Review:
House of Mystery #21

The House of Mystery is under new management. Yet with writer Matt Struges and artist Luca Rossi still helming this incredible series, the twists and turns that helped make the series so great to begin with are far from over. Issue #21 marks the start of a new story arc, making it a perfect jumping on point for readers, while at the same time appeasing veteran fans of the series as it heads in a new direction.

First things first is the new management, however in this case “New” would hardly be the word to use. Veritgo's current House of Mystery's imprint is based in part on the old series of the same name that DC put out nearly once a month from 1951 to 1983. Fan's of Neil Gaiman's widely popular Sandman series may know the characters of Cain and Abel and their roles in the world of “The Dreaming,” throughout that monumental series. However it's a little known fact that the early House of Mystery series featured Cain as the house's owner and caretaker, introducing new tales of horror and suspense with every issue. Well the Vertigo series, started things a little differently, but after an army of zombie-like ghouls nearly tore the house down (again) the original master of mystery is back, and it's fairly safe to say, with a vengeance.

Another big change this issue delighted reader's with was the introduction of a neighborhood. For most of the series the House has merely existed at “The crossroads, in the spaces between” making it only available to those who know where to look for it. Yet as Issue #21 kicks-off the mansion appears to have landed smack-dab in the middle of The Stormfort Goblin Market. A venerable flea market of flying ships, talking rats and all manner of Goblinesque mercantile goodness.

Of course a part of what makes House of Mystery such a unique series are the amazing short stories told by the bar patrons who uses their tales of woe, horror, fantasy and often tragedy as currency to pay for their drinks. In this issues tale titled “Abomination,” Sergio Aragones of MAD Magazine fame (An artist known among his peers as the fastest cartoonist in the world) steps in as artist for a few pages, bringing his signature light-hearted style to a tale that is anything but. It's a new patron that takes on the role of storyteller this time, a wayward cowboy by the name of Blind Buck. He recounts an episode from his past as a gunslinger in the wild west (for those that don't know, the tales featured in House of Mystery, have ranged from classic horror stories, to mafia crime tales, and even miniature fantasy epics) wherein he and a partner encounter a terrible beast after a bank robbery. There is a message hidden in the cowboy's story, as is often the case with the tales told at the house of mystery, but to reveal it here would hardly do it justice, you'll just have to pick it up for yourself.