DC’s Award-Winning The Nice House on the Lake Continues with The Nice House by the Sea

James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno’s episodic comic book horror returns this summer with a second cycle, set at an idyllic coastal retreat

No one who was invited to the House by the Sea knew Max—but she knew each and every one of them. Masters of their fields, titans of industry and knowledge, they all represented the best and brightest of humanity. The cast of DC’s The Nice House by the Sea, a second 12-issue comic book season launching on Wednesday July 24 by acclaimed The Nice House on the Lake creators James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire and Andworld Design, includes the Doctor, the Writer, the Historian, the Actor, the Artist, the Priest, the Scientist, the Singer, the Politician, and the Mathematician. This time, they’re all strangers. And they’re at the House by the Sea by choice.

“The people in this house do not like each other,” shared Tynion. “They don’t want to spend time with each other. There have been some weak bonds that have formed over time, but none of them are particularly affectionate toward each other. This is a house of strangers and tension much more than a house of friendship, and we’re going to see the way that guilt, boredom, and loneliness has twisted each of them.”

When Max whispered to each of them the truth of what they deserved—to be saved from disaster, to carry on the flame of civilization in a paradise built just for them—they all leaped at the chance. Why not? Why shouldn’t they be the ones to live forever? Isn’t it their destiny to survive the culling of the lesser herd? Wouldn’t being named the future of humanity be…nice?

“Unlike our lake house, everyone in The Nice House By The Sea accepted the deaths of all their friends, family, and loved ones,” continued Tynion. “They accepted the eradication of the human race and their selection as the last humans that will ever exist. It’s a truth some of them think they can live with, but the way they are living with it is by never, ever looking at it.”

With the Eisner Award-winning The Nice House on the Lake, honored as Best New Series by the prestigious Angoulême International Comics Festival, James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno shocked the comics industry and unleashed a classic of contemporary horror by focusing on the overriding anxieties of the 21st century…and no matter what you might think is coming next, you aren’t ready for their second act!

“I’m working with one of the best creative teams in comics right now,” added Martínez Bueno. “We’re doubling the stakes we placed three years ago and we’re pushing The Nice House on the Lake in new directions while holding together the core of what makes the project so exciting. The challenge of creating the new cast, the new locations, and reimagining the entire iconography of the series for The Nice House by the Sea has been the most exciting of my career so far.”

Beginning on July 23, The Nice House by the Sea launches a new cycle of DC Black Label comic book horror that will grip you by the throat and force you to look hard at yourself. Are you bored? Are you bored with the same boring people? Are you looking for an escape? What would you change about yourself in your new, utopian life?

The Nice House on the Lake and The Nice House by the Sea carry DC’s Ages 17+ content descriptor (for mature readers). Pick up the complete first cycle, DC’s The Nice House on the Lake: The Deluxe Edition, wherever books are sold, and preorder your issues of The Nice House by the Sea with your local comic book shop before cycle two launches this summer. The Nice House by the Sea #1, in stores on Wednesday July 24, will have a main cover by Álvaro Martínez Bueno along with variant covers by Nick Robles and Hayden Sherman, plus a 1:25 variant cover by Dani.

About DC’s The Nice House on the Lake

From Eisner and GLAAD award-winning writer James Tynion IV, artist Álvaro Martínez Bueno, colorist Jordie Bellaire and lettering by Andworld Design comes a disturbing tale of psychological horror that asks the question: How do you think the world will end?

Ten individuals have been invited to spend the weekend in an opulent lake house: the Artist, the Pianist, the Reporter, the Comedian, the Writer, the Scientist, the Accountant, the Consultant, the Acupuncturist, and the Doctor. Their mutual connection? Their friend Walter, who gave them their nicknames.

Some of them have known Walter since high school, others met him in college, and one of them only recently became acquainted with him. But in the next few days they’re about to discover the “real” Walter and the reason why each of them was handpicked to join his friend circle.

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For the latest information on DC Black Label, The Nice House on the Lake, The Nice House by the Sea, James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, Andworld Design, Walter, Max, or escaping into a great comic book, visit the official DC website at dc.com and follow @DCOfficial and @thedcnation on social media. DC’s The Nice House on the Lake is created by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez

The post Tynion’s ‘The Nice House On The Lake’ Heads To The Sea In New Series appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design

Reviewed by: Steve J. Ray

WARNING – This review contains mild spoilers for the first volume of the series. If you haven’t read that yet, PLEASE DO SO. You can pick up The Nice House On The Lake Vol. One Collected Edition, anywhere books and comics are sold.

The Nice House On The Lake Vol. Two collects issues #7 – #12 of the title, the main and variant covers, and also publishes writer James Tynion IV’s original pitch for the series.

Summary

It’s been almost exactly a year since volume one was released, and we last checked in on the housemates, so the wait for The Nice House On The Lake Vol. Two has been a long and anxious one.

The previous book dropped bombshells, surprised us, scared us, and blew our minds. The appearance of Reg near the end of the book, (even though he was already trying to make himself seen and heard when Sam discovered the second house, at the end of chapter three, and even got a mention in chapter one) changed everything. Here was Walter’s closest confidant, possibly his best friend, and someone who knew all his secrets.

