Only One House Can Survive “The Nice House by the Sea”

Only One House Can Survive “The Nice House by the Sea”

Each Friday, we’ll be letting a different DC.com writer share what they’ll be reading over the weekend and why you might want to check it out. Here’s this week’s suggestion for a perfect Weekend Escape!

Whenever I walk into a comic shop and a conversation arises about my favorite series or any time I’m asked in social settings what book I’d recommend to new comic readers, James Tynion and Álvaro Martínez Bueno’s Nice House saga alwayscomes up. Over multiple volumes, the ongoing story has remained incredibly cinematic. And as for the visuals—they’re literally out of this world!

When it comes to collected editions/completed arcs for the saga, the reading order is this: The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1,The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 2 and The Nice House by the Sea Vol. 1. We have covered the first volume of The Nice House on the Lakein a previous Weekend Escape and have assembled a guide to the saga’s world and characters, but today we are going to spotlight The Nice House by the Sea Vol. 1.Why? Well, next week gives us the release of The Nice House by the Sea #12,bringing the second series in the Nice Housesaga to a close. That means that if you haven’t read The Nice House by the Seayet, now’s a great time to get started!

One important note, however. Since The Nice House by the Sea Vol. 1is the third book in the saga, the following breakdown includes spoilers from the first two. If you’re completely new to the Nice Housesaga, read the two Lakebooks before you go any further.

The Premise:

The Nice House by the Sea Vol. 1marks the beginning of the second series aka“Cycle Two.”Walter is faking his death after his friends turned on him because of his lies and betrayal. The residents of the house by the lake are now left to navigate their paradise prison and the end of the world alone. Believing they are what is left of humanity, their reality is about to shatter when they discover the existence of another house. The house by the sea, though, is very different from the house by the lake. Max, the entity that runs the sea house, didn’t choose her friends to survive the end of the world. She followed orders and chose what she sees as the bestof humanity—strangers forced to spendeternity together.

As we continue to follow the past, present and future of the characters that reside by the lake, we are also introduced to the all-new cast that make up the house by the sea. When the two houses finally meet, how will they react to one another? Will they team up and rise up against Walter and Max, or is there hostility and betrayal on the horizon? After all, only one house is allowed to survive…

Let’s Talk Talent:

James Tynion IV is a prolific writer in both the superhero and creator-owned space. You may be familiar with his work on Batman, Detective Comicsand Justice League Dark, or some of the DC characters he co-created, like Punchline and Ghost-Maker. He’s also an expert in horror, producing scores of original comics like Something is Killing the Children and The Department of Truth. What sets Tynion apart, besides his incredible high concept stories, is his attention to detail when it comes to characters. With a series like The Nice House by the Sea, each character feels incredibly real. Tynion’s organic, silky-smooth dialogue adds to the cinematic nature of his non-linear storytelling in the Nice House saga. And, if you ever catch him on a panel or watch an interview, you may learn more about which character is inspired by Tynion—which makes the series feel even more grounded!

Álvaro Martínez Bueno’s impressive resume includes previous Tynion collaborations like Detective Comics and Justice LeagueDark. Bueno is a classically trained artist who breathes so much life into the comic book medium with his painted interiors that transport you to another world. Bueno does something unique here in that he makes a dark and horrific world look so beautiful, you’ll actually find yourself sad to leave it as you wait for the next issue. My favorite visual aspect of the series is the way he communicates Walter and Max’s “alien”state. As if their existence is a glitch in the fabric of reality. It’s not something I can even describe with words!

Finally, this story is woven together by colorist Jodie Bellaire, who crafts tone and atmosphere with her expert use of colors. Colors are a primary way we, as humans, communicate emotions, and Bellaire’s palette combined with Bueno’s art transports you to a world where you feel every emotion of these characters.

A Few Reasons to Read:

• Two houses both alike in dignity:Over the two volumes of The Nice House on the Lake,we fell in love with the core characters—even the ones who are incredibly flawed as people. Now as Tynion and Bueno move on to The Nice House by the Sea, it adds so much gravity to throw a new household into the mix. These houses exist in a stark contrast to one another—one being the result of Walter’s misguided love for humanity and the other a cold experiment run by Max. It’s wild to see the differences between them, to see what the intendedexperiment was supposed to look like with Max’s house. And as we learn more about these characters, we learn how these two groups are more connected than we realize.

   

• The stakes are even higher as the end of human existence hangs by a thread:The biggest question we as readers have is the same as the characters: are there more houses out there? If so, how many? With the revelation that only one house can survive, tensions rise as these characters have to find a way to survive. There are alliances, betrayals and secrets that threaten the integrity of the two groups. Additionally, we learn more about Max and Walter’s time on Earth and their species as a whole, leaving us with even more questions. If Walter and Max are just the tip of the iceberg, I am terrified to meet their superiors!

• Unique storytelling:Tynion and Bueno utilize nonlinear storytelling to create anticipation and mystery. The story cycles between the characters’ pasts before the end of the world, their present living in Walter or Max’s house and the future, which appears to be a fiery postapocalyptic nightmare. We have known the story would end in this setting since the first issue, but we still don’t know how or whythese characters end up there. Each time we jump around in time, we’re given a new piece of the puzzle to decipher. The Nice House saga also tells part of the story through in-universe emails, audio log transcriptions and security footage. I have never seen a comic use devices like these to this extent, and it adds to the unsettling nature of this horror story. To see these chilling scenes play out through the lens of a security camera makes it feel even more real.

   

Why It’s Worth Your Time:

Do you like plotand character driven stories? Do you like otherworldly entities, messy humans and want a postapocalyptic story like no other? If yes, then The Nice House by the Sea Vol. 1 is the perfect Weekend Escape for you! It’s an exciting extraterrestrial mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat and screaming for more when you reach the end of the volume. Plus, with how realistic these characters feel, flaws and all, you can’t help but start wondering…is there a Walter in my life, waiting to end the world and take me with him?

The Nice House by the Sea Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno and Jordie Bellaire is available in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and digital retailers as a softcover graphic novel. It can also be read in full on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and is the author of our Absolute Universe column, “Thinking in Absolutes.” Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and Substack.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC, Warner Bros. or Skydance, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.

MORE DC NEWS & FEATURES