House of Mystery #174
In "The Wondrous Witch's Cauldron," inventor Amos Todd stumbles upon a mysterious storm that transforms his museum’s useless gadgets into working miracles—turning water into gasoline, powering a hospital generator, even granting him mechanical wings. Written by Otto Binder and illustrated by Bernard Baily, this 1968 tale from House of Mystery blends whimsy and wonder as Todd’s inventions defy logic, only to collapse into uselessness when the storm passes. The cover, a vibrant collaboration by Carmine Infantino, Joe Orlando, and George Roussos, captures the eerie magic of the moment.
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Amos Todd sells tickets to his Museum of Worthless Inventions when he sees a flash of light come through the rain clouds. He shows a gold making machine and then a power pill which converts water to gasoline. He is surprised when the water suddenly bursts into flame. In the storm he helps a doctor's car with a power pill and water. He finds all inventions now work and fixes the hospital generator with a perpetual motion machine. Back at the museum criminals steal the gold making machine. Todd follows using mechanical wings which stop working as he lands. All machines return to uselessness.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).