Of course, by the end of volume one, we also discovered that Norm (now Norah) and a few others also knew the truth about Walter long before they were all gathered at the lake house, only to have those memories wiped. This was yet another shocking revelation.

All this neatly brings us to volume two, where more secrets are revealed, and we finally get to see how the plans for the house came together, and who was actually behind them.

Positives

Where do I even begin? Be forewarned, there will be no “negatives” section in this review. James Tynion, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, and Deron Bennett have continued to lift the curtain and, while I’ve been anxious to see what lurks there, I also really wanted to look away… but couldn’t.

Once again, we’re given a story that fascinates and terrifies us. The art, color, and letters are sublime, adding to said tension, fear, and fascination perfectly. We learn more about Reg and Walter, and how the plans for the house came into being. The worst part is that we kind of already knew some of the answers, just because of what we’ve already witnessed. In a stroke of brilliance, though, this doesn’t lessen the blow, it reinforces the horror.

What is a revelation is the further looks into Walter’s past and his feelings for his friends. Norah, Reg, and Molly in particular. We know – or rather Walter has told us – that his human body had hormones and that he really did have feelings for his friends, some of which were far deeper than just platonic. Volume two takes this even further.

The way that James Tynion can make something as simple and commonplace as feeling like an outsider feel even more isolating and terrifying than it already is, is pure genius. At some point or another, we’ve all felt like we don’t belong, or that others are more loved or wanted than we are. Seeing it happen to the best, the brightest, and the most beautiful in this messed-up world that’s been turned upside down, makes this horrific fantasy feel all the more real.

That’s one of the greatest aspects of this entire series; the way that the writing and the art feel so down-to-earth and real, even though this whole chain of events, and the planet that the survivors have inherited, is just about as messed up and wrong as anything ever could be.

The art by Álvaro Martínez Bueno and Jordie Bellaire just highlights all of it. The visuals in this book are simply phenomenal and make the commonplace horrific, simply by bringing the most terrifying of possible scenarios into what should be the safest place of all… home.

While the whole series has been stunning, there’s a page in this book that showcases some of the best storytelling I’ve ever seen in a comic. The way the camera pans away from Ryan, just as Walter and all the other housemates walk away from her, is unnerving, spine-chilling, and incredibly effective. Truly beautiful work from everyone involved.

Even the way Deron Bennett’s letters blow up whenever Walter’s ire is raised is a joy to behold.

From steamed-up mirrors with hidden messages, to sublime vistas, and some of the most human of human beings, this series is a pure delight. Saying that about a horror story may sound odd, but the storytelling genius of every creative talent working on this book makes me proud to be a grown man who’s still reading comics.

The way this sublime horror story taps into human nature and the fears all of us have is beautifully handled. No one likes to be kept in the dark or lied to, even when the truth can be extremely painful. Walter has quelled a rebellion before, but the personalities of the people he has saved are too strong to be held back. As every adult alive will agree, eventually the truth will come out, and the bigger the lie, the more destructive the consequences.

We have eleven people, locked in a perfect house, away from the rest of the world. Over the first six issues, collected in volume one, we, and they, learned that they were the last surviving humans on Earth and that the one friend they all had in common, Walter, was actually not human at all.

This creature, for want of a better word, had been given a human form and emotions, in order to preserve ten perfect examples of humanity: an artist, a writer, an actor, a historian, a musician, a mathematician, a doctor, a scientist, a politician, and a person of faith.

Read the last two paragraphs back to yourself, and you’ll automatically see a problem. If you’ve been following the series, then, for you, this problem will also have a name. Walter, it seems, became all too human, and saved one more person than he was allowed to by his superiors, who or whatever they may be. There are eleven survivors, not ten.

Walter has complete physical and psychological control of his charges, including the ability to manipulate their memories and make them invulnerable to harm. Eventually, they found all that out, and, while the inability to cause themselves any physical harm was generally met with glee and taken as a boon and a wonder, the fact that they were the only people left alive on Earth had the complete opposite effect. Walter had to wipe those particular memories out.

Over the course of the series, we also learned that one of Walter’s charges helped him design the idyllic home and habitat they all share. In this book, we learn that another inhabitant of the house helped him design the control systems. Now… imagine what could happen if the wrong people had access to these controls. That’s as close to dropping a spoiler as I’ll ever get, but that thought alone should have you clamoring for this collection.

Horror and tension have always been present on these pages, but this book manages to up the ante and deliver even more shocks and twists. Walter and his masters may have spared the occupants of the house, but right from the beginning, Walter’s been lying, both to his superiors and to his human friends.

Has Walter known exactly what was going to happen all along and planned for it? Or worse, has this been his agenda from the start?

James Tynion has cleverly shown us how all this will most likely end, writing scenes set “now” and interspersing them with those showing us how we got here. This story has been exquisitely and expertly crafted, so much so that I had to re-read book one again in the days leading up to the release of The Nice House On The Lake Vol. Two.

