House of Secrets #9 is an issue of the series House of Secrets (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1958.
Synopsis for "The Last Caveman"
Appearing in "The Last Caveman"
Featured Characters:
- Bart Halleck (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- "Adam" (Single appearance)
- Adam's father (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Doug Ralston (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Doctor Lopez (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Mexico
- Mexico City
- Xchaptl Mountain
Synopsis for "The Fiery Sky Dragon"
Appearing in "The Fiery Sky Dragon"
Featured Characters:
- Kenneth Loo (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Tse Kung (Flashback only) (Single appearance)
- Military Intelligence officers (Unnamed) (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Bart Jenks (Single appearance)
- Don (Single appearance)
- Fred (Single appearance)
Locations:
- China
- United States of America
- An undisclosed city
Items:
- Turkey Balloon (Destroyed)
- Dragon Balloon
- Sun Token
Synopsis for "The Doomsday Drum"
A struggling musician named Ken Kirby struggles to keep his waning career alive. One night he watches a performance by a medicine man who plays a drum which mesmerizes the audience. Kirby approaches the medicine man and offers to buy his drum for fifty dollars. The Medicine man declines the offer and states that it is not for sale. He goes on to mention that the drum brings good fortune to his people and that any man who plays it and is not of his tribe will be haunted by it. The drum will haunt them until they go to live in a kingdom on silence. Kirby leaves abruptly but returns at night to steal the drum from the medicine man. He goes on to play the drum in front of audiences as he gains a small amount of fame for his performances. He then begins to hear the sounds of the drum in his sleep. He keeps hearing the drum until it drives him crazy, and he gets rid of it by throwing the drum over a cliff. When Kirby returns home, he finds the drum back on his doorstep. He then uses an axe to destroy it once and for all. The next day he answers his door and finds that a handyman has found the drum and repaired it. Kirby then decides to burn the drum once and for all. Despite his actions, Kirby still hears the beat of the drum in his head. He then runs into a group of scouts that state that they found the drum while swimming in a lake and return it back to Kirby. Kirby then decides that the best way to get rid of the drum curse is to confess and turn himself in to the authorities. When he arrives at the police station, they inform him that the scouts found the legendary drum in the lake but the one that Kirby burned was a sample mailed to him by the manufacturer in return for his endorsement. Kirby is then locked up in a cell as he sits in a kingdom of silence.
Appearing in "The Doomsday Drum"
Featured Characters:
- Ken Kirby (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Crowfoot (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Joe (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Junction City
- Lake Peco
Items:
- Haunted Drum
Synopsis for "The Jigsaw Creatures"
Appearing in "The Jigsaw Creatures"
Featured Characters:
- Dan (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Paul (Single appearance)
- Ted (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Puzzle beasts (Single appearance)
Locations:
- An undisclosed coast town
Items:
- Large jigsaw puzzle
Notes
- "The Doomsday Drum" is reprinted in Tales of the Unexpected #102 and The Unexpected #126.
- This issue includes a one-page "Moolah the Mystic" humor strip by Henry Boltinoff. It's partially reprinted in Doom Patrol #116.
- A comic strip of trivia facts, "Science Says You're Wrong If You Believe That--" by Mort Drucker, appears in this issue. This particular strip was first printed in Strange Adventures #16.
- This issue has a text article "Supernatural Sleuths" written by George Kashdan.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- House of Secrets (Volume 1)
- House of Secrets (Volume 2)
- House of Mystery (Volume 1)
- House of Mystery (Volume 2)
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.