After thinking I had lost access to this book (didn't download my arc in time) I recently found it on my ipad so I'm here with a review!

The Nice House on the Lake is a short horror graphic novel series about this group of "friends" who are brought together to live in this nice house on a lake by a mutual friend they all share. After getting there he tells them the rest of the world is gone and some weird things start happening .

I was really excited to try this horror/scifi graphic novel. I saw the art was amazing and was so excited to get super creeped out. Unfortunately I was let down in almost all areas.

The story was boring and introduced its characters back to back, leaving no time for any of them to develop beyond their title in this house. Along with the fast paced nature, the story jumps in time leaving me with a feeling of loss and confusion. Like I said I was drawn in by the art, but the page to page style wasn't my personal favorite and left it feeling like it had no personality. The coloring and line art were things I could find in any other graphic novel, and did not lead to a better understanding of the story. Along with that there were pages of text, which took too long to read for a graphic novel.

The one good thing I can say about this graphic novel is the one shot pages were phenomenal!

Thanks to Netgalley and DC comics for giving me a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!

Comic writer James Tynion IV first came up on my radar through an 8 page back up for Scott Snyder’s Batman run. The story was a series of characterful vignettes connecting the extended Bat-family (Robin, Batgirl, etc.) by showing the moment Batman inspired them to be a better person in some way but long before they became actual superheroes. It was effective and inspiring, and all done in 8 pages. I knew immediately either a) this is a skilled writer, or b) he got very lucky, as writers tend to do at least once, and would never do work of this quality again.

My first experience with Tynion’s longer work is The Nice House on the Lake, not his currently more popular Something is Killing the Children, but guess what? Tynion isn’t lucky, he’s just good.

The fatiguing effects of the now overused decompressed comics storytelling, where a single conversation can be a full 20+ page issue, are not here. The same efficiency of story as with the Batman back up is present in The Nice House on the Lake, though this is not a superhero joint. This is—I think it is best described as sci-fi horror mystery.

To give you a better idea of what this whole thing is, the plot: a loosely connected group who all share one friend in common, Walter, get invited by Walter to a vacation week at a lake house. As everyone is chowing down and swimming on the first night, social media is suddenly flooded with news of mass death across the country. Less invasion, it's closer to extinction. It’s similar to a nuke attack, but stranger, leaving buildings intact but filling human beings with an intense burning feeling until their skin falls off. The skies glow cloudy and red. Walter reveals he is part of the attack and that he invited the friends he made over the years so that they would be saved in the part prison, part paradise lake house.

This is only the first issue's worth of plot, and the mysteries only expand outward even as potential answers appear. What is Walter? What and why did all of humanity die? Why did he save them? What are the mysterious statues, like avant-grade art mixed with Buddhist temple sculptures, decorating the lake house? Why is there a stash of weapons inside the house? To find out, you will have to give it a shot yourself—the joy of discovery is strong in the first six issues of the story.

But comics are not just written into being, they are drawn, and Tynion is well-paired here with Alvaro Martinez Bueno. I have seen his past work on Batman Eternal, where he was just one of many artists, and while I don’t necessarily recall those he has a fluid take here that makes scenes flow. Hard to say without seeing a script how much of this is dictated by it, but this is a comic where each panel size and style is effective and considered as a whole. The writing alone wouldn’t carry in the hands of a bad artist. Characters are distinct, with recognizable profiles, too, which is important in this type of story: we might take a few issues to remember names and exact relations with 12-13 key characters all dropped in issue #1 but we can recognize them when they pop in and out.

Special props must be given to the covers, also by Bueno. They have a presentation like the viewer is there with a phone or low grade DSLR and the flash on, capturing a different one of our protagonists in a normal scene with a dark twist. E.g., the first issue has a girl swimming in the lake but it’s full of skeletons. They all nicely capture the pleasant paradise of the setting with the offness that makes this horror. The voyeuristic nature of the covers also makes me wonder if they are all foreshadowing.

