House of Mystery #48

DC's long-running anthology of strange tales delivers another unsettling issue with this March 1956 entry, its cover by Bill Ely showing a woman carefully unwrapping the bandages from a seated figure swathed head-to-toe like a mummy — her thought bubble revealing she's determined to uncover whatever secret lies beneath. The shadowy domestic setting and that ominous speech balloon give the scene a creepy intimacy that perfectly captures the series' knack for suspense lurking just beneath the surface of everyday life. Inside, Ruben Moreira brings the artwork for "The Man Marooned on Earth" alongside additional tales — "Magic Monkey!" and "Legend of the Black Swan!" — making this a satisfying ten-cent package of mid-1950s DC mystery storytelling.