The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV is the first half of the limited run comic series. It’s published under DC’s Black Label, an imprint that’s only been around since 2018 and focuses on edgier, darker, and more mature stories. It won the 2022 Eisner award for Best New Series and James Tynion IV made out with the Best Writer of 2022 award. He’s also known for Something is Killing the Children, The Department of Truth, and multiple Batman comic runs. Nice House was recommended to me by a friend and I’m so glad they did because I was instantly obsessed.
These are the words that begin a long and unusual friendship between Nice House’s characters and Walter(pictured above).
While stories of the apocalypse aren’t new, The Nice House on the Lake gives us a fresh spin by complicating the relationship with the cause of the apocalypse and surrounding it with a mystery. A group of people reconnect when their old friend, Walter, invites them to vacation with him at a gorgeous lake house in the summer. It isn’t until those who accepted arrive that they learn Walter’s true intentions in bringing them all together. While I won’t reveal what that is, I will say this is when the unique perspective of this apocalypse in Nice House begins to take off. Based on the cover, I’m sure you can tell this is a horror comic, so whatever this purpose is will be a darker twist. From here, it’s up to our group to work together to explore the property to piece together why they are here and who Walter really is. The story is a huge mystery filled with twists and turns. When something is revealed, more questions pop up, but in the best way that makes you want to keep reading. I can only hope this comic doesn’t end like Lost, but I have huge faith it won’t.
Each issue within the volume starts with a different character in the future recapping how they met Walter, giving us a clue to where they’ll all be later on in the story. Ryan(shown above) is sort of our guide into the story. All of the characters get their own time to develop on page, but she is the “outsider” character that became friends with Walter most recently. Ryan is the first character we are introduced to and is used to bring the readers who also don’t know the relationships of these pre-established friend groups up to speed. We are introduced to the other characters partially through her and there is something special involved with her roommate pairing. Her presence also causes controversy as to why she was invited over others, especially Molly’s husband, when the rest of the characters barely know her.
There are a lot of main characters in Nice House, but Tynion IV has written them so diverse and with such distinct personalities that it doesn’t feel confusing to keep up with everyone. To help even further, a character guide is added to the last page of the volume listing their names, what they look like, their archetypes, and the symbol that goes along with them. These include The Artist, The Doctor, The Comedian, The Acupuncturist, The Accountant, and several others. The purpose of these archetypes(given to them by Walter) is connected to the weird sculptures that are all over their vacation spot.
The dialogue and actions are believable for each character. They show very real interpretations of the different ways people deal with trauma, grief, fear, and confusion. One character wants to create a schedule and routine so people feel a sense of purpose, one goes into instant detective mode exploring the property for answers, one uses humor, and one falls into a depression and grieves alone in their room.
Walter is one of the most fascinating deuteragonists/antagonists I have seen in a while. Is he a monster, an alien, or some eldritch horror disguised as a guy who looks like he sells insurance or time shares? It’s up to your interpretation of his character if you think he’s more antagonistic or not. I see him as more of a deuteragonist because he’s given an almost impossible task, is trying to do good by it, and has truly grown to care about these people he’s become friends with. He’s such a dynamic, enigmatic character, yet by the end of volume 1 we still know very little about him and where he actually comes from.
The art style by Alvaro Martinez Bueno is as gorgeous as it is creepy. The illustrations for when Walter “shapeshifts” is like a cosmic watercolor painting. Another interesting detail he gives Walter is how you can never see his eyes through his glasses. Other characters, Norah and Sam, wear glasses and their eyes can be seen, but we aren’t given access in Walter’s, which adds to his mysterious nature. Martinez Bueno uses coloring that fits the mood of the characters or story. The current times are bold with fiery reds, oranges, and yellows. The lake house is bright and appealing until his friends learn the truth when the illustrations become more muted in color. David, our comedian character, wears brightly colored clothes to express his outgoing, eccentric personality as a stark contrast to the more neutral scenery.
Trigger Warnings!
Just because we love horror, doesn’t mean we don’t have limits.
This comic contains:
Body horror
Self-harm
Cutting
Suicidal ideation
Suicide attempt
Without spoiling it too much more, if you’re a fan of the end of the world, The Thing if it were kind of benevolent, strange statues and architecture in the woods, complicated friendships, and scenic views of upstate Wisconsin, definitely check this one out!
The Nice House on the Lake Volume 2 will be out on March 7th, 2023! So if you’re just as obsessed with this comic as I am, you don’t have too long to wait to discover what happens in the second and final half.
