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"Snipe Hunt": In the graveyard behind the House of Secrets, Abel invites the reader to join him in hunting for a snipe, while his brother Cain lurks behind a gravestone laughing at his gullibility.

Quote1 With a speed I have never known before, I move the fetid bulk that is my body across the span of feet -- and the claw that is my hand closes upon Damian's wrist -- crushing it... Quote2
Swamp Thing

House of Secrets #92 is an issue of the series House of Secrets (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1971.

Synopsis for "Snipe Hunt"

In the graveyard behind the House of Secrets, Abel invites the reader to join him in hunting for a snipe, while his brother Cain lurks behind a gravestone laughing at his gullibility.

Appearing in "Snipe Hunt"

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Supporting Characters:

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Synopsis for "Swamp Thing"

Sometime in the last century, Alex Olsen and Damien Ridge had been best friends. However, they both vied for the affections of a woman named Linda. Linda eventually married Alex and Damien had to endure his heartache in the form of the supportive friend. But his desire for Linda overrode the bonds of friendship and he conspired to eliminate Alex. He sabotaged the equipment in Alex's lab causing an explosion that killed him. Keeping the knowledge hidden from Linda, Damien buried Alex's body in the swamp.

Damien eventually married the widow Olsen, and they lived together in an old Victorian plantation house. But Linda never recovered from Alex's death. As months passed, Damien began to suspect that Linda might soon learn the truth, so he prepared to kill her. But Alex had been resurrected as a swamp thing and broke into the house and killed Damien. Linda fled from the creature in horror, never realizing that the beast who saved her was her beloved Alex.

Appearing in "Swamp Thing"

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Locations:

Synopsis for "After I Die!"

A wealthy man named Maxwell James is obsessed with what happens after death; his obsession only grows stronger when he arrives at his wife's deathbed and realizes that she sees something utterly horrifying in her final moments. After his wife's death, Maxwell makes increasingly callous attempts to pursue this mystery, even paying to see a critically injured child and angrily storming out when the child makes a full recovery. Finally, Maxwell loses his patience and attempts to kill his wife's brother-in-law Hal with a gun. In the ensuing struggle, Maxwell is fatally shot, and begs Hal to look into his eyes. As Hal obeys, he sees the reflection of the terror beyond death in Maxwell's eyes and is driven to permanent insanity.

Appearing in "After I Die!"

Narrator:

Featured Characters:

  • Maxwell James (Single appearance; dies)

Supporting Characters:

  • Gladys James (Single appearance; dies)
  • Dolores (Single appearance)
  • Hal Grundy (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Baxter (Single appearance)

Locations:

Synopsis for "It's Better to Give"

A homeless man encounters a crying baby warlock in the town dump who is upset that he has broken his balloon. The homeless man remembers that he's got a dime on him and so he gives it to the kid and tells him to get another balloon. The kid thanks him and tells him that he'll pay him back some day. The homeless man notices dimes start to fall from the nozzle of an abandoned bathtub and can't believe his good fortune. He gathers them up and goes into town to eat at a fancy restaurant, donate to the Salvation Army and buy new clothes. A criminal observes that the man has run into some money and follows him back to the dump to relieve him of it. The criminal kills the homeless man, and the little boy is angry. He causes his new balloon to grow so large that it engulfs the killer, then he approaches the balloon with a large pin.

Appearing in "It's Better to Give"

Narrator:

Featured Characters:

  • Smilin' Sammy (Single appearance; dies)

Supporting Characters:

  • Little Boy

Antagonists:

  • Murderer

Locations:

  • An undisclosed town
    • Scrapyard

Items:

  • Balloon
  • A dime-spewing sink

Synopsis for "Trick or Treat"

A failed painter murders in order to acquire magic paint and canvas which legend states will change your life if you complete a paint-by-numbers portrait. The man completes the portrait and cheerfully waits for his life to change as the ghoul with a knife raised high over its head steps out of the canvas behind him.

Appearing in "Trick or Treat"

Featured Characters:

  • Painter (Single appearance)

Antagonists:

  • Ghoul from painting (Single appearance)

Notes

Trivia

  • This issue is often credited as the first appearance of Alex Olsen's swampy successor, Alec Holland. In truth, Alec won't make his first actual appearance for another year in Swamp Thing #1. Both versions of the Swamp Thing were created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson.
  • The character of the Swamp Thing is inspired by an old Hillman Comics character known as the Heap. The Heap became a recurring supporting character when Eclipse Comics optioned for the rights to continue the Airboy series of comics originally published by Hillman in 1945.
  • Marvel Comics created their own muck-monster cut from the same cloth as the Swamp Thing. Their character was a scientist named Ted Sallis whose attempts to create a super-soldier serum accidentally transformed him into the Man-Thing.
  • While creating the cover for this issue, Bernie Wrightson used Louise Simonson and Mike Kaluta as models for the woman and Swamp Thing, respectively.[1]


See Also

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Links and References

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