Memories have been lost, regained, manipulated, and edited like a document on a PC. Walter’s been writing all these people’s lives for decades… but what happens when the puppets’ strings are cut? Is this horror fiction, or a deep look at how writers treat their characters, as told by one of the best? This series works on so many levels and I’ve loved every second.

Having met and interviewed both the writer, James Tynion IV, and the artist, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, I know just how much love, blood, sweat, and tears have gone into these pages. The best news? As James said in his interview, this chapter may well be over, but there’s more story to tell.

Few series have hit me in the same way that this one has, emotionally. I feel a kinship with Walter, and with his friends. I’ve brought a few people to DC Comics News, and to our sister sites Dark Knight News and Fantastic Universes. These great people have, over the years, become more than colleagues, they’ve become part of an extended family, spread over the globe with a common love of comics and stories. If I knew the end of the world was coming, but had a way of saving them, I would.

The problem is, what if you could only save so many? What if you made the wrong choice and the ones you saved turned against each other and you ended up losing them all anyway? What if the ones you chose not to save should’ve been the ones you saved after all? Worst of all, what if every decision you made wasn’t even your own and you had power over every decision the people you saved would make, moving forward?

The Nice House On The Lake Vol. Two concludes this chapter, which tells the story of a being who can control people like chess pieces, characters in a video game, or protagonists in a book. Every day, writers make choices about who lives and who dies in the stories they tell, but Walter does it with living, breathing human beings. Yes, he’s saved them and given them the perfect home and everything they could ever need, but the biggest, most beautiful, magical cage in the world is, at the end of it all, still a cage. The freedom to do what you want, to read, watch, eat, and drink whatever you like may sound great, but only being able to do it with a limited number of others isn’t, particularly when that group has been chosen by someone else.

The team of Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, and Deron Bennett (AndWorld Design) have redefined what collaborative storytelling is. Once again in this book, there are whole pages that are made up of text and color, with only avatars of the character’s faces. Were these pages created by Deron and Jordie, just Deron, or Álvaro, Jordie, and Deron as a team? I don’t know, but I’m eternally grateful and incredibly impressed. Using web pages, message threads, and transcripts to tell this story has given readers a comic that looks, feels, and reads like no other.

Verdict

The Nice House On The Lake Vol. Two is an amazing book, both to read and to look at. The creative team that put this story together ranks, at least in my mind, as one of the best in all of comics. If you’ve never read this series, do yourselves a favor and pick up the double Eisner Award winning volume one as well (ISBN 9781779514349).

If, like me, you’ve been following this story from the beginning, then this finale will satisfy you, but will also leave you wanting more. At least we now know that we’ll actually be getting it.

The Nice House On The Lake Vol. Two comes out on Mar 7th, 2023. ISBN: 9781779517401

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment. Review copy courtesy of Penguin Random House.

The post Book Review: The Nice House On The Lake Vol. Two – Collected Edition appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design

Reviewed by Steve J. Ray

Summary

A journey that began in early June 2021 comes to an end in late December 2022, with the release of The Nice House On The Lake #12. This series has shocked, terrified, and delighted me in turn.

Having met and interviewed both the writer, James Tynion IV, and the artist, Álvaro Martínez Bueno I know just how much love, blood sweat, and tears have gone into these pages. The best news? as James said in his interview, this chapter may well be over, but there’s more story to tell.

Positives

Few series have hit me in the same way that this one has, emotionally. I feel a kinship with Walter, and with his friends. I’ve brought a few people to DC Comics News, and to our sister sites Dark Knight News and Fantastic Universes. These great people have, over the years, become more than colleagues, they’ve become part of an extended family, spread over the globe with a common love of comics and stories. If I knew the end of the world was coming but had a way of saving them, I would.

The problem is, what if you could only save so many? What if you made the wrong choice and the ones you saved turned against each other and you ended up losing them all anyway? What if the ones you chose not to save should’ve been the ones you saved after all? Worst of all, what if every decision you made wasn’t even your own and you had power over every decision the people you saved would make, moving forward?

The Nice House On the Lake #12 concludes this chapter, which tells  the story of a being who can control people like chess pieces, characters in a video game, or protagonists in a book. Every day, writers make choices about who lives and who dies in the stories they tell, but Walter does it with living, breathing human beings. Yes, he’s saved them and given them the perfect home and everything they could ever need, but the biggest, most beautiful, magical cage in the world is, at the end of it all, still a cage. The freedom to do what you want, read, watch, eat, and drink whatever you like may sound great, but only being able to do it with a limited number of others isn’t, particularly when that group has been chosen by someone else.

From the moment this series started, I’ve praised the writing and, not just the line art, but every aspect of the visual storytelling. The team of Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, and Deron Bennett (AndWorld design) have redefined what collaborative storytelling is. Once again, in this issue, there are whole pages that are made up of text and color, with only avatars of the character’s faces. Were these pages created by Deron and Jordie, just Deron, or Álvaro, Jordie, and Deron as a team? I don’t know, but I’m eternally grateful and incredibly impressed. Using web pages, message threads, and transcripts to tell this story has given readers a comic that looks, feels, and reads like no other.

