Ahead of its June 1st release, DC Comics has released a preview for James Tynion and Álvaro Martínez Bueno’s The Nice House on the Lake. Published under DC Black Label, the new horror series brings a variety of characters together by invitation, but reconnecting with old friends is always a good idea, right?
“I’ve always thought of myself as a horror writer…I like taking the things that I’m afraid about and turning them into monsters for my characters to grapple with,” says Tynion IV in a statement sent to AIPT. “In superhero comics, you can always turn away at the last minute, and boil that conflict down into people in fun costumes punching each other. The Nice House On The Lake is trying to hit at deeper nerve, and the goal is to reach that final last moment and sit with the horror rather than turning away.”
It’s a series I was fortunate enough to read early and…it’s real good y’all!
Lucky to read The Nice House on the Lake #1 and couldn't be more enthralled. @JamesTheFourth and @AMartinezBueno have in one issue set up believable characters, calmed our nerves, and then dropped the #horror hammer right on your head. Atmosphere, art, and covers are exceptional. pic.twitter.com/OakofNc4sr
— David Brooke (@Nosocialize) May 2, 2021
Read the solicit and preview below.
Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter—well, they know him a little, anyway. Some met him in childhood; some met him months ago. And Walter’s always been a little…off. But after the hardest year of their lives, nobody was going to turn down Walter’s invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. It’s beautiful, it’s opulent, it’s private—so 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?
With Something Is Killing The Children and The Department of Truth, James Tynion IV has changed the face of horror in modern comics — now get ready for his most ambitious story yet, alongside his Detective Comics partner Álvaro Martínez Bueno!
The Nice House on the Lake #1
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Álvaro Martínez Bueno
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Lettering: AndWorld Design
Release Date: June 1, 2021
For more on this news, read the press release below.
In the debut issue of The Nice House On The Lake by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno, launching June 1, everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter. Some met him in childhood; some met him months ago. And Walter’s always been a little…off. But after the hardest year of their lives, nobody was going to turn down Walter’s invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. It’s beautiful, it’s opulent, it’s private—so a week of putting up with Walter’s weird little schemes and nicknames in exchange for the vacation of a lifetime? Why not?
Check out the first seven pages now, and preorder copies from a comic shop near you to guarantee you get in on the ground floor of The Nice House On The Lake on June 1!
In the first twelve-issue season of 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 once trusted most!
“I’ve always thought of myself as a horror writer…I like taking the things that I’m afraid about and turning them into monsters for my characters to grapple with,” says Tynion IV. “In superhero comics, you can always turn away at the last minute, and boil that conflict down into people in fun costumes punching each other. The Nice House On The Lake is trying to hit at deeper nerve, and the goal is to reach that final last moment and sit with the horror rather than turning away.”
Launching on June 1 as a monthly DC Black Label maxiseries, The Nice House On The Lake is the next blockbuster horror franchise in the making!
“This isn’t an action comic book,” continued Tynion IV, “this is a character-driven story where people need to grapple with living in a seeming paradise that they KNOW is not a paradise. It’s about the cognitive dissonance of trying to relax in comfort when you know that the world around you is falling apart. It’s also a story about how friendship evolves as you enter adulthood, and how you can’t recapture the bonds of youth in your adult life.”
The Nice House on the Lake launches on June 1 with a cover by Álvaro Martínez Bueno, an open-to-order card stock variant cover by Martin Simmonds and a 1:25 card stock variant cover by Werther Dell’Edera & Giovanna Niro. Colors are by Jordie Bellaire and lettering is by AndWorld Design. The Nice House on the Lake carries an Ages 17+ content descriptor (for mature readers) and retails for $3.99. Card stock variant covers retail for $4.99.
Exclusive covers from these participating retailers are also available:
- Comic Kingdom of Canada – exclusive variant cover by Carla Cohen
- State of Comics — exclusive variant cover by Richard Luong
- Things From Another World — exclusive variant cover by Francesco Francavilla
- The 616 Comics — exclusive variant cover by Megan Hutchison-Cates
- Comic Madness — exclusive variant cover by David Romero
- Comics Elite — exclusive variant cover by John Giang
- Frankies Comics — exclusive variant cover by Ken Lashley and Chris Sotomayor
- Sanctum Sanctorum Comics — exclusive variant cover by Robert Hack
- Third Eye Comics and Tiny Onion Studios — exclusive variant cover by Álvaro Martínez Bueno
- Wanted Comics — exclusive variant cover by John Gallagher
For more information about The Nice House on the Lake, visit the DC Comics website at www.dccomics.com and follow on social media at @DCComics and @thedcnation. Sign up for a free trial of DC UNIVERSE INFINITE at www.dcuniverseinfinite.com.
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