Picking up where the previous edition left off, SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY: VOLUME 2 reprints 17 consecutive issues from the early 1970s of DC’s venerable terrror anthology title. You know, I abhor that hip phrase of praise known as “This is the shit,” but this is the shit: 550 pages of old-school, Comics Code-approved horror goodness.

As always, our non-intrusive host is Cain, the caretaker of the House of Mystery, who introduces the handful of short stories in each issue, supplemented here and there by single-page collections of wordless panel gags by Mad’s Sergio Aragonés. The tales themselves often involve bad guys getting their comeuppance in a “twist” ending, entirely but comfortably predictable.

These stories involve tried-and-true elements such as a guy fighting off vampire bats in a castle, a ghost ship, a village of wish-granting “little people,” alien visitors, haunted houses, a snow beast, Egyptian curses, werewolves, animal kingdom revenge, demonic soul-swapping and swamp creatures.

Among the literally dozens and dozens of stories, three stand out for differing reasons: “The Poster Plague” is a peculiar mystery about posters that appear all over a college campus promoting events that already have happened, with a black-humored sick ending. “This Evil Demon Loves People!” is a clever case of an infant who can wish people into his baby bottles, and “The Exterminator” is one story that truly gave me chills. Let’s just say it involves spiders.

Some of the earlier issues within reprint stories from MY GREATEST ADVENTURE, TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED and THE PHANTOM STRANGER, which is just fine with me, even though their age shows. Whether old or new, the level of talent involved in HOUSE OF MYSTERY is amazing: Bernie Wrightson, Wally Wood, Alex Toth, Gil Kane … the list goes on.

There are still plenty of rooms left in THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY for DC to continue putting these SHOWCASE editions out for those of us too young the first time around. Here’s hoping they’ll also tap Cain’s brother Abel and his HOUSE OF SECRETS. It’d be an easy way for them to get me to part with my money. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS BATMAN: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD BATMAN TEAM-UPS: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE ELONGATED MAN: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS GREEN ARROW: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE HAUNTED TANK: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS JONAH HEX: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS METAMORPHO: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE PHANTOM STRANGER: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS SHAZAM!: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS SUPERMAN FAMILY: VOLUME 1
• SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER: VOLUME 1