Negatives

I’ve been sitting on the knowledge that these twelve issues were, what can only be described as season one of this story, for a long, long time. Now that both James and Álvaro have confirmed it, I can breathe a sigh of relief. This issue has an ending, so can be left here, but there’s so much that I (and many others, I’m sure) would still like to know. The trouble is we don’t know exactly when that’s going to happen.

Verdict

The Nice House On The Lake #12 is an amazing issue, both to read and to look at. The creative team that put this story together ranks, at least in my mind, as one of the best in all of comics. If you’ve never read this series the first collected edition is out now (collecting issues #1-#6) and volume two comes out on March 7th, 2023. Do yourselves a favor and pick them up.

If like me, you’ve been following this story from the beginning, then this finale will satisfy you, but will also leave you wanting more. At least we now know that we’ll actually be getting it.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment

The post Review: The Nice House On The Lake #12 – Final Issue appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design

Reviewed by Steve J. Ray

Summary

They’re eleven people in a perfect house, in a perfect world… at least, that’s what they thought. Their best friend, a man named Walter, isn’t actually a man at all. He invited them all under false pretenses; this isn’t a vacation, it’s the subtlest of traps.

While the eleven are safe the rest of the world has died screaming and their memories of the event were erased, theoretically to avoid more suffering. Now, in The Nice House On The Lake #11, their memories have returned, and their futures are at stake.

Positives

Wow. Talk about explosive! Last month’s issue saw more of Walter’s secrets revealed, as the housemates finally learned the truth about their situation. Now, the controls Walter used to wipe his friends’ memories and manipulate their physical and mental well-being have been tampered with. On top of all this, one of the housemates has seemingly been killed.

Horror and tension have always been present in these pages, but this penultimate chapter manages to up the ante and deliver even more shocks and twists. Walter and his masters may have spared the occupants of the house, but right from the beginning Walter’s been lying, both to his superiors and to his human friends.

James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, and Deron Bennett have created one of the greatest pieces of horror fiction I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Although the series is ending, they’ve never lost momentum. I know that I’ve complained about the scheduling of this title in the past, but this penultimate issue has come hot on the heels of its predecessor and masterfully built on everything that’s been taking us through to December’s finale.

Has Walter known exactly what was going to happen all along and planned for it? Or worse, has this been his plan from the start?

James Tynion has cleverly shown us how all this will most likely end, writing scenes set “now” and interspersing them with those showing us how we got here. With the final issue now around the corner, we still have a few pieces missing from the puzzle. This story has been exquisitely and expertly crafted, so much so that I will re-read all eleven issues again in the days leading up to the release of the final chapter.

Negatives

I take back my complaints about the delays we’ve had since the series started… I don’t want it to end. On the flip side, I also cannot wait to see how this all plays out.

Verdict

The Nice House On The Lake #11 has blown my mind… again. Memories have been lost, regained, manipulated, and edited like a document on a PC. Walter’s been writing all these people’s lives for decades, but now the puppets’ strings have been cut.

Is this horror fiction, or a deep look at how writers treat their characters, as told by one of the best? This series works on so many levels and I’ve loved every second. For now, however, the end is, quite literally, nigh.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment

The post Review: The Nice House On The Lake #11 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design

Reviewed by Steve J. Ray

Summary

Symbols, machine guns, fractured memories, and rule-breaking; all these and more feature in the pages of the long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, and ultimately brilliant, The Nice House On The Lake #10.

Positives

Where do I even begin? I know I’ve probably said this before, but this issue could be the best one yet. We have eleven people, locked in a perfect house, away from the rest of the world. Over the first six issues we, and they, learned that they were the last surviving humans on Earth and the one friend they all had in common, Walter, was actually not human at all.

This creature, for want of a better word, had been given a human form and emotions, in order to preserve ten perfect examples of humanity; an artist, a writer, an actor, a historian, a musician, a mathematician, a doctor, a scientist, a politician, and a person of faith.

Read the last two paragraphs back to yourself, and you’ll automatically see a problem. If you’ve been following the series, then, for you, this problem will also have a name. Walter, it seems, became all too human, and saved one more person than he was allowed to by his superiors, who or whatever they may be.

Walter has complete physical and psychological control of his charges, including the ability to manipulate their memories and make them invulnerable to harm. Eventually, they found all that out, and, while the inability to cause themselves any physical harm was generally met with glee and taken as a boon and a wonder, the fact that they were the only people left alive on Earth had the complete opposite effect. Walter had to wipe those particular memories out.

Over the course of the series, we’ve also learned that one of Walter’s charges helped him design the idyllic home and habitat they all share. In this issue, we learn that another inhabitant of the house helped him design the control systems. Now… imagine what could happen if the wrong people had access to these controls. That’s as close to dropping a spoiler as I’ll ever get, but that thought alone should have you clamoring for this issue.

