*Horror/Mystery 1960-1980s: Not long after House of Secrets’ ‘rebranding’ as a horror title (following its decades as a genteel sci-fi series), issue #92 saw a story that transcended the traditional one-off horror genre, and launched a character who became a major star for DC, culminating in his recent TV series. (We won’t talk about the movies. Ever.) In ‘Swamp Thing’, we were introduced to Alex Olsen and Damien Ridge, 19th Century best friends whose love for the same woman led Damien to murder Alex after Alex had married the beautiful Linda. Later, however, when Linda began to suspect the truth, Damien planned to murder her too: but her life was saved by Alex, returned from the swamp as a subhuman plant-creature. Linda fled from the creature in horror, never realizing that the beast who saved her was her beloved Alex. This classic tale of love, betrayal and revenge, masterfully told by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, struck a powerful chord with the readership, and a 20th century version of the character was launched in his own series, and has starred in some of the most critically-acclaimed stories in the comics medium. This is a low grade House Of Secrets #92 for the budget conscious, graded at FA+; it is well worn, with cover creasing (particularly a long colour-breaking crease down the front cover, with a 1″ tear at the top sealed by tape on the inside; whilst less than fresh, the staples are okay (someone has inserted an unnecessary extra one towards the bottom of the spine) and the page quality isn’t bad. There is minor wear damage at the back bottom cover and rear pages, which doesn’t hurt the stories. Some pen marks around the logo area. All together perhaps not as bad as it sounds and a great way to fill that annoying gap in your House Of Secrets collection.
PICTURED: HOUSE OF SECRETS #92 FA+ £200