To say more would be to ruin the potential for new readers to discover The Nice House on the Lake, but for lovers of anything from character drama, horror, or unraveling a mystery that already has some wild twists take the trip. The commitment is just 12 issues for a complete story - due to be wrapped up August 2022 - and collected across only two trade paperbacks. It’ll just be some fun in the sun, I promise.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

10/10 5/5 I really loved this. These are the types of horror stories I'd like to see more of in this format. Some of the art style I didn't vibe with, but the characters were extremely realistic and three-dimensional. If you love horror or good storytelling with abstract, creepy imagery, check this series out! Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me with an ARC!

The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1 is beautifully illustrated, but to be honest, it's the story that reeled me in. I believe that it started out in typical apocalyptic style, but then a twist is quickly thrown in. It's this twist that I find most intriguing. I really need to know how this group of friends and acquaintances will find answers to their questions and solve their problems.

The writing is clear and straight forward, and the comic book style format is pretty simple to follow. I had to view this one from my cell phone, which was slightly frustrating at times, but I would think there would be no issues with reading this on a tablet or with a physical copy, of course.

Again, the illustrations are very well done, and I enjoyed the bright colors and the various creepy pictures. This is what I look for in a horror graphic novel and comic book. The drawings helped to bring the story to life.

Overall, I think this is a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I must now get the other volumes because I need to know what happens with these characters!

Many thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment for providing this Advance Review Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all statements are my own personal opinions.

This was a really quick read and not what I had in mind at all, but that ended up being just fine with me. The Nice House on the Lake is a thriller/suspense comic that centers around a small group of specifically chosen individuals. They all know each other to some extent, some better than others leaving a lot of room for interesting dynamics. The art is beautiful and the story itself is intriguing, though I wouldn't necessarily call it a full on horror. It is definitely a suspense with paranormal elements, possibly even a thriller.

I'll be interested to see where it goes and to spend more time with the characters!

I’m not sure how to put into words how I feel about this.
This is definitely not what I thought I was getting into haha. Only having read this volume so far I don’t really see how this is a horror. Supernatural? Yes totally.
It’s definitely weird and it is pretty interesting but I feel myself losing interest quickly.

Eh, didn't really do it for me. Even though the ideas are creepy and the art is good, I ultimately just felt like this never really grabbed me. I definitely felt like the choice to mostly just refer to characters by jobs kept the characters at arm's length, so then it was hard to care about what was happening to them.

ARC From Netgalley.
Go start reading this RIGHT NOW.
Easily one of the best premises to a graphic novel I have read in a long time.
Normally I would write a lot of summary here to help me remember for when Volume 2 comes out, but I want my review readers to experience it for themselves.
Here's a teaser though....
A guy invites all his friends for a weekend at a nice secluded house on a lake. This place is absolute heaven in space, appearance, views and amenities. The people consist of high school friends, college friends, work friends, and significant others. Kind of a weird guy, he asks questions that require thought, like "How do you think the world will end?"
These strangers start getting to know one another... but then someone logs on to social media and sees what is happening outside of their little piece of heaven....

I'm serious... go read this.
High recommend.

WHERE's VOLUME 2?

"Put the horrors away. Open another beer. Put on the music. Relax. Nothing out there matters to you anymore. You are okay. You are all okay...
But you will never be able to leave."

So different from anything I've read before. The question "How do you think the world will end?" truly set the tone for the rest of the eerie story.

I found myself having to stop every few pages to go "holy shit did this just happen?" Absolutely incredible, creepy, and exactly the sort of post-apocalypse story I like to see.

I'm in awe of both the artwork and the writing & you can definitely bet I will be following along this journey to see how it plays out.

