Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery #1

In the rain-lashed quiet of his Museum of Worthless Inventions, Amos Todd watches a strange flash cut through the storm clouds—just before his once-futile gadgets begin to work. From a gold-making machine to a power pill that turns water to gasoline, the impossible unfolds, even as he uses them to help a stranded doctor and fix a failing hospital generator. But when thieves steal his most notorious invention, Todd takes flight on mechanical wings, only to crash as the miracle fades—and with it, every working machine in the city.

In "The Gift of -- Doom," Roger Steele inherits a cursed diamond from a mysterious stranger, warned that its power may bring him doom. Though he tries to rid himself of it, the gem always returns—until it’s stolen, leading to a chilling fate for its thief.

In "The Son of the Montross Monster," a young man inherits a legacy of fear and ambition, determined to revive his family’s tarnished name by unleashing a new creature to battle the original monster. Written by a mysterious hand and illustrated with haunting precision, this tale from Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery #1 weaves a chilling exploration of blood, guilt, and the monstrous cost of legacy.

In "The Man Who Haunted a Ghost!", a Scottish millionaire’s murder sets off a chilling mystery at his ancestral castle, where shadows and secrets run deep. His best friend Duncan spins a tale of spectral witnesses to divert suspicion, but the truth behind the haunting is far more sinister than any ghostly apparition.

In "His Name Is... Kane," comic book legend Gil Kane escapes the grind of commercial art by seeking refuge in the mysterious House of Mystery, only to find his creative frustrations turn deadly when his editor, Joe Orlando, confronts him. Drawn into a nightmare of his own making, Gil Kane becomes a character in a story he never intended to write—his image forever trapped in the artwork that consumes him.

In "Voice from the Dead...", the spirit of James Chaffin reaches out from beyond the grave to guide his grieving family, using whispers from the other side to uncover a hidden will that could set right a final, fateful error from his past. This haunting tale blends quiet sorrow with supernatural urgency, as the line between memory and message blurs in the search for truth.

In "The Beautiful Beast," escaped convict Joe Carver stumbles into a murky swamp, where he encounters a hauntingly beautiful woman adorned with a ruby necklace. Drawn by greed and desperation, Joe makes a fateful decision that leads him into a trap far darker than he could have imagined.

In "The Secret of the Egyptian Cat," a mysterious sorcerer named Konassos arrives at the House of Mystery with his enigmatic white cat. When Cain witnesses the feline transform into a woman, he hears her haunting tale of ancient betrayal—of Isha, a priestess of the Cat-God Nu-Ta, captured and cursed into feline form by Konassos. Now trapped in the body of a white cat, she must outwit her captor and reclaim her humanity, all while a loyal male cat named Ra-Na stands by her side.

In "Nightmare," a lonely girl named Judy finds unexpected companionship in Pan, an animated statue that brings her into a vivid, dreamlike world of play. As her real-world health falters and doctors work to save her, her father insists the statue is just wood and stone—yet the moment she recovers, the statue weeps, a silent testament to a bond that defies time and form.

In "Cain's Game Room," a series of quirky, single-panel gags deliver quick laughs with absurd twists: a man calmly ignores a monster attack because his wife insists on quiet—baby’s sleeping—while another man with three legs scores a deal on shoes during a sale, and a postal worker squints at a sign hidden in tall grass, only to find it’s just a lawn ornament.

In "Cain's Gargoyles..", a series of delightfully absurd single-panel gags unfolds with deadpan humor: a man feeding pigeons is startled by a gargoyle on his bench, a hunter with a butterfly net creeps toward what he thinks is a flamingo, and a gargoyle secretly pines for a man dressed as one at a costume ball.

In "No Strings Attached!", a grieving puppeteer meets a tragic end after being evicted, unaware that the puppets he once brought to life for children now remember him—and are determined to make the cruel man who took his home pay. Written by a master of eerie, emotional horror, the story unfolds with quiet dread as marionettes, once silent and obedient, begin to move on their own, their strings no longer guiding them, but binding them to a purpose far darker than performance.