Ten people are invited to a beautiful lake house for a vacation. The house is isolated, alone overlooking a quiet lake with a magnificent view of mountains and woods all around. The ten people know each other somewhat (some better than others), but they all have one person in common. Walter. An enigmatic man with glasses, who in one way or another has touched each of these people's life and loved them in a way no one else has. Walter. A man of mystery who they can't help but love and for whom they are willing to do pretty much anything. Including walk away from their life for a vacation that he promises will be one they will never forget. And he's right. NOW, doesn't that sound like the perfect description of a horror film? That's what I thought, and that's why I picked up the series. A 12-issue comic book series published under DC's "Black Label" imprint, likely because of the darker nature of the story. But it turns out this tale was much more than horror. Oh, sure, it definitely had the horror elements; but it also had elements of mystery ... elements of suspense and humor ... and elements of science fiction that came as an unexpected surprise.
The Nice House on the Lake is everything you want to read in a great story, but nothing at all what you would expect from the opening issues. Writer James Tynion IV and artist Alvaro Martinez Bueno, who created the concept and brought it to life on the comic page, have a true masterpiece on their hands here. I can't even begin to tell you how drawn in I was with the characters, with the story, with the twists and turns, with the cliffhangers, and ... well, you get the idea. I am familiar with Tynion's work from DC's
Justice League Dark series not so long ago, and I loved his writing on that series. Obviously, Tynion is skilled at writing dark stories. I am not familiar at all with Bueno's work, but his art clearly fits for this series.
As I indicated,
The Nice House on the Lake tells the story of ten very different individuals - Norah Jakobs (the writer); Ryan Cane (the artist); Sarah Radnitz (the consultant); Naya Radia (the doctor); Molly Reynolds (the accountant); Veronica Wright (the scientist); Sam Nguyen (the reporter); Arturo Perez (the acupuncturist); Rick MacEwan (the pianist); and David Daye (the comedian). Ten very different people with very different backgrounds, both culturally and professionally. But all ten of them know Walter, and through Walter, they have connections - some slight, but some much stronger and deeper. Walter invites all ten of them up to that very nice house on the lake for a vacation get-away, and while at first, it seems like a week of fun and games, it quickly turns to terror when they suddenly start seeing messages and reports on social media of the world beyond that lake facing utter destruction - fire raining from the sky, people literally melting in the streets, destruction happening all around the world, and friends, family, and loved ones dying in such horrible ways - all just beyond the reach of these ten people (well, eleven, counting Walter - but he doesn't really count).
And when Norah gets angry enough at Walter for trying to calm them all and encouraging them to be grateful that they were spared the destruction of the world out there, she grabs a fire poker and slams it right through Walter's head! The only problem is, it doesn't kill him; rather, it reveals to the ten unsuspecting guests that Walter is not at all who they though him to be. In fact, Walter doesn't appear to be human at all! And with that concluding shock of the first issue, readers are left to wonder just what is really going on at the nice house on the lake? Is this some kind of nightmare they will wake up from? Is it actually some supernatural force that has taken control of them? Is it some governmental experiment gone wrong? Is it an alien experiment gone wrong? Or, is it something that none of them can begin to comprehend?
Tynion slowly builds the story throughout the 12-issue series, with each of the cast revealing how they met Walter, how they engaged with Walter, and how they were ultimately pulled to the lake house. Their memories of Walter provides background on why Walter specifically chose these ten individuals to survive the destruction that was to come - but there are also the memories that Walter took from them, and continues to take from them whenever they get too close to the truth. Like when they discover the weird statues scattered on the grounds that surround the house ... and when they find the strange house made of black glass with no doors or windows ... and when they accidentally uncover the fact that they can hurt themselves (or each other) and heal as if they were never hurt at all! With each issue, with each new discovery, the suspense builds, the terror builds, and their distrust of Walter builds. Until they find a way to open a door into that strange building - and their friend Reggie bounds out, grateful they finally found the way to let him out of that place!
But, with Reggie there, that makes eleven people at the nice house on the lake - and according to Walter, there can only be ten ...
Some of the characters you will like ... some of them you will dislike ... some of them you won't really get to know as much as others ... some of them you will root for ... some of them you will realize are not who you think they are ... but one things is sure, you will definitely want to make it to the twelfth issue, because there are some major surprises in store about Walter, about the cast of characters, and about the entire situation that is happening to them and the world. Because this is definitely not over, and sadly, one of them won't make it out of this alive.
This series will definitely make you think, and it will definitely make you question - if you had the opportunity to live out your life in the perfect paradise while the rest of the world (and humanity!) perishes, would you?
RATING: 9 copies of Action Comics No. 1 out of 10 for a truly unique apocalyptic tale of tragedy, friendship, survival, betrayal, and love.
No comments:
Post a Comment