This was a fascinating, promising start to what I hope will be a fantastic series. The artwork is absolutely fantastic - I’d love to have some of it on my wall. (For real - this is worth it just to look at the illustrations.) Graphic novels need clear illustration and clever narration present in tandem if they’re going to work - this has both in spades. There are a good amount of characters, and because they’re all quite different, it’s highly likely that the vast majority of readers will be able to relate to at least one of them. It’s a fast read, but it has substance and intrigue, so it’s not a waste of time (I’ve heard voracious readers comment on how they avoid graphic novels because they feel they're sacrificing plot of pictures - that’s not an issue here. Try it!! You might be impressed). There’s great world building - especially for a graphic novel - and it’s beyond atmospheric. The room kind of melts away while you journey to this nice (or, more accurately, suspiciously perfect) house.

Pros: It moves pretty quickly, although it bounces you back and forth between times. That storytelling technique - the back-and-forth in time to give background as needed - doesn’t always work, but it does here. I’m actually glad the information is presented that way, as opposed to in a more linear fashion. As a reader, I have the context I need as I need it - it’s convenient, and it’s delivered in a way that isn’t confusing. If things were delivered in the order they happen as they happen, the rising action would take way too long to climax. There are a lot of characters, but they each have their own little single-paragraph dossier & a corresponding symbol, so you can refer back to them as needed (this will be much easier to do in the print edition, and I’d like to see it continued in future volumes). With so many personalities and outlooks, even when you find one irritating, you don’t get stuck with them for long. The story is already going when you drop in, there’s no real lead-up - you hit the ground running, which I (as a fan of fast pacing) enjoyed. I’m fascinated by Walter, and by whatever the hell is actually going on, and I have tons of questions I’m eagerly awaiting answers to. I WILL be getting my hands on the next installment ASAP, and I look forward to it.

Cons: As I said, there are a lot of characters, and flipping (or scrolling) back to reference who’s who can get tiring. I anticipate that this is only really going to be an issue in Volume 1, because readers may start remembering everyone by Volume 2. However, although you do hit the ground running, it seems like you taper off into a jog for a while as our cast of players orient themselves to their situation. It’s very fortunate that Tyrion does world building so well, because that’s what this installment mostly is (I really do think it’s worth it, though). Once again, I’m hoping that’s only going to be a thing for Volume 1, and now that we’re established, Volume 2 will speed up and keep it moving.

Overall, this feels like the beginning of a series that could be absolutely awesome. I cannot wait to see more, and I’m already thinking of how much I’d like to see a TV show (not a movie) based on the graphic novel. Once again, give this a chance!! It’s a great example of what makes a graphic novel good. Thanks to NegGalley & DC for the opportunity to give this a read!! Can’t wait for more!!

I love a good horror story. This one had the vibes that it was going to be a perfect horror comic. Even as I began reading it, it seemed excellent. So, why by the end was I a little disappointed?

Ten people are invited to stay at a lakeside house for a little getaway by a mutual friend, Walter. The house is nice and far enough away that the chaos of the city where they can truly relax and enjoy themselves after they've all seemed to have a hard year. But, when suddenly they seem to be the last people on Earth, only because their mutual friend, Walter, is an alien who chose to save them.

There is a lot about this that was fun. Tynion did have me hooked and curious as to find out what exactly was going on as there were little reveals throughout that adding to all the questions of what was going on.

Where this volume ends is when the mystery really starts to pick up which was unfortunate for this volume, which I'll talk about shortly, and promising for the next volume.

The struggle with this volume, rests in one thing for me: the sheer volume of characters. The issues did their best to give a backstory for some of the characters, but the flashbacks didn't work for me. I'm hoping that in the next volume they tie into the story more, but in this volume they only served to pull me out of the story rather than pull me in.

I fully believe that this story had potential. Tynion set up an interesting world with a story that I am curious about. Since this volume really focused on setting the scene and trying to give some backstory to the characters, it's hard to judge this right now. I'm curious as to where this story will go next.

Absolutely incredible. I ended up reading this in the physical format when it was published instead of the digital copy. But it was so fucking good. I need more ASAP. Too good.

