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House of Secrets (Vertigo)
Encyclopedia
House of Secrets was an occult and horror-themed comic book
series
written by Steven T. Seagle
. The art was by Teddy Kristiansen
, with occasional assistance by Christian Højgaard, Guy Davis, Duncan Fegredo
and the Pander Brothers. It debuted in October 1996, published by the Vertigo imprint
of DC Comics
, and ran for 25 issues, followed by a two-issue limited series House of Secrets: Facade, by the same creative team in 2001.
Although its title was based on the classic House of Secrets series that ran from 1956 to 1976, it was an otherwise unrelated series.
in Seattle. When she steps into the pantry, Rain encounters an otherworldly entity called the "Juris", which acts as judge, jury and executioner in a courtroom in the hereafter. After defendant souls present their secrets to be judged by a tribunal of spirits, sentence is pronounced upon them, and they are sent to either the attic, the world, or the basement, which are stand-ins for heaven, purgatory and hell. The Juris calls Rain as a witness in one of its trials. The Juris is composed of The Plyck, a flaming hand; Pfaultz, a sexual predator who masqueraded as a health inspector using someone else's edict from Charles IV (Holy Roman Emperor); Ni An, a Japanese woman who accepted blame for her older sister's murder of their mutual husband; Clius, a roman bust who was once a scribe and playwright who had offended Hadrian
; and Digol, an ancient Greek who wrote down the law to remember it. The newest member of the Juris is Ruby, who replaced an Ancient Egyptian woman. She was buried alive by whites who were appalled at her relationship with a white man in early 1960s Alabama and represents blind Lady Justice—she is the only one Rain likes. Aside from the mysterious Plyck, whose origin remains unknown (an essay on hands and the number five was told instead), all of the members of the Juris died from being intentionally buried alive—in the case of Clius, buried after his limbs were torn off on a rack.
Rain later strikes up a friendship with a musician named Ben Volk, who plays in a band called the Nightmare of Reason. The narcissistic lead singer of the band, Erik, starts a relationship with Rain, but later rapes Traci, a crime for which he is duly convicted by the Juris. Rain decides to leave Seattle, but returns not long afterwards to find her dead mother condemned to the basement for keeping the secret of her diagnosis with ovarian cancer
during her lifetime. Rain herself is made a defendant in her own trial for keeping secret her grief at her mother's death. She is sentenced to hanging
, but is saved by Ben and Traci.
The derelict mansion is eventually demolished, and Rain, Ben, and Traci move on with their lives. Somewhere on the east coast, Rain discovers the Reichuss Mansion again, exact in every detail. Rain has to protect Ben, Traci, and herself from judgment at the hands of the Juris, or else the mansion might follow them all for the rest of their lives.
. No subsequent collections were published.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
written by Steven T. Seagle
Steven T. Seagle
Steven T. Seagle is an American writer who works in the comic book, television, film, live theater, video game, and animation, industries....
. The art was by Teddy Kristiansen
Teddy Kristiansen
Teddy Kristiansen is a Danish comic book artist. The artistic style he uses for comic books is unique and seems to touch upon the German expressionist painters of the late 19th century. Teddy Kristiansen is a natural at illustrating mystery, horror, and dark, suspense-filled comics. Among his...
, with occasional assistance by Christian Højgaard, Guy Davis, Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo is a British comic book artist born in Leicester in 1964.-Career:Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a short lived British magazine called Heartbreak Hotel...
and the Pander Brothers. It debuted in October 1996, published by the Vertigo imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, and ran for 25 issues, followed by a two-issue limited series House of Secrets: Facade, by the same creative team in 2001.
Although its title was based on the classic House of Secrets series that ran from 1956 to 1976, it was an otherwise unrelated series.
Plot
Inveterate liar Rain Harper comes to Seattle and meets a young girl named Traci, who offers to let Rain stay in a derelict house with her. The house turns out to be the surprisingly expansive and lavishly decorated Reichuss Mansion, a renowned haunted houseHaunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
in Seattle. When she steps into the pantry, Rain encounters an otherworldly entity called the "Juris", which acts as judge, jury and executioner in a courtroom in the hereafter. After defendant souls present their secrets to be judged by a tribunal of spirits, sentence is pronounced upon them, and they are sent to either the attic, the world, or the basement, which are stand-ins for heaven, purgatory and hell. The Juris calls Rain as a witness in one of its trials. The Juris is composed of The Plyck, a flaming hand; Pfaultz, a sexual predator who masqueraded as a health inspector using someone else's edict from Charles IV (Holy Roman Emperor); Ni An, a Japanese woman who accepted blame for her older sister's murder of their mutual husband; Clius, a roman bust who was once a scribe and playwright who had offended Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
; and Digol, an ancient Greek who wrote down the law to remember it. The newest member of the Juris is Ruby, who replaced an Ancient Egyptian woman. She was buried alive by whites who were appalled at her relationship with a white man in early 1960s Alabama and represents blind Lady Justice—she is the only one Rain likes. Aside from the mysterious Plyck, whose origin remains unknown (an essay on hands and the number five was told instead), all of the members of the Juris died from being intentionally buried alive—in the case of Clius, buried after his limbs were torn off on a rack.
Rain later strikes up a friendship with a musician named Ben Volk, who plays in a band called the Nightmare of Reason. The narcissistic lead singer of the band, Erik, starts a relationship with Rain, but later rapes Traci, a crime for which he is duly convicted by the Juris. Rain decides to leave Seattle, but returns not long afterwards to find her dead mother condemned to the basement for keeping the secret of her diagnosis with ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
during her lifetime. Rain herself is made a defendant in her own trial for keeping secret her grief at her mother's death. She is sentenced to hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
, but is saved by Ben and Traci.
The derelict mansion is eventually demolished, and Rain, Ben, and Traci move on with their lives. Somewhere on the east coast, Rain discovers the Reichuss Mansion again, exact in every detail. Rain has to protect Ben, Traci, and herself from judgment at the hands of the Juris, or else the mansion might follow them all for the rest of their lives.
Collected editions
The first five issues of the series were collected in a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
. No subsequent collections were published.
- Foundation (collects House of Secrets #1-5, 128 pages, May 1997, ISBN 1-56389-362-2)