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in: Luis Dominguez/Cover Artist, Doug Moench/Writer, Frank Robbins/Penciler,
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House of Mystery Vol 1 228

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"The Wisdom of Many, The Wit of One": Scott Caswell, wealthy financier, warns his wife Martha about a murderous vampire who stalks the city. His wife sees this as a ploy by her aged husband to limit her freedom. In reality, Martha is keeping company with a vampire who has promised to turn her in

House of Mystery #228 is an issue of the series House of Mystery (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1975.

Synopsis for "The Wisdom of Many, The Wit of One"

Scott Caswell, wealthy financier, warns his wife Martha about a murderous vampire who stalks the city. His wife sees this as a ploy by her aged husband to limit her freedom. In reality, Martha is keeping company with a vampire who has promised to turn her into one of the undead. After a fight with his wife, Caswell wanders into a curio shop where the owner recognizes him from newspaper articles. The store owner informs Caswell of rumors that his wife Martha is carrying on an affair with Caswell's former business partner Peter Clifton. Caswell is shocked and states that Peter Clifton had died on a business trip three months earlier. He then surmises that Clifton must be the murderous vampire that roams the city. He grabs a crucifix from the store owner and leaves the shop. Caswell returns home where he is attacked by his wife who has been transformed into a vampire. He makes quick work of eliminating her by exposing the vampire to the crucifix in his possession. Caswell then travels to the cemetery where he awaits the return of Peter Clifton as he returns back to the safety of his grave. He uses the same crucifix to eliminate Clifton. He berates Clifton for misrepresenting the company’s interests as well as for taking advantage of his beloved wife Martha.

Appearing in "The Wisdom of Many, The Wit of One"

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Synopsis for "Stamps of Doom!"

This story is reprinted from House of Mystery #23.

Stamp collector Alex Manning has gotten over his head in debt, while seeking to find an infamous, legendary stamp collection, called the "Stamps of Doom," and supposedly assembled by none other than Hitler's Hangman, Von Cramm. In the ruins of a former concentration camp, Manning discovers Von Cramm's hidden quarters, and successfully retrieves the stamp collection intact, before the booby-trapped lair blows up. The collection is composed of thirteen stamps that depict infamous events in history. One stamp shows the collapse of a French arena in 1905, another shows the execution of a killer as well as another that depicts the President of Bovania falling to his death. Manning presents the stamps to his fellow stamp collectors, in hopes that his debts to them will be forgiven. The stamp club members dismiss the stamps as being fake, since all evidence of their former owner was lost in the blast. They greedily divide the stamps amongst themselves and give Manning a leftover stamp depicting the 1902 sinking of a ship known as the Jolly Star.

The next day, Manning boards a ship to leave England, but falls overboard and is supposedly lost at sea. The stamp collectors are shocked to learn that Manning perished in a way similar to that depicted on his stamp. Fellow collector George Bath gets up to leave when an arch way collapses and crushes him to death. One of his stamps reflected the French arena collapsing. In the meantime, the collectors' field several offers from buyers who wish to purchase the Stamps of Doom, but they greedily hang on to them in hopes that the price for them will go up. Another collector by the name of Carter mysteriously meets his demise when he is strangled just like one of the stamps in his possession. The final member meets his doom when he falls from a balcony in a similar fashion depicted on yet another stamp. At the end of the story, we learn that Alex Manning did not actually perish at sea but was rescued and returned back to England to impose his revenge on the stamp collectors. It was he who was actually responsible for their deaths. Manning is examining the collection when his tie gets caught in a ceiling fan and he is strangled. As two policemen examine the death scene, they notice a Death Stamp clinging to Manning’s palm. It depicts a hangman execution, and they surmise that this was Von Cramm's personal stamp.

Appearing in "Stamps of Doom!"

Featured Characters:

  • Alex Manning, philatelist (Single appearance; dies)

Supporting Characters:

  • George Bath, famous philatelist (Single appearance; dies)
  • Henry Carter, famous philatelist (Single appearance; dies)
  • Lindquist, famous philatelist (Single appearance; dies)

Locations:

Items:

  • Stamps of Doom

Vehicles:

  • The "Atlantic Queen", steamship

Synopsis for "The Rebel"

A young man by the name of David Armstrong is seen running away from authorities. He is hunted down and captured by beings that look alien in nature. Armstrong is delivered to a medical facility where surgeons await his presence to begin an operation but Armstrong is vehement that he does not want the procedure. After four hours the surgeons announce that the operation was a success. They console Armstrong that the operation was necessary for him to survive the poisonous atmosphere that they have inherited in the future. The last page depicts Armstrong’s transformation into the alien appearance that resembled that of his captors at the beginning of the story.

