Alvaro Martinez (1)

The Nice House on the Lake by @jamesthefourth, @alvaromartinezbueno_comic, & Jordie Bellaire, from @dcofficial, is a dystopian blend of cabin in the woods horror and end of the world science fiction.

When Walter brings his closest friends together for a weekend getaway at the most luxurious mountain retreat they could imagine, everyone took the opportunity to get away from their lives and have a break. What they couldn’t have been prepared for was the apocalyptic scenario they find show more themselves in when the world is ending around them, they’re basically prisoners in the house, and maybe Walter is to blame for all of it?

I am quickly becoming a fan of James Tynion IV and his particular brand of horror. Something is Killing the Children and The Woods have both been great reads, and while not full on horror, his WYND series has consistently been a favorite of mine. I’ve got The Department of Truth on Mt.TBR and it’s quickly moving up the stack. I’m not sure that I’ve experienced Álvaro Martinez Bueno’s art before, but it gave me Pepe Larraz-vibes, and I’m here for it. Jordie Bellaire’s colors are atmospheric and moody, fitting the tone of the book perfectly.

While this is a contained story between both volumes, there is room for more in this story and I’m hoping we’ll get to see more of these characters in the future.

#horror #graphicnovel #dccomics #dcblacklabel #jamestynioniv #alvaromartinezbueno #jordiebellaire #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #booklover #horrorbookstagram #bookreview #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog show less

I like the closed circle trope and escape room dramas, but this book squanders its initial concept by breezing past all the emotional stuff you'd expect from an end of the world scenario and stranding us in a remote house with ten boring people doing a whole lot of nothing for more than 80 percent of its pages.

A guide to the characters hidden on the very last page of the book helped me tell them apart for the most part despite the artist's tendency to draw generic, blotchy figures. It also show more helped as a reference to keep the occupations and related symbols straight until I realized those bits didn't matter when no one had any personality to speak of and telling them apart was more a convenience for the writer than me.

Blah. I might pick up the next volume if it is a conclusion, but not if it isn't. show less

Though the stories have virtually nothing in common, aside from a fairly all-powerful, enigmatic member, and the characters and setting and tone are completely different, I kept getting Watchmen vibes off this.

The reason for that is, I believe, getting to know a large cast of characters with a rich past that we get glimpses of with each new issue's opening. We're also given a meticulously plotted story that's exceptionally well written.

In this first volume, collecting the first half of the show more 12-issue run, the mysteries and weird revelations just keep coming and coming, which is what you want for the first half. Overall, fantastic art, fantastic writing, absolutely no complaints. I love this.

Now I'm left hoping that, unlike Watchmen, this team can wrap it up with less exposition and more grace than Moore and Gibbons did with theirs. show less

This was one of the better stories I’ve read from a graphic novel (not that I’ve read a ton, but I’m usually more concerned with the artwork). I definitely want to read the next volume. The premise is intriguing. I want to know what happens next!