Eclipso Pt. 7: House of Secrets #74-76

Title: House of Secrets

Issue #: 74

Cover Date: Sept./Oct. 1965

On Sale Date: July 8, 1965

Writer: Bob Haney

Artist: Jack Sparling

Editor: Jack Schiff

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The Negative Eclipso

Do you think you’ve met every side of that master of evil, Eclipso – the other self that curses the life of Dr. Bruce Gordon, young genius? You’re dead wrong – because here is the latest, greatest adventure the amazing split man turns up in not just one, but two new spectacular forms – when fate and science conspire…

Bruce, Mona, and Professor Bennet prepare for an eclipse; however, when a truck topples a utility pole and the power goes out…

Bruce has added an antenna to his sports car to track the ectoplasmic energy that Eclipso’s body gives off. The find him protected by some type of clear shield, so when Bruce tosses his magnesium light grenades at him…

Negative Eclipso is not affected by light, so he goes on the run. However, Bruce has a plan…

Professor…! Mona…! It worked! I’m Eclipso – and yet myself!

Somehow tuned into Negative Eclipso, Positive (?) Eclipso is able to locate him hijacking a climate control balloon. The two battle aboard the balloon, then crash to the ground when Negative Eclipso ignites it. There, Bruce/Eclipso realizes how to defeat him…

Bruce has now gained an advantage…

I know that in an emergency I can bring forth an Eclipso to do good!

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Title: House of Secrets

Issue #: 75

Cover Date: Nov./Dec. 1965

On Sale Date: Sept. 2, 1965

Writer: Bob Haney

Artist: Jack Sparling

Editor: Jack Schiff

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Eclipso Must Die

We’re kicking off this latest and greatest House of Secrets with that fabulous hero-villain, Eclipso, in a novel blockbuster that’ll fill your arteries with ice… when the incredible split-man meets the challenge of a foe with a single deadly mission…

It looks like Eclipso has been killed in a deadly duel; however…

Returning from an expedition, Bruce and company forget that there’s going to be an eclipse. In the back of a limousine, Eclipso splits from Bruce and goes on the run.

But the split man is unaware of another who has “orders to kill”…

Bruce “retrieves” Eclipso before the assassin can push the button on his belt that will destroy him. Back at the lab, Professor Bennet triggers an artificial eclipse to bring the “good” Eclipso to life. He finds the assassin and tells him he’s been a pawn…

As the terrified syndicate members run, it’s right into the arms of the police. But there’s a twist! In flashback we see that Bruce/Eclipso was inside the assassin’s suit. Earlier…

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Title: House of Secrets

Issue #: 76

Cover Date: Jan./Feb. 1966

On Sale Date: Nov. 4, 1965

Writer: Bob Haney

Artist: Jack Sparling

Editor: Jack Schiff

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Pause here for a moment. If you want to learn "Who the Heck is Prince Ra-Man?!?" click right... here. (You can follow a link there to come right back here!)

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Helio, the Sun Demon

You were awed at Eclipso’s origin – you shuddered at his evil exploits – but like the man said, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet” – for here, in this book-length blockbuster, the paragon of pulverizing powers teams up with a new fantastic ally, combining in a threat so terrifying that not only Dr. Bruce Gordon, but Prince Ra-Man, Mind Master, must jump into the battle – a fight to save a whole world from the menace of Eclipso…

Once again, Bruce prepares for an eclipse; however, Eclipso is surprises him and..

After a few days, the good guys still haven’t located Eclipso.

This time he’s up to something more evil – more terrifying! I can feel it – but what? And where is he hatching his diabolical plot – where?

Eclipso is on an island off the coast performing experiments, particularly enthused by activity on the sun…

Bruce deduces that when Eclipso mentioned “Centauri,” he was referring to the new government space platform they’re about to send into orbit. Sure enough, they find Eclipso and Helio in the Arizona desert.

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Failing to stop the two villians, Bruce theorizes how they could use the platform to dominate the whole globe by melting the polar ice caps, causing the sea level to rise, destroy crops and vegetation, knock out military installations, and blackmail countries and governments.

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Bruce is able to remotely fire photo-flash lamps inside the gondola, which cause Eclipso to return to his body. But…

Part Two

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Prince Ra-Man has been tracking Helio…

Helio arrives in Solar City and creates an artificial eclipse to unleash Eclipso. When Ra-Man arrives…

After initially failing to stop the villians, Ra-Man has one last chance to use the six-headed sun symbol to defeat them…

Ra-Man flies after the villains, then…

And when Ra-Man cuts Helio off from his solar radiation…

As I suspected – without the sun’s power – Helio’s wicked life ends!

Notes

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With the Prince Ra-Man bonus, I'll keep this week's notes brief. My main question in House of Secrets #74 is: When the heck did Eclipso build a lab?!?

With House of Secrets #75, the title began carrying the following header, which remained until both their series ended in #80:

I've got to throw this in. Who knew there was a "hip" way to learn?!? Well, there is, and this sort-of public service announcement occupied a full page in House of Secrets #75...

Here's a sequence I really liked in House of Secrets #76. When Eclipso is pulled back into Bruce's body from outer space, he really feels it:

As far as the crossover goes, the first five pages of part two have nothing to do with Eclipso. Luckily, the promised book-length story is not a lie; the characters do indeed spend several pages together. And then, part two is where all the action is!