With Nice House on Lake James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno and ECC Additions invite you to a meeting in a beautiful house with views of the lake that you cannot miss.
From time to time, among the news of the month, comics are published that go completely against what readers might expect. Sometimes they do it in a bad way, and sometimes in a good way. Fortunately, we find ourselves in the second case with the nice house on the lake. Now, thanks to ECC Ediciones, we have access to a set volume that brings together the twelve issues that make up the first season of this amazing series.
Nice house on the lake
The publisher should be commended for preserving the original title rather than translating it, which should be quite common (although a literal translation in this case is not particularly bloody). What can one expect from a story with such a title? On the audio cover we find the main (and only) protagonists under the title, with some strange signs that may give us some clues about the mysterious tone of the plot, and there are many human remains that confirm that we are not connected. Simple and good rollista with something.
Most of the young people with some connections are invited to a wonderful abode far from civilization. The host is Walter, everyone’s friend, a truly unique and special person who has a very close relationship with each of them. But what seems to be a time of relaxation and luxury soon turns into a nightmare.
On the first night, the guests are told about a terrible event: in what appears to be a global catastrophe, humanity begins to die out in what we call spontaneous combustion. It doesn’t take long for them to realize what their new reality might be: they are the last people alive on the planet.
As if that wasn’t mind-blowing enough, Walter then reveals that he’s a supernatural entity that he’s been lying to for years about his origins. Now it is clear that Walter singled them out to avoid this danger, although the motives and reasons for these actions are unclear. Here’s how the season kicks off this holiday season for guests…
Lost changed everything.
In the year In 2004, JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof presented a series on the ABC channel that changed everything, and not only in the field of television (the clone series like Flashforward or from are the most obvious examples). After its controversial ending, most fans of the series railed against it, but regardless of the impression it left, what is indisputable is that it is one of the biggest influences when it comes to 21st century fiction.
Here we find several elements that may seem familiar to us. We have a closed group of characters who remain isolated from the world, unaware of what is happening beyond their control and with no chance of escape. The more they wander through their golden vault, the more incomprehensible things they find, each answer leading to a new question. And the more the plot progresses, the more it seems that nothing we originally believed is presented to us. Is this an experiment? Are they in limbo? Does everything happen only in the dreams of one of the actors?
We get to know these characters one by one, knowing what they were before they got to where they are now and how their past actions can lead them to where they are now. The relationship between them gradually begins to take center stage, which leads to serious situations caused by mutual distrust. Everything seems lost, doesn’t it?
Envious creative team
James Tynion IV is best known as Scott Snyder’s henchman (in a good way) as a director of the second installment, both on Batman and other projects. But his strong scripts have taken him out of the shadows and shined on his own, becoming one of the most popular screenwriters of the moment thanks to works like Something Is Killing the Children or The Work at Hand, which is actually a proven fact. His work should be someone to watch closely.
Not only in the narrative here, but in the way he removes the layers of the onion that is this work, his ability to develop a plot at the right beat is enviable. The work he has done with the characters, all of whom are well-rounded and well-developed, also deserves special praise.
Álvaro Martínez Bueno, on the other hand, belongs to that generation of Spanish cartoonists who put his country at the forefront of the ninth generation of great artists. One can mention Jorge Fornés, Javier Rodríguez, Bruno Redondo, Dani Sampere, Pepe Larraz, Sergio Dávila, Rafa Sandoval, Iban Coello, Jorge Jiménez, Jordi Tarragona, Gabriel Hernández Walta, David Rubín and many others, with Alvaro. The most famous comedians today.
In this case, Alvaro’s painting does not accept criticism. We’ve seen him shine in superhero comics before, and one might think that this kind of work would give the artist room to show off, but nothing could be further from the truth. He makes this house and all its inhabitants come to life and jump out of the panels by making otherwise useless passages look amazing. Although it is true that most of the responsibility for the final visual effect rests with the famous colorist Jordi Bellaire.
This volume is presented in hardcover, contains 384 color pages and includes translations of the first twelve issues of the American edition of the series, in addition to all related issue covers. It has a recommended retail price of €44.50 and goes on sale in December 2023.
The beautiful house on the lake
How do you think the world will end?
All the guests in the house know Walter. Or at least they know a little. After the most difficult year of their lives, no one could refuse an invitation to enjoy a beautiful house in the woods overlooking a huge and beautiful lake. It seems like the vacation of your dreams, but it soon becomes your worst nightmare when a mysterious disaster destroys the world. If they can put aside their fears, doubts and differences, maybe they will survive…
In the year Winner of the Eisner Awards for Best New Series in 2022, Best Screenwriter and Best Colorist in 2023, and nominated in the Best Regular Series and Best Artist/Inker categories, The Nice House on the Lake honors the team founded by James. Tynion IV and Alvaro Martínez Bueno as one of the best comic creative teams of our time.
It’s time to find a new way to understand modern horror comics. Surprise us with the first season of a series where one of the greatest worries of the 21st century takes on a new and terrifying face…and it just might be someone you trust the most.
Authors: James Tynion IV, Jordie Bellaire and Alvaro Martinez Well