Jenny Everywhere in the House of Terror (comic story)
Jenny Everywhere in the House of Terror, also advertised as simply The House of Terror, was a short 2021 Jenny Everywhere comic story written & drawn by Aristide Twain and published as part of The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids (although it featured no characters exclusive to the series, beyond a cameo from its version of the Flatwoods Monster). It introduced Strach, the Abstract of Terror.
Contents
Plot
Jenny Everywhere knocks at the door of D'Ismay Mansion, the “most haunted house in the world”. She is met with the demonic butler Reginald Redclaw, acting as a sort of bouncer for the “exclusive Halloween party” held by the master of the house.
However, Jenny shifts herself into a Halloween costume, brushing off his objection to her entering. Forcing her way in, she walks through a corridor to find the grand ballroom, where a party is in full swing, attended by dozens of ghosts and other supernatural beings such as Beelzebub and the Flatwoods Monster. Jenny is spotted by the guests, however, and one of them strips her disguise from her with a wave of his hand.
Recognising him as the master of the house himself, Jenny tells him to reveal his true appearance; after successfully taking on the appearance of Dracula, Death and Lon Chaney, he finally admits that he is Strach, the Abstract of Terror. Instead of getting the boon to which having recognised him entitles her, Jenny reveals that she is here on behalf of Strach's cousin and fellow abstract Lit, who couldn't make it to the party.
Worldbuilding
Jenny
- The story features the Jenny previously seen in other The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids. At one point, she uses her shifting powers to instantly put on a Halloween costume, turning her face ash-gray, her eyes yellow, and her hair black, as well as switching her red scarf for an orange one and putting on a ghostly shroud over her jacket.
Death
- Death does not actually appear in the story. However, Strach briefly takes his appearance, appearing as a skeleton in a purple, hoodless robe, with glowing red eyes, holding a book and a scythe. A painting of the Grim Reaper is also visible in the Grand Ballroom, appearing generally similar, but with silver robes and blank black eyes (this is in fact the version of Death from one 1950s public domain comic story).
Universes
- This story takes place in a universe where D'Ismay Mansion is the most haunted house in the world. It is mentioned that Jenny Everywhere has visited “thousands” of worlds.
Continuity
- Jenny mentions her friendship with the Illumination, which debuted in COMIC: The Jenny Everywhere Chronicles and was referenced or featured in several other stories.
Behind the scenes
Read online
The story is freely available on the official Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids wordpress site. It is also reproduced here with permission.