This book is honestly so awesome. The entire concept and plot is something I would devour over and over again in different formats (books, graphic novels, movies, etc.) The pacing is excellent as little things are discovered page by page and each character has their own workings and motives. I think its insanely creative to throw us in to this wild tale and then also sprinkle in the flashbacks that show how all of this group came to know Walter and why they were 'chosen'. The art is fantastic on top of that and this is overall an excellent read for anyone whos a fan of horror.

I devoured this book while at work. The storytelling, the art work, hell even the feel of the pages kept me captivated through the whole thing. Without spoiling (hopefully) too much, if the world was ever ending and my friend brought me to some mysterious house where I had everything I needed... I'm living the rest of my days peacefully. Unlike this group of characters. But I think that's what made them interesting. The different responds they had to the situation and how to go about handling it. All of them were right in their thinking and how they decided to go about dealing with the world ending, but also relax. It's nothing you all can do about it, right?

The Nice House on the Lake by James Tynion IV is a genre-defying graphic novel that delves into the end of the world, friendships, and feelings of isolation and confinement.
Each chapter begins with the viewpoint of one of the cast of diverse characters and James Tynion IV can give the characters real personalities and distinct voices.
The art by Álvaro Martínez Bueno is gorgeous to look at but never loses sight of the storytelling and the colors and effects by Jordie Bellaire round everything out nicely and create an immersive experience.
Thank you to DC Comics and Clark Bull for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
#TheNiceHouseontheLakeVol1 #NetGalley

The Nice house on the Lake, Vol. 1 collects the first six comics in the run of this horror/mystery series. Walter, a mutual friend to everyone included, albeit a bit of a misfit outside the group, invites some of his closest friends out for a mini-vacation on a lake house. Things aren't as they seem, however.

The mystery and tension are what drive the horror here, so there's not a lot more about the plot that should be said.

The structure of the comic is a set of flashbacks, each issue focusing on a different character, mixed with current events. Each character reflects on how they know and met Walter. At a point, this gets a touch tedious, and I did flip back to double checks names and faces, but overall, it helps flesh out the characters, slowly helping us get to know Walter as well.

The art's tone really matches the overall tone of the story, although I think this would be a greater asset if the pacing wasn't reset each issue due to the structure.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey the first volume took me on, and I'll be reading this per-issue until its conclusion.

Alright. James Tynion IV is officially my new author obsession. He's got a wealth of great titles to choose from, but this one.... ooh, this one is a real winner. It's dark and devious and utterly absorbing. I went into The Nice House on the Lake thinking it would be your typical weirdo dude invites a bunch of people to isolated location set-up, slasher-flick tropes ensue, and the story devolves into a final-girl style finale..... Oh I was so DELIGHTFULLY WRONG, my friends! Oh this is not that AT ALL. THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER. And honestly, I felt /moved/ when the reveal happens. The way it is laid out both visually and narratively was honestly.... it was really impactful. I can't stress enough what a masterful touch is displayed in that scene alone..... So yeah, do yourself a favor and go get a copy of this. You won't be disappointed.

If Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None or Murder on the Orient Express hold a special place, this is a book for you. But also Lost, to be sure — and Clue, and Friends, and Rent, and A Little Life, and Mind MGMT. Paranoid, creepy, weird, timely — The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1 is the weird trip I didn’t know I needed, and it’s going to be a long wait until the next one.

I enjoyed Tynion's The Woods series & Something is Killing the Children and this did not fail to disappoint. Dark....check. Supernatural/scifi element...check. What the heck is going on?....check. Looking forward to more entries.

'The Nice House on the Lake' by James Tynion IV with art by Alvaro Martinez is a graphic novel about a group of people all connected by a man named Walter.

Walter has been collecting friends for years. Everyone sees him as a little odd, especially with his game where he asks how the world should end. When he invites a select group of friends to his lake house for a week, the somewhat friends and acquaintances find that things aren't at all what they seem, and neither is Walter.

I didn't expect this story and I found it thrilling and compelling. The ephemera that accompanies the story in the form of transcripts and emails is a really nice touch to this strange story. The art sets a great mood and tone to the story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from DC Entertainment and NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.