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Cain
Cain

Cain

46 appearances Β· Bronze Age Β· 1977–2022 Β· 2 key issues
Who is Cain?

Cain is DC's immortal host of the House of Mystery, a sinister figure embodying the biblical first murderer. Introduced in 1968, he serves as a darkly sardonic narrator who welcomes readers into his eerie domain and introduces the anthology's tales of horror and suspense.

Few characters embody DC's love of the macabre quite like Cain, the eerie host who first stepped out of the shadows in House of Mystery #252 in 1977, conjured by Bronze Age talents Arnold Drake and Frank Robbins. As the sardonic keeper of that legendary anthology title, Cain has haunted DC's darker corners for an astonishing four-and-a-half decades, turning up everywhere from Haunted Tales to the supernatural ensemble of Justice League Dark. Along the way he's shared pages with an extraordinary roster β€” Abel, Batman, Superman, John Constantine, and Shade the Changing Man among them β€” which speaks to just how deeply this character is woven into the DC tapestry. With two key-issue appearances to his name and a publishing life stretching from the Bronze Age all the way to 2022, Cain is a genuine institution for anyone who loves the stranger, more gothic side of comics.

β˜… First appearance
House of Mystery #175
Jul 1968

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1977–2022

House of Mystery #255 β˜… 1977
House of Mystery #255
DC Comics Presents #53 1983
DC Comics Presents #53
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #4 β˜… 1985
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #4
Vertigo Jam #1 1993
Vertigo Jam #1
Vertigo: Winter's Edge #2 1999
Vertigo: Winter's Edge #2
Vertigo Visions: Ten Years of Artwork on the Edge #[nn] 2003
Vertigo Visions: Ten Years of Artwork on the Edge #[nn]
The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12 2011
The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12
The Annotated Sandman #4 2016
The Annotated Sandman #4
The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition #4 2022
The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition #4

Appearances

Haunted Tales (1973)
The Best of DC (1979)
#23
DC Comics Presents (1978)
#53
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (1985)
#4
Blue Devil (1984)
Roots of the Swamp Thing (1986)
#2
Vertigo Jam (1993)
#1
Vertigo: Winter's Edge (1998)
#2
Vertigo Visions: Ten Years of Artwork on the Edge (2003)
Death: At Death's Door (2003)
#1
The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2011)
#12
Justice League Dark (2011)
I, Vampire (2011)
The Annotated Sandman (2011)
#4
Batman (2016)
#52
The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition (2020)
#4