The Nice House By the Sea #9 – James Tynion IV, Writer; Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: The war for the future is in full swing now, as the two groups who have survived the apocalypse have intersected – and first contact has turned bloody. Max’s group of elite, body-altering celebrities have discovered the existence of Walter’s house of old friends, and they don’t like the idea of sharing paradise. What ensued was a bloody battle for the Lake House, one that the survivors managed to escape at great cost. In fact, they’ve even managed to turn the table, taking one of the rival survivors – the famous Cherry Crane – as their captive. This allows them to get a look into how the other half lives, including an environment-altering device that gives them far greater control than Walter allowed them. This is a pretty tense horror book, but it does lend itself to some funny moments at times – including a great bit where one member of the cast discovers exactly what this machine can do.
Each issue of this series takes us deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, as Walter’s game becomes clearer. The device where each issue of the series begins with a flashback to how one of Walter’s friends remembers him does an amazing job of exploring the complex nature of this cosmic being – one who is always lying, even when he’s accidentally telling the truth. He and Max have essentially been playing a game with these groups of humans, even if Walter does seem to have more genuine affection for them. But the end of the issue drops a bomb on the readers that throws everything we’ve seen so far in the series for a loop, and asks us if we can even trust the few things we thought we knew. The creative team of Tynion and Martinez Bueno have given us one of the most genuinely inventive apocalypse stories in a long time, and it feels like they’re just getting started.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
