Name: Abel
Universe: Post-Crisis
Alter Ego: None known
Occupation: Caretaker
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: The House of Secrets
Known Relatives: Cain (brother), Eve (cousin)
Height: 5 ft. 7 in.
Weight: 396 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Blue
First Appearance: Sandman #2

History:
The origins of the two macabre storytellers who call themselves Cain and Abel remain a mystery. It is not even clear whether they are truly human. There has been speculation that they are the Biblical Cain and Abel, or perhaps reincarnations of them; however, there is nothing to support these claims, though Cain and Abel appear to have been alive at least as far back as the beginning of the twentieth century, prior to the imprisonment of their master, Morpheus the Sandman.

Cain is the caretaker of an eerie edifice known as the House of Mystery, while Abel is caretaker of the equally strange House of Secrets. These two decaying mansions stand at opposite ends of a cemetery located in the hills of Kentucky It is said that the House of Secrets was built by the enigmatic Senator Sandefield from materials found only in that state. Sandefield vowed that only true Kentuckians would ever live there. After his wife went insane in one of the upper rooms, Sandefield sold the house, but the next four owners, none of whom were of pure Kentuckian descent, all ended up fleeing the mansion in terror. The house's fifth owner tried to move the mansion across the state line, but the house apparently came to life, forcing its would-be owner over a cliff, and settling at the edge of the cemetery The House of Mystery also appears to be alive in some sense, and the rooms and the overall architecture of both mansions continually seem to after in appearance.

It may be that the House of Mystery, the House of Secrets, and Cain and Abel themselves are not native to Earth at all. At the same time that they exist on Earth, the House of Mystery and the House of Secrets also exist in the dimension of dreams ruled by Morpheus.

As caretakers of the two Houses. Cain and Abel also serve as archivists of an enormous collection of stories of eerie and sinister events that have taken place on Earth. Cain and Abel are both consummate storytellers and enjoy recounting the tales they have learned to everyone they meet.

It has been suggested that Cain suffers from severe mood swings. In the past he has often appeared to be a jovial, strange, but ultimately harmless person with an eccentric taste for macabre humor and horror stories.

But Cain is also genuinely sadistic, and endlessly plays a murderous "game" with his hapless brother in which they re-enact the "First Story." the Wiling of the Biblical Abel by his brother, the original Cain. No matter how often Cain kills him, Abel always returns to life shortly afterward, only to fall victim to Cain's wiles yet again.

Abel is an ineffectual coward, who cannot hope to outwit his crafty brother. Surprisingly sensitive for a man who takes such pleasure in horror stories and agonizingly lonely, Abel is anguished by his constant torment at his brother's hands. Yet Abel remains pathetically devoted to Cain, despite his better judgment, since Cain is the closest thing to a human friend that he has. Recently, though, Abel has found some comfort in his new pet, a baby gargoyle that Cain gave him as a present.

Powers:
Cain and Abel may be immortal, unaging beings incapable of true death. Both Cain and Abel have extraordinary imaginations and gifts for storytelling. Cain also possesses a diabolical sense of cunning that enables him to manipulate others.