To his astonishment, time flows backwards one day. Using his knowledge of past events, the Englishman amasses a fortune through gambling. A wealthy man, of towering social status, the Englishman purchases a small island, off the coast of Scotland. One day, while cleaning the clock, the Englishman accidentally drops it into the sea. Unable to find the clock, the Englishman suffers the clock's curse. For the rest of eternity, the Englishman is forced to repeat the day he lost the clock, over and over and over again.

House of Mystery (1951)

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

The original Logo for the House of Mystery volume was designed by Gaspar Saladino.

Like DC's popular science-fiction comics "Mystery in Space" and "Strange Adventures," "House of Mystery" was a wide ranging anthology title, but what made it different was that its content was mostly horror themed. The title's first issue contained stories of the supernatural like "Wanda was a werewolf" to articles debunking spiritualism. The meat of the series' early issues was occult stories mixed with crime thrillers, plus the occasional foray into science fiction. However, with the Comics Code Authority of 1954 - brought about because of public concerns regarding "inappropriate material in comics"- horror themes featuring werewolves, vampires etc were banned. "House of Mystery" was therefore forced to gradually re-focus itself as a suspense and science fiction title.

"House of Mystery" was re-vamped again in the Silver Age, changing its focus to super heroes for the first time in issue 143 and until 155 it would star Martian Manhunter. The House of Mystery was a location that existed within the DC Universe, although its origins remained unknown and its dimensions were in a constant state of flux. In the late 1960's the Biblical character Cain was introduced to reside over the house as an "Able Care Taker" with issue #168. The same issue saw the title return to its horror roots under the editorship of Joe Orlando as the comic industry began to edge away from the confines of the CCA. "House of Mystery" remained in the horror genre for the rest of its run which lasted until #321 (October 1983). Before the series ended, House of Mystery introduced the character of Andrew Bennett, the anguished vampire of the serialized, "I...Vampire!" (Issue# 290 seeing his debut). After the series ended, the House of Mystery remained located in the DCU and was a key location in the Dreaming of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.

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