House of Mystery #195
In "Bat Out of Hell," a desperate man’s stolen fortune leads him into a mysterious well where a stone demands a nickel for every wish. Written by a then-unknown voice and illustrated with stark, moody precision by Mort Meskin, this eerie tale from House of Mystery #195 (1971) unfolds in a hauntingly simple premise: one man’s greed and desperation meet a supernatural price. The cover, a chilling study in shadow by Wrightson, perfectly captures the story’s unsettling tone.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Brad Horton has stolen $150,000 in marked money. He jumps from a train into some woods looking for a place to bury the money until it is safe to spend. He trips and falls into an old well. He wishes he never left the train and suddenly finds himself back there. Leaving the train again he finds his way back to the well where a stone tells him that wishes cost a nickel. He wishes for a million dollars and uses this to buy up the well and surrounding land. Officials visit and want to know the source of his wealth. He makes a wish to escape but the nickel is fake and he is arrested.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).