Negatives

This is as close to a perfect comic as you’ll find, but the scheduling and the incredibly long waits between issues have been frustrating and bordering on painful. The series resumed in March, with issue #7, after a three-month break. Issue #8 came out six weeks later, and #9 five weeks after that, in early June. We’ve now been waiting for close to three months for issue #10. This 12-issue maxi-series actually began close to sixteen months ago!

Of course, I will forgive this team anything, as this title clearly takes a lot of time to put together. It’s rich, complex, and always well worth waiting for. The negative part is, particularly when we’ve only had four issues over close to seven months, you kind of forget where things were left, and some important story beats. Of course, as soon as I found out this issue was imminent, I re-read issues #1-#9, but not all fans may have had that luxury. Also, many who have, like me, have probably done this a few times now, as the long waits have been many.

Verdict

The Nice House On The Lake #10 is a fantastic comic. The premise, characters, writing, art, colors, lettering, and overall design are beyond reproach. I love this book and have managed to get a great number of people reading it, all of whom love it as much as I do. I’m hoping the wait for the final(?) two issues won’t be as long as the ones we’ve previously had… or do I?

While I really want to see what happens, knowing that this magnificent story will end after just two issues also makes me quite sad.

This series is magnificent. One of the best sci-fi horror stories ever, in any medium.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment

The post Review: The Nice House On The Lake #10 appeared first on DC Comics News.

This year, DC received nominations for Far Sector and The Nice House On The Lake for BOOK OF THE YEAR, as well as nominations for The Batman and Peacemaker for BEST ADAPTATION FROM A COMIC BOOK/GRAPHIC NOVEL.

Congrats to DC and all the nominees! You can check out the full list in the press release below:

HARVEY AWARDS UNVEIL 2022 NOMINEES

Annual Harvey Awards Celebration to Honor Outstanding
Work in Comics During This Year’s New York Comic Con 

NEW YORK, NY – August 11, 2022 – The Harvey Awards today unveiled the nominations and opened the voting for the following categories: Book of the Year, Digital Book of the Year, Best Children’s or Young Adult Book, Best Manga, Best International Book, and Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel. The nominees for the 2022 Harvey Awards are:

Book of the Year

• Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo and Juan Cavia, translated by Gabriela Soares (Top Shelf Productions)
• Crisis Zone by Simon Hanselmann (Fantagraphics)
• Department of Truth, Vol 3: Free Country by James Tynion IV, Jorge Fornes, David Romero, John J. Pearson, Tyler Boss, Elsa Charretier and Alison Sampson (Image Comics)
• Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell (DC Comics)
• The Good Asian, Vol. 1 by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi (Image Comics)
• The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V, Filipe Andrade, & Ines Amaro (BOOM! Studios)
• Lightfall Book 2: Shadow of the Bird by Tim Probert (HarperAlley)
• Nice House on the Lake by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (DC Comics)
• Run: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, L. Fury and Nate Powell (Abrams Books)
• Sisters of the Mist by Marlyn Spaaij (Flying Eye Books)

Digital Book of the Year

• Everything is Fine by Mike Birchall
• I’m Fine, I’m Fine, Just Understand by ND Stevenson
• Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
• Love Everlasting by Tom King and Elsa Charretier
• Snow Angels by Jeff Lemire and Jock (Comixology Originals)

Best Children’s or Young Adult Book

• The Aquanaut by Dan Santat (Scholastic Graphix)
• Lightfall Book 2: Shadow of the Bird by Tim Probert (HarperAlley)
• Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American by Laura Gao (HarperCollins)
• Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh (HarperCollins)
• Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas (HarperCollins)

Best Manga

• Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi, translated by Daniel Komen (Vertical Comics)
• Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, translated by Nate Derr (Kodansha Comics)
• Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani, translated by Zack Davission (Dark Horse Comics)
• Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimot,  translated by Amanda Haley (VIZ Media)
• Red Flowers by Yoshiharu Tsuge, translated by Ryan Holmberg (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Spy X Family by Tatsua Endo, translated by Casey Loe (VIZ Media)

Best International Book

• Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo and Juan Cavia, translated by Gabriela Soares (Top Shelf Productions)
• Castaways by Pablo Monforte and Laura Perez, translated by Silvia Perea Labayen (Dark Horse Comics)
• Sweet Paprika by Mirka Andolfo (Image Comics)
• This is How I Disappear by Mirion Malle, translated by Aleshia Jensen and Bronwyn Haslam (Drawn & Quarterly)
• The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated by Janet Hong (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Yellow Cab by Benoît Cohen and Christophe Chabouté, translated by Edward Gauvin (IDW Publishing)

Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel

• The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, based on Batman (DC Comics)
• El Deafo (Apple TV+), based on El Deafo by CeCe Bell (Abrams Books)
• Heartstopper (Netflix), based on Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (Hachette Children’s Group)
• Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage “Game” board game based on Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt (Dark Horse Comics)
• Ms. Marvel (Disney+) based on Ms. Marvel (Marvel Comics)
• Paper Girls (Amazon Prime Video), based on Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang (Image Comics)
• Paris, 13th District directed by Jacques Audiard, based on “Amber Sweet,” “Hawaiian Getaway,” and “Killing And Dying” by Adrian Tomine (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Peacemaker (HBO Max), based on The Peacemaker (DC Comics)
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, based on Shang-Chi (Marvel Comics)

Nominees for this year’s awards were selected by a curated committee of diverse industry voices including creators, publishing professionals, retailers, educators, and librarians. Creator and industry professionals who have been previously approved for a Professional or Artist Alley badge at any ReedPop comic convention between 2016 – 2022 are automatically eligible to cast their ballot.