Appearing in "The Rebel"

  • Appearances not yet listed

Synopsis for "The Wizard's Revenge"

This story is reprinted from House of Secrets #41.

An investigative reporter by the name of Jim Lowery visits the town of Waldyk which was the home of a famous 15th century wizard by the same name. Lowery specializes in exposing magicians and their magic as hoaxes. He hopes to do the same in the small European town. The townspeople soon get wind of Lowery's intentions, and they warn him that Waldyk is a vengeful wizard that poses a danger to those that scoff him. Lowery dismisses their fears and proceeds to look for evidence to expose the famous wizard. He soon witnesses a statue glowing in the night, which suddenly levitates. He also witnesses the transformation of a tower into the image of Waldyk himself. Lowery is then pursued by a magical wand as he seeks refuge in an ancient structure. An old man appears and offers Lowery a sprig to protect him until he is able to leave the city. Lowery travels back to his hotel where the image of the wizard appears to him coming from a wall. The wizard is upset at Lowery for scoffing at him and declares that he must die. Lowery flashes the sprig of laurel given to him by the old man, and the wizard retreats. Lowery then packs and is about to leave when he discovers a piece of the wand that pursued him earlier. He notices that the wand is made of aluminum which is a modern material and surmises that he has been duped. The town's people then confess that they were responsible for creating the magical illusion in hopes of preserving Waldyk's legacy. The wizard's reputation has been beneficial for the town, and they feared that Lowerys article would harm their tourist trade. Waldyk listens to their account and inquires as to how they made the wizard appear from the wall in his hotel room. The townspeople are puzzled and state they did not make the wizard appear, they had no knowledge of the incident. At this point they all surmise that the real Waldyk really did make an appearance to preserve his legacy.

Appearing in "The Wizard's Revenge"

Featured Characters:

  • Jim Lowery (Single appearance)

Supporting Characters:

  • Waldyk the wizard (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Waldyk townsfolk (Single appearance)

Locations:

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  • Sprig of laurel

Synopsis for "The Man Who Murdered Himself!"

This story is reprinted from House of Mystery #179.

Victor Warfield and his wife move into an old mansion in 1882. Warfield notices that the mansion was built by Andrew Darwood but it was eventually taken over by a man named Anton Dickerson. Warfield speculates that Dickerson might have murdered Darwood to take possession of the mansion. A hooded figure appears to Warfield one night and offers to reveal the mansion's history. He recounts that the mansion was built by Darwood using stolen money. The paranoid Darwood reinvents himself as Anton Dickerson in order to avoid his pursuers. Warfield then inquires as to how the hooded figure knows all of these facts. At this point the hooded figure pulls off his hood and is revealed to be the ghost of Anton Dickerson, the man that murdered himself.

Appearing in "The Man Who Murdered Himself!"

Narrator:

Featured Characters:

  • Victor Warfield (Single appearance)

Supporting Characters:'

  • Mrs. Warfield, Victor's wife (Single appearance)
  • Andrew Darwood/Anton Dickerson (As a spirit) (Single appearance)

Locations:

Synopsis for "A Coffin for Bonnie and Clyde"

Undertaker Caleb Thorne seeks to create an indestructible coffin for himself in preparation for the afterlife. He visits an iron foundry where he requests that they build him an iron coffin according to his specifications. To test out his new coffin he throws it off a cliff, exposes it to water and subjects it to fire. The coffin passes every test. He then reads a newspaper article on the exploits of Bonnie and Clyde and decides to place his iron coffin through one more test. He contacts the two outlaws and has them fire at his coffin with their Tommy guns. Thorne then declares his coffin to be bulletproof. Bonnie and Clyde become interested in purchasing the coffin to keep their money safe but Thorne declines to sell. Bonnie and Clyde revisit Thorne a few days later stating they must have that coffin. Thorne offers them a drink which turns out to be embalming fluid. As the two thugs choke on the fluid, Thorne makes a getaway in his hearse. Bonnie and Clyde pursue him and shoot out his wheels. This causes the hearse to fly over a cliff and burst into flames. Nothing is left in the explosion except the iron coffin.

