Review – The Nice House By The Sea #1 (DC Comics)

July 29, 2024

3–4 minutes

Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Release Date: 24th July 2024

When I first heard that James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno were returning to the world they created in 2021’s The Nice House on the Lake with a brand new series, my initial reaction (outside of “ohmygodIneedtoreadthis”) was “how are they going to keep this story feeling fresh?” Don’t get me wrong, a new setting with a new group of housemates definitely sounded appealing, but there was still a nagging fear in the back of my head that this could potentially end up as an unnecessary retread of the previous story.

As it turns out, I needn’t have worried.

Firstly, it’s worth pointing out that readers who are unfamiliar with the first series will find The Nice House By The Sea more than a little tricky to navigate. This is very much a continuation as opposed to an accessible jumping-on point. Also, rather then focusing on the shocking realisation of their new situation (“the world is about to end in a fiery apocalypse and you have been chosen to live in paradise as one of only a handful of survivors”), this new story picks things up two years down the line with our new housemates fully resigned to their fates and embracing both the mundanity and possibility of their daily routines.

Interestingly, whereas previous alien “host” Walter allowed the fondness he had developed for his extended human friendship group dictate who got an ‘invite’, this new house – and new host Max – is very much doing things by the book, featuring a house packed with scholars, mathematicians and Nobel Prize winners. This approach has its pros and its cons, with a lot more potential ‘value’ coming with a competitive, mistrusting vibe that frequently goes hand-in-hand with high-achievers.

Of these ten new individuals, it’s Oliver Landon Clay (“The Actor”) who takes centre stage, serving as our de facto guide as we navigate this new environment and meet the inhabitants of this slice of Mediterranean-tinged paradise. Tynion does a great job of ensuring each character has a noticeable characteristic which helps them to stand out, and while the focus is very much on Oliver to this point, there are clearly some fascinating new possibilities just waiting to be explored. Oh, and did I mention that Oliver was previously very close with Walter in the real world and was intially reluctant to even be included in Max’s ‘selection’ for this new house? The plot thickens, as they say.

As you might expect by now (and as you can clearly see below), Bueno continues to do an absolutely stellar job of delivering the distinctive tone of this series, keeping everything suitably realistic and grounded but ensuring that every key facial expression or reaction, no matter how subtle, is beautifully captured on the page. It’s also worth underscoring just how striking a job colourist Jordie Bellaire does with the book, particularly when it comes to the more fantastical aspects where both Walter and Max give us a fleeting glance at their true form.

The final pages kick things into a whole new gear in classic Tynion style, tying this new story seamlessly into the previous arc and completely and utterly erasing any of my aforementioned fears about this feeling like an ‘unnecessary retread’. Delivering all the nuanced character work of the first series while throwing in some delicious twists, turns and jaw-dropping revelations for good measure, The Nice House By The Sea is already looking like an absolutely note-perfect sequel, and as such, gets our highest possible recommendation.

Rating: 5/5

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]