Select professionals have been preapproved to vote on this year’s awards and have received their invites already. If you’d like to apply to participate in selecting this year’s Harvey Awards, please visit the Harvey Awards Apply to Vote page. Voting will conclude on September 2nd.

“We are honored to once again shine a light on the best and brightest work within the comics industry through the prestigious Harvey Awards. This year’s list of nominees are bringing fresh, original storytelling and unique voices to the industry and we are looking forward to celebrating their work at this year’s New York Comic Con,” says Lance Fensterman, Global President of ReedPop.

The Harvey Awards honors books and creators working in sequential art across a variety of categories and represents one of the industry’s longest-running annual events. The awards are named after Harvey Kurtzman, the legendary creator who is best remembered for creating MAD.

The annual gala celebrating the Harvey Awards will be livestreamed during New York Comic Con. More information about this year’s Harvey Awards ceremony event and an announcement regarding this year’s Harvey Awards Hall of Fame class will be released at a later date.

For more information about Harvey Kurtzman and the Harvey Awards, please visit harveyawards.com or the Harvey Awards social media pages (Facebook and Twitter). The Harvey Awards Steering Committee is co-chaired by Nellie Kurtzman, John Lind, and Chip Mosher.

New York Comic Con is the ultimate pop culture destination event in the United States. NYCC brings the best of comics, television, film, exhibitors, celebrities, cosplay, anime, and more to create memorable, uniquely exciting experiences for fans. These experiences transcend beyond the walls of the Javits Center and continue to live beyond the weekend of NYCC through Popverse, a robust digital platform where they could get their pop culture fix of content, community, and merchandise all year long. Fans are also invited to sign up to become Popverse Superfans at thepopverse.com to receive access to convention coverage, how-to and shopping guides, deep dives into popular fandoms, and more.

About Harvey Kurtzman and the Harvey Awards:

Harvey Kurtzman (1924–1993), creator of MAD, was a cartoonist and pop culture icon. Among the most influential American satirists, he was known for his visionary abilities that encompassed author, artist, designer, and editor, and combined those skills in some capacity in almost every project he was involved in. The Harvey Awards, presented annually since 1988, are named in his honor and aim to recognize the achievements among creators and their books in the publishing industry.

The post DC Picks Up Four Nominations At The 2022 Harvey Awards appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design

Reviewed by Steve J. Ray

Summary

History begins to repeat itself in The Nice House On The Lake #9, as the housemates slowly discover the truth about their circumstances, and Norah attempts to reveal all about Walter and the fate of the world.

Positives

We’re three-quarters through this series, and all I have is positive comments. The tale that’s being woven in these pages is deep, rich, thought-provoking, and chilling.

Walter has replaced Norah in the house after wiping every other house-mates minds of the knowledge that life on Earth has been extinguished, and they are the only human beings left alive. Just like in the first volume of this series, even though they don’t know that their loved ones outside the Lake area have all perished, the occupants of the house are discovering their new physical abilities, and those with suspicions are following them.

The last few pages of this issue are mind-blowing, and the tumultuous relationship between Norah, Walter and the other housemates feels like it’s going to reach boiling point.

The way this sublime horror story is tapping into human nature and the fears all of us have is beautifully handled. No one likes to be kept in the dark or lied to, even when the truth can be extremely painful. Walter has quelled a rebellion before, but the personalities of the people he has saved are too strong to be held back. As every adult alive will agree, eventually the truth will come out, and the bigger the lie, the more destructive the consequences.

Month after month, after month, I sing the praises of artists Álvaro Martínez Bueno and Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Deron Bennett. With every issue, they provide examples of teamwork rarely matched in this medium. From steamed-up mirrors with hidden messages, to sublime vistas, and some of the most human of human beings, this series is a pure delight. Saying that about a horror story may sound odd, but the storytelling genius of every creative talent working on this book makes me proud to be a grown man who’s still reading comics.

Negatives

I don’t have any, save the fact that we only have three issues left to read. I have no clue how this series will end, and no desire to see it do so.

Verdict

The Nice House On The Lake #9 is an essay on the human condition and also proves the old adage that history repeats itself. From cover to cover (and look at those covers!) this series is sure to be held in very high regard in the months, years, and decades to come.

Do not sleep on this series just because of the title. Shout about it, spread the joy and the terror. Neither you nor any new reader you bring to the fold will regret it.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment

The post Review: The Nice House On The Lake #9 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design

Reviewed by Steve J. Ray

Summary

The Nice House On The Lake #8 continues to show us the lives of the housemates after Walter moved back in. Seeing everyone working in harmony, their memories of the world ended now wiped, tensions in the house actually seem to be growing. The dynamic between the survivors has changed, and even though we now know that some of his friends have known what Walter had been planning since the beginning, the fact that he can alter their memories hasn’t been lost on any of them.

