With the eighth part coming this week, I decided to give a partial series review of the first seven parts. The Nice House on the Lake is an apocalypse story scheduled for twelve parts, written by James Tynion IV with art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno. It opens quickly, giving a brief and immediate overview of the brunt of the cast, who think they’re visiting a friend at this incredible, ritzy as fuck mansion on a lake. Turns out, things are much more mysterious and dire than that…obviously, I mean just some buds at a lake sounds more like and Archie comic than a DC Black Label.
This story gets dark quickly. Each issue focuses on a different character, and their relationship to Walter, the friend who brought them together under false pretenses. There’s blood and oddity and it shows up in great writing and art of matching quality. The pacing is quick and the plot is wholly engaging (I wish like hell every issue were out because I gots to know how this ends). There are quality surprises throughout, and when the apocalypse is displayed, the artist really, really lets that nasty shit shine.
By the fifth or sixth issue (can’t remember exactly, and I’ve already bagged and hanged the issues), a new possibility comes into play and shifts the activities of the group trapped in paradise while the world is burning up beyond the property barriers. It suddenly takes on an escape room vibe and a tiny shred of hope shines through, engaging a higher gear of suspense. There’s a varied cast of youngish adults (though despite their differences, they kind of feel like the grown-up version of a twelfth-grade drama class from a city) with an assortment of inner demons and personal struggles rounding out each.
So far, this series is hitting a ton of marks for me, and I can’t recommend it enough. My guess, you can pick it up locally (unless, like me, you live a ferry ride from everywhere). If not, you can find more info at the DC Comics site.
