In August 1959, DC installed heroes in three of their six fantasy titles. Most collectors know that Space Ranger began his memorable series in Tales of the Unexpected with issue #40 and that Adam Strange literally took over Mystery in Space with issue #53. Yet many are often unaware that a third Silver Age DC hero series started that very same month in House Of Secrets #23! This issue introduced the supernatural sleuth, Mark Merlin, during the peak of National's creative genius.

     Amazingly, it appears as if DC's editors felt that Mark Merlin (unlike Space Ranger and Adam Strange) would be a sure bet at the stands. Not only did they start his series without a "Showcase" tryout, but they also assigned the drawing chores to one of DC's "senior" artists, Mort Meskin.

     The capable Meskin already had over two decades of comic art under his belt. Mort not only drew the first Sheena strips in 1938, but went on to draw the Vigilante at DC, and later did pre-code romance and horror.

     House Of Secrets #23 also contains the first story in which Mark is the narrator. The story opens in his office, explaining how most of his cases turn out to be the product of natural causes. But he also explains that there are some (the records of which reside in a file drawer marked with a big question mark) that "go beyond our understanding", and "will amaze us" in future issues.

     "This first episode continues as Mark recounts two incidents. The first shows metal objects flying around in a museum, which Merlin later proves to be the work of hidden magnets. The second shows Merlin menaced by giant one-celled creatures while exploring a cave. Those he attacks, divide into two creatures, and he is lucky to escape. This second storyline is an example from the "?" file.

     House of Secrets #31 (Apr 1960) coincided with the premier of the Justice League of America in Brave & Bold #28. The April 1960 Mark Merlin mystery is also a standout. "The Hybrid Monster" is an excellent story about a creature with the strength of a gorilla, the wings of an eagle, and human brain power, all multiplied many times over. Also in #31 is a solid yarn with art by the great Russ Heath. "The Human Wave" tells of a modern man pitted against an ancient sea curse. This is a compelling effort and Heath's art shines as a prelude to his underwater work on the Sea Devils.

     House Of Secrets #32 (May 1960) is worthwhile from cover to cover. "Prisoner of Formula Zero" has science going awry as a chemist is engulfed by a substance that makes him look like a monster. "The Creatures from the Book" is a good puzzler, as a young Yank goes off to Europe to claim an inheritance. But the castle he's been willed has a habit of being visited by strange beings, whom he finds described in an old book. The book leads him to believe that it is his presence that has brought these bygone terrors back to life. But...

     In "The Test Tube World" Mark Merlin and his secretary, Elsa, shrink down into a sub-atomic universe on a rescue mission. They encounter bizarre examples of flora and fauna as they search for the person presumed lost in this unknown land. Once again, the story's success is based on the plausibility of the premise, which was not always the case at DC.

     As a matter of fact, some of the other Mark Merlin stories suffered from severe unlikeness. Sometimes when these credulity gaps were coupled with the contrived "stroke of genius" solutions that DC required of its heroes in the penultimate panel, it put just a bit too much strain on our willing suspension of disbelief.

     The supernatural sleuth continued into the mid 1960s, only to be eclipsed by a character named Eclipso. Regrettably, in an attempt to keep up with the costumed hero madness of the time, the character of Mark Merlin was eventually transformed into a pseudo "super hero" (Prince Ra-Man) as a companion for Eclipso. And after Eclipso and the Prince phased out (as all bad ideas must) House of Secrets #92 (July 1971) introduced the enduring Swamp Thing.

     House Of Secrets was published from 1956 through 1978 for a respectable 154 issue run (of which the early Mark Merlin appearances are surely the highlight). Part of this success was due to DC's seemingly endless creative magic during the sizzling 1959-60 peak.

     Looking back, we can see that the idea of a detective that specializes in paranormal phenomena is a sound one. DC starred Ghost Breaker during the early 1950's in the last nine Star Spangled Comics, and Roy Raymond was featured in issues of Detective Comics that were contemporaries of the best Mark Merlin House Of Secrets. However, Ghost Breaker and Roy Raymond always had adventures that boiled down to "reality". In contrast, the "supernatural sleuth's" plots were unabashedly fantasy, and the better Mark Merlin stories in House Of Secrets compare well to the other DC offerings from that fabulous era.

Pat Calhoun has been collecting, researching and appreciating comic books since the early 1960s, and is a nationally recognized comic book historian. Pat resides in Santa Rosa, California.