Appearing in "A Coffin for Bonnie and Clyde"

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Synopsis for "The Dragon of Times Square"

This story is reprinted from House of Mystery #74.

A showgirl by the name of Miss Brown is walking home from work at 4am. Hurricane Mary is fast approaching, and she gets her heel caught in a subway grating. A knight in armour suddenly appears and frees the girl with his blade. Just as the girl is free, a neon sign collapses on the spot where she stood. The knight introduces himself as Sir Gawain, from King Arthur’s round table. He announces that he has come to York to slay a dragon. The girl corrects the knight and mentions that he is in New York USA and not York England. A policeman appears and mistakes the knight for a crazy dressed up character. The police pursue the knight while he proclaims his mission of hunting a dragon, but he escapes with the showgirl on horseback. In the meantime, a giant dragon appears in the East River and the police realize that the knight's story might actually be true. The knight recaps his strange adventure to Miss Brown, who feels compelled to protect him. The knight recounts the story of pursuing the dragon to the town of York when a bolt of lightning struck near him. The knight's tale is interrupted by the chaos of the dragon roaming the streets of New York. Sir Gawain gathers his gear and battles the dragon. As he is battling the green beast, a bolt of lightning strikes right next to the knight once more, and he disappears along with the dragon itself. The only thing left is a huge crater on the spot where they both disappeared. The next day Miss Brown is watching the news as they quote a professor that surmises a storm in Gawain's era created a time warp that hurled him into present day 1958. Hurricane Mary’s lightning bolt did the same thing but in reverse.

Appearing in "The Dragon of Times Square"

Featured Characters:

  • Miss Brown (Single appearance)
  • Sir Gawain (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for "Seven Steps to the Unknown"

This story is reprinted from Tales of the Unexpected #4.

A millionaire by the name of Chester Combs is opening his mail when he hears a ticking sound. He runs and flees from his mansion just as the package explodes. That evening, a hobo named Joe Smith is camped by the railroad yard when gun shots erupt and Smith flees for his life. The next victim is a blind man named Benny who narrowly escapes being run over by a car as he crosses the street. Meanwhile at police headquarters, detective Emmet Saunders launches an investigation into this deadly crime spree. He points out that the men had no connection with each other and did not have a common bond yet they seemed to be targeted by the same killer. The scene then switches to a state prison where a convict named Zara is pleading with the warden to listen. Zara proclaims that he has experienced visions that tell him who will be targeted next by the murderous killer. He announces that an insane man will attack former convict Marty Kirk. Later that night the warden watches tv as the news anchor announces an attack on Marty Kirk by a madman that hurled a heavy weight at him. The warden notifies the police of Zara’s vision. Detective Saunders interviews Zara when he announces that he is having another vision. This time he sees an attack on a famous English surgeon John Charlton. The police rush to the hospital where they find Charlton recovering from an attack but the assailant is nowhere to be found. The police interview all the victims at police headquarters but they are unable to establish a common bond and the victims do not know each other. In the meantime Zara bargains with the police for a full pardon in e change for further information. He informs the police of one more victim. He announces that judge Moore is in danger. The police rush to the judges side as detective Saunders mentions his intent to look into Zara’s police file a bit closer. Hours later Saunders learns that the judges home was riddled with bullets. Saunders then announces that he has found a lead but that he needs to speak the Tv station that televises a show known as Guess. A short time later Saunders phones another detective to rush to the baseball stadium to protect a player by the name of Jim Doyle who plays for the team known as the Indian Chiefs. He also instructs detectives to be on the lookout for a one armed man at the stadium. The police locate the one armed man at the stadium and take him into custody. Later that day Saunders reveals his findings. He states that Zara was the only man aware of the common bond between the victims. It turns out that the producer of the Guess gameshow named Roy Conway always consulted with Zara on show gimmicks. Conway had loaded seven secret guests on an airplane but the plane crashed. Conway was killed but the seven mystery guests survived. The pilot of the plane turned out to be the one armed man who blamed the seven survivors for the loss of his arm. It was he that knew the identity of all seven victims and tried to systematically kill each one. Zara was also aware of the victims and had surmised that the pilot was out for revenge. The common bond between all the victims turned out to be that they were all scheduled to appear on the game show Guess and the contestant that could guess their common bond would win $100,000. The common bond was a child’s riddle, Rich man, poor man, beggar man,thief...Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief.

