This book posits one of the more horrifying ends of the world I've seen conceptualized-- definitely the most terrifying I've seen illustrated in a graphic novel. Walter has gathered a group of friends and acquaintances to a beautiful, isolated house on a lake in Wisconsin. Soon after the group arrives, the world around them falls to bits-- everything and everyone they love goes up in flames as they watch in horror. Soon after that, Walter reveals that he is not who he says he is, and that the group has been selected for a very special purpose. What follows is an engrossing story of survival, as the frightened group tries to figure out where they are, how they can leave, and what exactly happened to the rest of the world. This one is not to be missed.

This book is excellent! It’s a fascinating exploration of human emotion and human relationships. Walter especially is a wonderful enigma as the reader tries to figure out what his motives are and how much of his true self he is actually showing the other characters. The writing is extremely tight. There are multiple moments that are shocking surprises, but make perfect sense when you think back on previous incidents and even the different methods of storytelling between issues. The author does a fantastic job of just ramping up the creepiness and the mysteries more and more in each issue. I love the artwork. The shifts between pre-apocalypse and post-apocalypse art style makes each time period super distinct. I am in desperate need of the second volume.

Woah. This was amazing and not at all what I expected, I really didn’t know what to expect and it blew me away. All the twists and turns, the suspense and build up was worth it going in blind. Bravo.

THIS IS A DAMN GOOD COMIC!!!

Walter is a perfectly wholesome guy that just wants to get his besties together for some time at his lake house. After they arrive, the apocalypse happens... but they seem to be the only ones unharmed. I don't know how to review this without spoilers, but I will say that's it's best to read this as a graphic novel vs a monthly series as there are a lot of details that can go missed if you've got a bad brain like me. It's hands down one of the best comics I've read in the past year.

If you are a fan of horror/thriller comics I definitely suggest pick this one up. It is dark and gritty and absolutely worth a read. The storyline had me on the edge of my seat. It was gripping and intriguing with well placed dialogue, a dark tone that was set due to the excellent art, and so captivating that it leaves you wanting more.

Also, no doubt about it - I would definitely watch this if it was made into a movie or series.

I want to thank NetGalley, James Tynion IV and DC Entertainment, DC Comics for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

This graphic novel has it factor and the potential to have a cult following like "Saga" or "The Umbrella Academy." "The Nice House on the Lake" is a new addition to the apocalyptic horror suite that must not be missed.

I've really enjoyed James Tynion, IV's Something is Killing the Children and The Woods - both are very unique and "out there," so I was excited to read his latest, The Nice House on the Lake. And after this first volume I can say he has topped himself in weirdness and totally messed up horror/Sci-Fi. The artwork is surreal and majestic and the story feels like bits of "Black Mirror", "The Outer Limits", David Lynch and Jeff VanderMeer were thrown into a pot and mixed with Tynion's own twisted imagination. It's best going into the story knowing very little about it as it will keep you guessing right to the end of each issue. 4.5/5*

Okay so I can't date this yet. I received a copy through netgalley and there was a good handful of pages were the words were distorted and I couldn't make out what it said. I will be checking out a physical copy from the library and rereading it. I did find it interesting and got to read most of the story. Based on what I've read I'd say it's around a 4 star. I'm excited to read it and find out what I missed.

I don't know how to describe this without spoiling a bunch of stuff but I am curious to see where it goes in the next volume. This just left me feeling like everyone in the house full of questions and no answers.

Tynion's horror work is so good, I wish he could bring a bit more originality to Batman. This is yet another stellar series that sees a group of disparate friends, not all of whom know each other (though they all know Walter), together at a beautiful vacation home on a lake in the Wisconsin woods, just in time for the world to end. Turns out Walter wasn't human after all and as the common link between everyone, he was collecting people from various walks of life who'd come into his life at some point or other: high school (wait...why would an alien need to go to high school?), college, young adulthood in New York City. As they come to realize the lake home is more of a beautiful prison than anything else, the group starts to wonder just what is going on and to imagine that maybe, just maybe, there is still time to save the world after all. Excellent story and some really strong artwork throughout this. This volume is only part one, so there's more to come, but I'll be looking forward to see where this all goes next.

Cabin in The Woods meets I have no Mouth and I Must Scream. When invited for a relaxing week at their mutual friend Walter’s newly inherited lake house, what should have been a vacation in paradise turns into a nightmare. When the world ends and all that is spared from the ever-consuming fire is the lake house and its inhabitants, do they have any real chance of saving what's left? But first, they'll have to figure out who or what is the man that invited them all here, how are they still alive, and most importantly what do all the symbols mean?

