House of Mystery #253, p. 2 (Cain, Abel & Eve)

Nice! It's amazing how many great artists got their start drawing these stories for DC's mystery books.

Yeah, the DC anthology books were a great training ground for talent back in the day.  Would love to see DC do more with the concept today, but I guess the audience isn't there for it.

Abel inking Abel. How cool is that!? Sweet page!

You're right!  I should have thought of that!  It's great!

Hey Folks, here's a story about Abel the Moocher
He was Cain's lowdown hostly brother
He was the roundest, at worst frail
But Abel Chaykin art, drawn big as a whale

Hidee hidee hidee hi
Hode hode hode ho
Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee
A hidee hidee hidee ho

He messed around with House of Mystery
Eve loved him though he was stocky
Cain heard her sound that caused a frown
And Howard drew how to kick Abel around

Hidee hidee hidee hi
Whoah
Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee
A hidee hidee hidee ho

They had a dream about the King of Dreamin'
Bill asked him things cause he was Chaykin
He gave us a show built on interview
Some claimy art with platinum deals

Hidee hidee hidee hidee hidee hidee hi
Hodee hodee hodee hodee hodee oh
Scurlivou scurlivou scurlivou rlivourlivu
Setetetete raburlutu scetete raburlutu toy

As someone whose mother felt it was important when I was a kid to learn of the importance of Cab Calloway to music, I'm blown away by this.  Meanwhile, I can't get my kids to listen to music that's more than six months old.

Came for the Chaykin; stayed for the Marcus!  (Isn't that always the Wai? :) ).

Yeah, the DC Horror titles were always their own separate ecosystems, weren't they, and Gaiman's brilliant idea of absconding with them (via Cain and Able) into The Dreaming cemented them into timeless relevance (front and center) for the rest of time.  It sounds like Howard's other work of the era (laser swords, you say?  Peter Cushing?!?) may not have made as much of an impact as this 'House of Mystery' stuff, so it's awesome that you grabbed such a unique page here. :)  Congrats on another terrific add to your gallery, Michael!

Sandman invocations...!

It's always a gas to see very early work by known artists, as it's an incredible window into how far they've come since they were first starting out.

All these stories are jewels of comic history. So many legends passed through including the great Chaykin. 

Oh, how cool would it be if Gaiman incorporates the horror hosts. That would be pretty cool. I dig seeing early work from famous artists, and just how much their work changes. It's pretty drastic sometimes. And you got a fun page, too, with the hosts bickering. Good stuff. Congrats!

Very cool page! Congrats

A great, grumy scene, and so good to get all three of the hosts on it. Chaykin does a fabulous job of depicting the squalor of Cain's home, and I love Abel's clean inks.