House of Secrets #83 is an issue of the series House of Secrets (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1970.
Synopsis for "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of"
Abel locks himself out of the House of Secrets, and to keep from giving in to fear he tells himself (and his imaginary friend Goldie) a story...
A young man dying of an incurable disease finds himself dreaming of another world where he falls in love with the beautiful king's daughter but gets pulled back into the hospital bed when he wakes from the dream. When he eventually dies, he finds he remains in the dream world permanently.
Appearing in "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of"
Narrator:
- Abel (Host)
Featured Characters:
- Jim Ivey (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Princess Lyla (Single appearance)
- King Shalla (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- A vicious creature (Single appearance; dies)
- Assassins (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Jim's doctors (Unnamed) (Single appearance)
- Royal Physician (Unnamed) (Single appearance)
Locations:
- House of Secrets
- A hospital
- Torno, the dream world
- Heliax, the jeweled city
- Heliax, the jeweled city
Synopsis for "Bigger Than a Breadbox"
An old widow finds a box left behind by her inventor husband and decides to use it as a mailbox since the dead man has no use for it. She discovers a letter in it written by someone who claims to be lonely and would like it if she wrote back. She assumes that the postman must be the one writing the letters and she does not find him unattractive, so she starts up a correspondence with him. Eventually the letter writer asks if he could meet her and when she sees the postman in the street, she tells him that she would like to meet him, much to his befuddlement. She challenges him about writing the letters and he tells her that she hasn't gotten any mail. She calls him cruel and races into the house where she cries. Later, she hears a knock on the door and begins to hope that it is her letter writer after all. When she opens the door, outside stands a hideous monster who greets her cheerfully. It turns out her husband's invention was an inter-dimensional transporter.
Appearing in "Bigger Than a Breadbox"
Narrator:
- Abel (Host)
Featured Characters:
- Elmira (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Interdimensional being (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mr. Smith (Single appearance)
Locations:
- House of Secrets
- A small town
Items:
- Interdimensional teleporter
- Love letters
Synopsis for "The House of Endless Years"
A girl looking for her brother takes her friend along for the search and they have the misfortune to enter a house which drains the youth from all who step inside.
Abel finishes telling his stories and is surprised by his brother Cain, who has come to borrow a cup of hemlock. Cain opens Abel's door with no trouble at all, leading Abel to think the old, haunted house is laughing at him.
Appearing in "The House of Endless Years"
Narrator:
- Abel (Host)
Featured Characters:
- Peggy (Single appearance)
- Judy (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Neal (Single appearance)
- Cain (Appears in afterword)
Antagonists:
- An old woman (Single appearance; dies)
Animals:
- Tippy, a dog (Single appearance)
Locations:
- House of Endless Years
- House of Secrets
Notes
- The segments before each story, where Abel introduces the tale about to be told, were written by Gerry Conway, with Bill Draut and Dick Giordano for pencils and inks, and John Costanza doing the lettering.
- "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of" is reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #24 and Showcase Presents: The House of Secrets Vol. 1.
- "Bigger Than a Breadbox" is reprinted in Showcase Presents: The House of Secrets Vol. 1.
- "The House of Endless Years" is reprinted in:
- House of Mystery #224
- DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #24
- Welcome Back to the House of Mystery #1
- Showcase Presents: The House of Secrets Vol. 1
- A text article, "Once Upon a Time in a Mystery Book..." appears in this issue.
Trivia
- In a section featuring Abel introducing the story, "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of," he playfully mentions he is going to tell a story told to him by a "wandering Wolfman," in reference to the issue's writer, Marv Wolfman. As a result, the Comics Code Authority refused to authorize the issue because it mentioned a wolfman, which violated the draconian code's specific prohibition of any mention of werewolves among other classic monsters. Fellow writer, Gerry Conway explained to the CCA that the line was referring to the actual writer whose proper surname was Wolfman. At that, the CCA insisted that a clear writer's credit be inserted in the story to make the distinction clear. The editorship complied and they were suddenly inundated by other writers with complaints of why Wolfman was given such a privilege. In response, editorial decided that giving credits to all the writers would be the simplest way of placating them, and posting full story credits was made standard.
See Also