The Nice House on the Lake was a series characterized by all of the very best adjectives starting with the letter S; it was surreal, subversive, smart, and scary-as-hell. The story of a handful of accomplished friends gathered in a seeming paradise to be held as captives by an alien consciousness while the Earth ended was immediately something special and only grew in its promise across 12 issues. Its sequel, The Nice House on the Sea, can be described with those same words as it introduces a new gathering of individuals at a new location under the same premise, but what makes it so impressive is how quickly it builds upon what’s come before to change everything readers know once again.
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Readers who have not read The Nice House on the Lake should not be bothered to give this issue a try until reading the original; The Nice House on the Sea is designed as a sequel and relies upon familiarity with the concept to deliver a thrilling return, rather than a muted reintroduction. There are 11 new characters, including one alien companion Max, all quickly introduced through the perspective of Oliver Landon Clay (designated The Actor). Many of the fantastic surprises revealed throughout The Nice House on the Lake are already taken for granted in this space as Max casually reveals his phantasmagorical form and inhabitants bicker over the weather controls. Two years into the apocalypse and these folks have already figured out much of what the original cast discovered.
This issue’s interest lies in the contrasts, both interpersonal and in relation to their environment. What’s immediately evident is that the relationships of this space function very differently. All of the characters are still highly accomplished individuals with distinct areas of expertise, but they lack the history and warmth that characterized the friends sharing a lake house. They may know one another, but there’s a distinct lack of care in this atmosphere. That shift entails a difference in approach as the characters have gone about their apocalypse in more individualistic pursuits resulting in a variety of new revelations.
By the issue’s end, readers are given at least some sense of how each person functions within the household and can see the future fissures set to destroy the seeming paradise. The issue builds upon the many smart designs and motifs developed across the original series to serve up the entire scenario in a single day-in-the-life story. Of course, there’s one final twist that will remind readers why the wait between issues was a killer for The Nice House on the Lake.
The growth in characters, setting, and understanding is matched by growth in artist Álvaro Martínez Bueno’s style for the story. Throughout much of the first series a sense of mystery inhabited the artwork with flourishes primarily appearing to disrupt the quiet ambience stalking the panels. Here, the inhabitants of this space have embraced its oddity and the result is an increase in disturbing geometries and impossible forms. Max’s alien appearance is the most notable element and one defined both by Bueno’s masterfully twisted shapes for it and exceptional color design by Jordie Bellaire. But there are plenty of other touches that continue to affirm just how unnatural this idyllic place really is. Readers will be left eager to return, but glad they can always shut the cover on this nice house by the sea.
Published by DC Comics
On July 24, 2024
Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Andworld Design
Cover by Álvaro Martínez Bueno
