One of the best series in the last ten years is getting a sequel in The Nice House by the Sea, and the first issue was excellent. It also had a shocking twist you may not have seen coming, which leads directly into the second issue out this week. It’s time to take a step back and see how that cliffhanger came to be!
The Nice House by the Sea #2 opens in a familiar place if you’ve read the first series. The world is red and dying, and one of our main characters explains in the future their thoughts on the alien that took her to the end-times vacation spot. Walter becomes a focus in this issue with a key flashback that connects the new character, Oliver, with one of the characters from the past series.
The main focus of this issue is the characters from Nice House on the Lake. We get a nice check-in with them now that they rule the roost, and Walter is no longer in the picture. Surprisingly, though, a dog shows up in a crate, which surprises everyone. They can ask for things, and they appear, but a living creature? That’s weird.
A new flashback!
Credit: DC Comics
While the group discusses what it means to have a dog and worries that it might be afraid of planned lightning, writer James Tynion IV checks in on characters alive and dead. The trauma they’ve experienced in this prison, as well as the loss of Earth itself, is palpable.
I must say, I commented on the less streaky and weird color choices in the first issue, but Jordie Bellaire returns to bringing a bit of chaos with her colors in this issue. The style choice, along with Álvaro Martínez Bueno’s moodier art, is compelling. These characters are in a gloomy place, and the art helps convey that.
That’s never more true than when Reg and Norah discuss things. They both know things and are keeping them hidden from each other. They’re also the key figures who appeared at the end of the last issue, and there’s a nice bridge between the issues by the end of this one. The horror aspect of the series shines through via these moments.
Speaking as someone who loved the first series, I must admit that it’s hard to keep track of all these characters. There are helpful caption boxes that remind us of the name and age of characters, but I felt like I needed a guide or at least a handy copy of the first series to refresh my memory. The series works best in smaller scenes, like a character leaving a bed after a threesome or characters worrying about the new dog. Still, things come untethered when I’m frankly not remembering how characters relate to each other.
The rather large cast of The Nice House by the Sea #2 makes it a touch difficult to unpack everything, but there’s no denying that the series’ complexities are coming to a head. There’s a master plan at work here, and it’s building towards direct conflict and likely great horror.
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