House of Mystery #45

Mid-flight strangeness takes center stage on this 1955 DC anthology, as a ghostly winged figure with spectral hands hovers in the open sky, tucking gems into a kite — while a stunned police pilot watches from his helicopter and shouts the obvious. The cover by Amilcar Ruben Moreira packs the scene with colorful kites, rooftop silhouettes, and a wonderfully eerie supernatural intruder that sets the tone perfectly for the "All New Stories" promised inside, including "The Magic Kite," "The Four Forbidden Secrets," "Phantom with the Funny Face," and "The Illusions of Dambro!" — the latter written and drawn by Mort Drucker. At just ten cents, House of Mystery #45 delivers a sky full of the uncanny.