Review: HOUSE OF WHISPERS #13
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers:Â Nalo Hopkinson and Dan Watters
Artist:Â Matthew Dow Smith
Colors:Â Zac Atkinson
Letters:Â AndWorld Design
Reviewer:Â Tony Farina
Summary
House of Whispers #13 starts deep below the earth, in the land of the gods, Erzulie, who is no longer Erzulie is grieving the loss of one of her husbands. Her other husband, Ogun, grieves with her not only for the loss of Agwe, but for the loss of her own life. They journey to the surface and take the bodies of true believers where they can plant a tree to remember him.
There, we meet Djuna, a lovely woman who is not living a lovely life. She and her partner are having a rough patch. She wants to make some muffins, but as is always the case when you want something NOW, you can’t have it. Well, Djuna learns all too quickly and almost painfully what happens when you want something too badly.
Positives
Djuna seems like an interesting character. So far in House of Whispers, the humans are the best part. We meet a young, troubled woman who clearly has some big anger issues because she is trapped in a bad relationship. That is something worth exploring.
New artist, Matt Dow Smith has coming out swinging. He has a lot of crazy characters and situations to draw and he makes it all seem plausible even when the lead of this months issue does not believe what she is seeing. The color work by Zac Atkinson is excellent again. If nothing else, the series has been beautiful and horrifying. House of Whispers #13 follows that pattern.
Negatives
What is going on? There is a fire breathing chicken that comes to life and kills things because a character, whom we just met in this issue, wants that to be the case. Ug. This book does not know what it wants to be. Djuna seems really interesting, but why is this book always in such a hurry? Why not tell her story, let her develop and then we can have fire breathing chickens? Slow down. Please.
Verdict
If this were issue 1, not 13, I think I could be all on in the fire breathing chicken of death. Seriously, that sounds like a book worth reading. However, I can’t get rid of issues 1-12. That is on me. Maybe that means that House of Whispers #13 is the reboot this series has been looking for. It tried a few times before and didn’t work. Now that the original art team is completely replaced, maybe, just maybe, something good will come of it. I will look forward to next month with cautious optimism.