Positives

The way that James Tynion can write something as simple and commonplace as feeling like an outsider more isolating and terrifying than it already is, is pure genius. At some point or another, we’ve all felt like we don’t belong, or that others are more loved or wanted than we are. Seeing it happen to the best, the brightest, and the most beautiful in this messed up world that’s been turned upside down, makes this horrific fantasy feel all the more real.

That’s one of the greatest aspects of this entire series, the way that the writing and the art feel so down-to-earth and real, even though this whole chain of events, and the planet that the survivors have inherited, is just about as messed up and wrong as anything could ever be.

The art by Álvaro Martínez Bueno and Jordie Bellaire just highlights all of it. The art is this book is simply phenomenal and makes the commonplace horrific by bringing the most terrifying of possible scenarios into what should be the safest place of all… home. Page 15 showcases some of the best storytelling I’ve ever seen in a comic. The way the camera pans away from Ryan, just as Walter and all the other housemates walk away from her, is unnerving, spine-chilling, and incredibly effective. Truly beautiful work from everyone involved.

Even the way Deron Bennett’s letters blow up whenever Walter’s ire is raised is a joy to behold.

Negatives

I’m scratching my head month after month to find something to complain about with this series. It makes me queasy, leaves me nervous, and has my mind racing long after I’ve put down my tablet, or the physical comic. The thing is, I’m meant to feel this way, this is what this talented group of creators is actually aiming for… and they’re damn good at their jobs!

The way The Nice House On The Lake #8 ends sent shivers down my spine.

No, these are negative feelings generated by a series that I feel nothing but positive about.

Verdict

I read and then buy every issue and I recommend this series to anyone and everyone I meet. The Nice House On The Lake isn’t just a great horror story, it’s a solid example of just what the medium of comics can accomplish. This is as good a story as you’ll ever read anywhere, in prose, script, or any other medium. This is one of the finest works of the imagination I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and every chapter leaves me wanting more.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment

The post Review: The Nice House On The Lake #8 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design

Reviewed by Steve J. Ray

WARNING – This review contains mild spoilers for issues #1-#6 of the series. If you haven’t read them yet, PLEASE DO SO, or pick up The Nice House On The Lake Vol. One Collected Edition, which is also out TODAY.

Summary

It’s been four months since we last checked in on the housemates, so the wait for The Nice House On The Lake #7 has been a long and anxious one.

The previous six issues dropped bombshells, surprised us, scared us, and blew our minds. The appearance of Reg in issue #5, (even though he was already trying to make himself seen and heard when Sam discovered the second house, at the end of issue #3), changed everything. Here was Walter’s closest confidant, possibly his best friend, and someone who knew all of his secrets.

Of course, by the end of volume one, we also discovered that Norm (now Norah) and a few others also knew the truth about Walter long before they were all gathered at the lake house, only to have these memories wiped. This was yet another shocking revelation. All this neatly brings us to issue #7, where more secrets are revealed, and we finally get to see how the plans for the house came together, and who was actually behind them.

Positives

Where do I even begin? Be forewarned, there will be no negatives section in this review. James Tynion, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, and Deron Bennett have continued to lift the curtain and, while I’ve been anxious to see what lurks there, I also really want to look away… but can’t.

Once again, we’re given a comic that fascinates, and terrifies us. The art, color, and letters are sublime, adding to said tension, fear, and fascination perfectly. What the latest issue does is answer a ton of questions about Reg, Walter, and how the plans for the house came into being. The worst part is that we kind of already knew some of the answers, just because of what we’ve already witnessed. In a stroke of brilliance, though, this doesn’t lessen the blow, it reinforces the horror.

What is a revelation is the look at Walter’s past and his feelings for his friends. Norah, Reg, and Molly in particular. We know – or rather Walter told us – that his human body had hormones and that he really did have feelings for his friends, some of which were far deeper than just platonic. Issue #7 takes us one step further.

Verdict

The Nice House On The Lake #7 momentarily moves away from the main storyline, but in a way that underlines everything that’s come before while leaving us even more anxious to catch up. What do the sudden storms in a place that only ever had idyllic weather mean? Has Reg’s arrival strengthened everyone else’s resolve, and given them hope? Or, do they now feel even more trapped and helpless than before?

We only have five issues left, and just like everything else in this series, I both can’t wait to see what happens next, yet don’t want to know, at the same time.

The Nice House On The Lake is pure, deep, psychological horror at its absolute finest.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment

The post Review: The Nice House On The Lake #7 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design

Reviewed by Steve J. Ray

Summary

The Nice House On The Lake Vol. One collects issues #1-#6 of the series, contains all six covers, main variants, plus a gallery of a dozen rare variants and a design sketchbook by artist Álvaro Martínez Bueno.

Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter. Well, they know him a little, anyway. Some met him in childhood; some only met him a few months ago, but they’ll all tell you that Walter’s always been a little… off.