Appearing in "Seven Steps to the Unknown"

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Synopsis for "Wheel of Fate!"

This story is reprinted from Sensation Comics #108.


A renowned archeologist named Edgar Preston discovers an ancient parchment in Asia. The parchment depicts a wheel drawing that seems to represent a mans life and the last panel is blank. Upon closer examination, Preston notices that central figure on the parchment has a face that resembles his own. The story on the parchment starts out with a voyage at sea. Preston himself is about to embark on a sea voyage too. His ship hits floating island and he is shipwrecked as the lone survivor. According to the parchment, Preston will leave the island on a giant bird. An hour later a sea plane spies the ship wreckage and land in the island rescuing Preston just like the parchment predicted. Preston returns home and recants his story to a close friend. They examine the parchment again and see that it predicts that Preston will become a rich man. That night Preston decides to head to a casino in hopes of losing his money and dispelling the myth of the parchment. Preston makes bet after bet and has an uncanny winning streak. He breaks the bank and runs away from the casino in despair. That night Preston consults with the museum director. They note that the next panel depicts Preston committing a murder in a lighthouse. Preston decides to travel as far away from the sea as possible o avoid this fate. He wanders into the desert and knocks in a house in search of refuge. The house owner welcomes him in and begins to talk using vocabulary used by sailors. The owner is dressed in a captains uniform and takes Preston into a room with a revolving light. He informs Preston that the light is used to warn off ships from becoming grounded. Frantic with horror, Preston scuffles with the sailor and kills him using a heavy poker. In the morning it is revealed that the house that Preston visited resembled a lighthouse which was built in the desert by an old man that had felt guilty over falling asleep in a previous lighthouse which resulted in a ship being wrecked. The next panel in the parchment showed Preston traveling in a chariot. He jumps into a horse drawn wagon and the horse leads him into an old western town. The sheriff recognizes the wagon as belonging to someone named Cal Somer. He is arrested and brought to trial presumably after the discovery of Somers body in the light house. Preston makes a request that the parchment be returned to the museum. The director sees the parchment as an evil relic and burns it. As the parchment burns, the heat causes a picture to appear in the last panel. It reveals a man strapped to the electric chair. Preston died on the electric chair unable to escape his fate.

Appearing in "Wheel of Fate!"

  • Appearances not yet listed

Synopsis for "The Fireworks Man!"

Timothy Jenkins invents a new kind of Fireworks display that allows him to project pictures in the sky. He demonstrates his invention to his business partner Carl Rafferty. Rafferty is impressed and declares that they will make millions off this new type of fireworks. Unfortunately Rafferty does not want to share the profits with Jenkins so he plots to murder him. Rafferty drills holes in the brake lines of the company bus in anticipation that Jenkins will use it to ride home. Jenkins boards the bus and is killed along with several other people when the bus goes flying over a cliff. The spirits of the dead hover over the crash site wondering what happened. They deduce that Carl Rafferty was responsible for their murder and they plot their revenge. In the meantime Rafferty is enjoying the fruits of his morbid deeds. Orders for fireworks are coming in at record pace. The richest man in America, Mr Vandertwarzul places an order for a party he is throwing and he wants Rafferty to come up with original ideas for the display. The phone rings late one night and the call is supposedly from Vandertwarzul requesting a late night meeting regarding his party. Rafferty is annoyed at the late night request but agrees to go with the chauffeur that was sent to pick him up. The mysterious chauffeur drives Rafferty to an unfamiliar spot and then disappears. He is then apprehended by the spirits of the people he murdered and he is strapped to a fireworks rocket. In the meantime Vandertwarzuls party is underway. The guests at party witness a fireworks display which shows Raffertys horrified face in the night sky.

Appearing in "The Fireworks Man!"

  • Appearances not yet listed



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