“The Nice House On The Lake” – Book Seven
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Reviewed by Steve J. Ray
WARNING – This review contains mild spoilers for issues #1-#6 of the series. If you haven’t read them yet, PLEASE DO SO, or pick up The Nice House On The Lake Vol. One Collected Edition, which is also out TODAY.
Summary
It’s been four months since we last checked in on the housemates, so the wait for The Nice House On The Lake #7 has been a long and anxious one.
The previous six issues dropped bombshells, surprised us, scared us, and blew our minds. The appearance of Reg in issue #5, (even though he was already trying to make himself seen and heard when Sam discovered the second house, at the end of issue #3), changed everything. Here was Walter’s closest confidant, possibly his best friend, and someone who knew all of his secrets.
Of course, by the end of volume one, we also discovered that Norm (now Norah) and a few others also knew the truth about Walter long before they were all gathered at the lake house, only to have these memories wiped. This was yet another shocking revelation. All this neatly brings us to issue #7, where more secrets are revealed, and we finally get to see how the plans for the house came together, and who was actually behind them.
Positives
Where do I even begin? Be forewarned, there will be no negatives section in this review. James Tynion, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, and Deron Bennett have continued to lift the curtain and, while I’ve been anxious to see what lurks there, I also really want to look away… but can’t.
Once again, we’re given a comic that fascinates, and terrifies us. The art, color, and letters are sublime, adding to said tension, fear, and fascination perfectly. What the latest issue does is answer a ton of questions about Reg, Walter, and how the plans for the house came into being. The worst part is that we kind of already knew some of the answers, just because of what we’ve already witnessed. In a stroke of brilliance, though, this doesn’t lessen the blow, it reinforces the horror.
What is a revelation is the look at Walter’s past and his feelings for his friends. Norah, Reg, and Molly in particular. We know – or rather Walter told us – that his human body had hormones and that he really did have feelings for his friends, some of which were far deeper than just platonic. Issue #7 takes us one step further.
Verdict
The Nice House On The Lake #7 momentarily moves away from the main storyline, but in a way that underlines everything that’s come before while leaving us even more anxious to catch up. What do the sudden storms in a place that only ever had idyllic weather mean? Has Reg’s arrival strengthened everyone else’s resolve, and given them hope? Or, do they now feel even more trapped and helpless than before?
We only have five issues left, and just like everything else in this series, I both can’t wait to see what happens next, yet don’t want to know, at the same time.
The Nice House On The Lake is pure, deep, psychological horror at its absolute finest.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