 

After the hardest year of their lives, though, nobody was going to turn down Walter’s invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. The setting was beautiful, opulent, and private, so having a week of putting up with Walter’s weird little schemes and nicknames in exchange for the vacation of a lifetime? Why not?

 

All of them were at that moment in their lives when they could feel themselves pulling away from their other friends; wouldn’t a chance to reconnect be… nice?

 

In The Nice House on the Lake, the overriding anxieties of the 21st century get a terrifying new face, and it might just be the face of the person you trust most.

Positives

Easter is coming up fast, so if you want to pick up a book that’s different, scary, deep, and beautiful to look at, then this one should be no. 1 on your list. This book takes the feelings of isolation from two years of a pandemic and lockdown, the sensations of missing loved ones, and the desire for an idyllic escape, then puts them through a blender, feet first, just so it can see them scream.

I reviewed the series monthly as each issue came out, but nothing compares to having these words, and these amazing images in your hands, in a lavish, beautifully made book. This collected edition feels and looks amazing, and having all six chapters together just feels right, even if everything that happens in these pages is, oh, so very wrong.

The Covid years have left people all over the globe missing friends and loved ones and put all vacations and getaways on hold. Who hasn’t wished to gather their best friends in an idyllic spot, away from the grime, steel, and concrete? Who doesn’t love a cool pad with a pool and all the luxuries your heart could ever desire?

Be careful what you wish for.

This story has taken many of my dreams and set them on fire. It’s also taken all of my fears and made me sit down face to face with them… and I’ve loved every second.

The very best horror scares you because it resonates, it makes you take stock of your life and everyone around you. DC Comics News is made up of some amazing individuals, many of whom have become dear friends and joined me in other ventures. I have lifelong friends and family members who have also got together on other websites and podcasts, and some of us have even met socially. The Nice House On The Lake introduces us to Walter, his friends, and acquaintances. They’re as different a bunch as any group of friends can be, yet as familiar as our own.

That’s what makes this story so amazing. I can look at these total strangers and see some of my friends’ foibles and quirks in them. I can see myself in them… and in Walter. The irony of the fact that even the series’ artist and writer, along with numerous friends and colleagues, have said that I look like him sends an added wave of chills down my spine.

One of my go-to phrases is that the best fiction holds a mirror up to society. The Nice House On The Lake does so better than most, in a hauntingly refreshing way.

There are pages in this book that are made up of just text, so letterer Deron Bennett needs to be recognized for his amazing efforts. Other pages contain nothing but beautiful images and text, so well rendered and put together that I had to ask whether the artist, color artist, or letterer was responsible, and who did exactly what. This series reads like no other comic and looks like no other comic. It’s unique and it’s ground-breaking in its originality.

From the opening pages with our narrator setting the scene (wait… is she missing an eye? What’s happened to this woman?) you get a sense of creeping dread that you can’t quite explain.

James Tynion’s dialogue and pacing in this book are faultless and, even though there’s no “action” to speak of, it isn’t missed. What this book does have is an atmosphere so dense that it makes Victorian London, Jack-The-Ripper style fogs feel simply light and fluffy in comparison.

Álvaro Martínez Bueno doesn’t just draw the shocking and horrific beautifully, there are very few artists who can deliver the ordinary and mundane as gorgeously as he does. The college bedroom depicted in this issue is so scarily like my own was, that I had to do a double-take. The bookshelves in the library contain so many of my all-time favorite books and graphic novels, that I feel like the artist may have been squatting in my brain for the last thirty years.

There are comics colorists, and there are color artists. Jordie Bellaire is an artist… plain and simple. The complete clashes in contrast; from hellish reds and oranges in some scenes to the cool blues and greens of the house, make a reader feel like they’re diving into icy waters after having been roasting in the flames of hell. Once again, everything Jordie has done elevates the script and the sumptuous art to even higher levels.

We’re meet a small army of characters, that we immediately recognize and either start to like, laugh at, distrust, or simply detest. The way in which we meet them immediately sets the hairs at the back of your neck standing up, as every person has been vetted and placed on a list, making them feel more like microbes being studied under a microscope, rather than as living, breathing human beings. The beauty part is, their dialogue is so true to life that when they speak, they feel so absolutely real and human that the fear levels rise exponentially.

Since the dawn of science fiction, we’ve been presented with stories about the end of the world; who would survive, how, and why. Yes, this is one of them, but it’s one that turns the notion on its head… or knocks it on its butt. Or both. How do you think the world will end?

Verdict

I think everyone secretly prays for a comic book or TV show to come along, that grabs them from the first chapter and then keeps delivering. The Nice House On The Lake Vol. One reeled me in from the off. The fact that the first issue of Vol. Two’s coming out on the same day as this collected edition is a great idea because this series is a must-read and this book is a must-buy.

You can pre-order The Nice House On The Lake Vol. One right now, and it will be available to buy online and from all good book-sellers from March 1st: ISBN 9781779514349

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment, preview copy courtesy of Penguin Random House

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