James Tynion has been building up the best resume of anyone in comics over the past few years and this is his best work yet. An assuredly told mystery about the end of the world and the importance of found families. The second volume can’t arrive soon enough.

Is this really dystopian? Maybe. Are there aliens in it? Maybe. Demons? Maybe. I am not at all sure but this was one of the best graphic novels I have read in a while. It really pulled me into the mystery of whatever the hell is going on here, and actually managed to weave time jumps and multiple perspectives into the narrative beautifully.

Great read with a good plot and amazing artwork. I will have to be on the lookout to see what else the author has written!

This looked and sounded like something that I would love. People are swindled into going to a secluded house in the woods by someone that met randomly and kept in contact with. Then the world kind of goes into chaos. It sounds amazing, right? Wrong! So very wrong.

This started off with me amazed that people were so gullible to be led into a secluded area and that drew me into the story. It lost steam pretty quickly and I became bored. I didn't even finish this one because the dialogue was just so dull.

The Nice House on the Lake has an amazing cover with a similar synopsis but it fell way short for me. I can see other readers really enjoying this one but it just wasn't for me.

I really enjoy[ed] 'Something is Killing the Children,' so I knew I had to check out Tynion's newest horror series. This one...doesn't quite live up to expectations for me, but it was diverting enough. The premise is pretty good, but I didn't love the art (very much a random taste issue, I can see why others are raving over it). And more than that, the execution of the premise seemed thinner and less thought-out than "Children," at least with volume 1.

Art is great though there is notable compression and color issues if you view this on the Adobe DRM enabled software vs my reading it on the Bluefire App on my phone, which, please don’t do that to Jordie Bellaire. The mystery feels a bit too dragged out and forced back to square one at the end of the collection for my personal taste.

I'll start this off by saying the art is gorgeous.

Some of the best art I've seen in a long time in a comic, though I have to say the ebook format did this no good. It was hard to read at times - though I did read it- and I think zooming in on dialogue made it even less the way it should have been.

But the story.

Oh the story.

Random group of people, some friends and some strangers, gets asked to go to a fancy lake house by a weird friend and it turns out it's the end of the world? Count me in. This would make a FANTASTIC movie idea, I feel, and would've been much better suited for that because at certain points I had trouble differentiating between past and present, the ending of this volume especially.

I really did enjoy it, less than I probably would've reading a physical copy, but overall I'd recommend. I'm interested in what happens next for sure!

Thanks to DC Entertainment and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this book! James Tynion IV has done a masterful job weaving together a story that is compelling, innovative, and intriguing. The illustrations are perfectly matched to the pace and rhythm of this wonderfully bizarre and engaging story.
Each new chapter begins with another person - a piece of the puzzle - and their relationship to the enigmatic Walter. We move in time from future to past to present in a smooth and meaningful way as the mystery seamlessly unfolds. Each character has their own knowledge of the situation and set of skills that can potentially help or hurt them in this new reality.
How alone are they, really? And is there anything they can do to save the world?
I highly recommend this title for anyone fourteen or older. If you are comfortable with a lot of profanity, the style and craft make it appropriate for those 12+.

I want to preface this review by saying that I had some formatting issues on my end and every couple of pages had a very difficult time reading the dialogue and seeing the artwork. I think that if I had read a physical copy or a larger format of this book it could have gotten up to 4 stars, but since I had a challenging time following the storyline I settled for 3 stars.

I really enjoyed the premise of this comic. The idyllic, almost feels too good to be true house on the lake set aside from the rest of the world during an apocalypse was a great setting. They juxtaposition between the two scenarios made the picture perfect house seem creepy and more like a mausoleum than a vacation house. The large cast of characters felt a little unwieldy at first and I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. Again, I think the small, distorted version I was reading contributed somewhat to this. As the story progressed I got a better handle on who everyone was. The artwork was very unique. I overall enjoyed it but again, I feel like I didn't get the best look at it and might have enjoyed it even more with a different version of the comic.

The reason I requested this book was because I really liked "Someone is Killing the Children" and thought that, based off the author and the cover, I would really enjoy this. Instead I just felt a little ambivalent toward it all. Since it has amazing reviews everywhere I'm thinking it is more of a me/technology issue. I may end up giving it another read once I can get my hands on a physical copy instead of digital and might bump up my rating after then.

I have a feeling this will be a great mind bending thriller/horror depending on where the story goes. The ending definitely left me wanting more. My biggest question like many of the characters is why The Artist?!? I will be keeping a eye out for the rest of the series.