House of Secrets #60
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeHouse of Secrets #60 (May–June 1963) marks a decisive creative turning point in Mark Merlin's long-running feature: it is the issue in which Merlin acquires the ancient Egyptian cat charm and, with it, the ability to project his mind into the body of his black cat Memakata — transforming him from a straightforward occult detective into a character with a genuine superpower. That shift mattered structurally for DC's anthology strategy at a moment when superhero titles were eating into mystery-book readership, and it set the stage directly for the very next issue's debut of Eclipso, making #60 the quiet hinge between the old Merlin formula and the more action-oriented era that would follow. The cat-charm ability proved durable enough to carry forward through Merlin's eventual transformation into Prince Ra-Man and to resurface in later DC continuity, including a 1981 DC Comics Presents story that finally resolved Memakata's role in the mythos.
In "Captive of the Cat Curse," Mark accidentally activates a mystical charm that transfers his consciousness into the body of a black cat, forcing him to navigate a world of shadows and secrets to uncover a sinister plot. With his mind trapped in feline form, he must use his new senses and agility to expose the danger before it's too late.
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Mark Merlin had debuted in House of Secrets #23 (August 1959), created by artist Mort Meskin and writer Jack Miller as a blue-suited occult sleuth operating out of an inherited mansion called Mystery Hill in the hamlet of Cloister, with secretary-fiancée Elsa Magusson at his side. By the early 1960s DC was nudging its anthology features toward more superhero-adjacent concepts to compete with Marvel's rising readership, and issue #60's Egyptian tomb plot — in which Merlin and Elsa investigate a string of mysterious accidents near a newly uncovered pharaoh's burial site — was the vehicle chosen to give Merlin his signature supernatural ability. Specific writer and penciler credits for #60 itself are not firmly established in the publicly accessible GCD index entry, which is consistent with the era's general practice of leaving anthology story credits off the indicia.
Trivia · 8 facts
- House of Secrets #60 was cover-dated May–June 1963 and published by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) at the standard Silver Age cover price of twelve cents.
- The issue introduces the cat charm and the black cat Memakata: while exploring the tomb of a pharaoh bearing the cat's name, Mark Merlin discovers a hidden cat-headed amulet that allows him to transfer his consciousness into Memakata's body.
- Merlin names the cat Memakata after the pharaoh of the same name whose tomb they were investigating, and he subsequently adopts it as a household pet and emergency escape route.
- Elsa Magusson, Merlin's secretary and fiancée, accompanies him throughout the tomb investigation, cementing her role as a supporting fixture of the feature.
- The issue sits immediately before House of Secrets #61 (July–August 1963), which introduced Eclipso — meaning #60 is the last chapter of the pre-Eclipso, pre-superpower era of the book.
- Mark Merlin was originally created by Mort Meskin (art) and Jack Miller (script), debuting in House of Secrets #23 (August 1959); the cat-charm power introduced in #60 became a permanent part of his toolkit.
- Memakata and the cat-charm amulet remained in DC continuity long after the Silver Age: a 'Whatever Happened To…' backup story in DC Comics Presents #32 (April 1981) resolved the characters' fates by finally revealing to Elsa the full truth about Mark Merlin's connection to Prince Ra-Man, with Memakata's body central to the plot.
- Clark Kent and Superman are indexed as appearing in this issue; given standard DC anthology practice, their presence most likely reflects a house advertisement or filler feature rather than a story crossover — no narrative source corroborates a story-level appearance of those characters in #60.
Cast · 4 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Five-Score Comic Monthly #64 (1963), Relatos Fabulosos #50 (1963), Flash #1 (1970), The Phantom Stranger #19 (1972), Skrekk Magasinet #2/1975 (1975)
Key issues in House of Secrets
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