House of Mystery #6 – Review

By Matthew Sturges (Writer), Tony Akins (Prologue Artist), Andrew Depoy (Prologue Inker), Alex Wald (Prologue Colors), Luca Rossi (Artist), Lee Loughridge (Colors)

The Story: This second arc kicks off with more of a whimper than a bang. As with other installments in the series, there are two stories at work here. The first is about pirate (and house resident), Ann Preston’s failed encounter with love on the high seas. The second takes place within the titular house as the residents once again ponder an escape attempt.

What’s Good: Unfortunately, not enough. That said, the series remains one of the more interesting reads thanks to Matthew Sturges’ flair for words and consistently solid artwork by Luca Rossi for the main story. Also worth noting is the ending that inserts a familiar plot device, “the mysterious door”, to good use. It will definitely keep me around as a reader for at least another book or two.

What’s Not So Good: The book instantly gets off on the wrong foot as Ann Preston’s fairly interesting, though ultimately unsatisfying, side story is marred by some ridiculously inconsistent artwork. The facial expressions are an absolute mess. The end result is Ann looking like a totally different person in nearly every panel. At times it appears as though her ship may actually be populated by a number of imperfect Ann Preston clones. The problem is not as apparent for the other characters in the prologue, but seeing as how Ann is the focal point, it proves quite distracting.

Another thing worth mentioning is the overall storytelling which is not very good.  While the author’s words are interesting and fun to read, they really don’t add up to a whole lot. Both the prologue and main storyline suffer from this problem, but in slightly different ways.  The prologue could give a bit more insight into Ann Preston’s character or culminated in her arrival at the house. Instead it just serves as just another short story that has little consequence in the overall scheme of things.  The main story suffers because the plot involving the residents of the house continues to move at a languid pace. Interesting things happen, but

Conclusion: House of Mystery continues to be a frustrating series. Each issue is interesting enough to make the reader want to know what comes next, but it feels like very little is actually happening. It’s a shame to see this series sink after what was quite a promising start.

Grade: C-

– Kyle Posluszny

House of Mystery #5 – Review

By Matthew Sturges (writer), Luca Rossi and Sean Murphy (artists), Lee Loughridge (colors)

Well, this did it. This sealed the deal for me. I’m officially dropping House of Mystery with issue #5. It’s not that it’s a horrible book – it’s just not for me. Matthew Sturges has tried valiantly to flesh out the character of Fig and he does a good job exploring her past with this issue. In fact, it’s the only redeeming thing I can speak of. However, by the time I reached the end of the book I didn’t care any more about Fig than I did two issues ago.

Nothing about her story is compelling. Sure, she’s had a washed up life with lots of ups and downs, but guess what, Fig? So have most of us! Sorry, but if your silly emo persona is grating enough to make the House of Mystery want to literally kill itself, then there’s really no reason for me to be reading this book. Who wants to read a book about characters they can’t stand?

I really wanted to love this book. I gave it five chances to win me over, but it’s just not creepy enough, and frankly, it’s not going anywhere to boot. The only subplot that had me going was with that girl who was banished from the House into the wastelands of who knows where. Adding to my frustration is the fact that we don’t even get any of her story in this issue! When we have (in the past) it’s just a few spattered pages here and there. That’s not enough to keep me coming back on a monthly basis. House of Mystery should be teeming with suspense and horror. It should pay homage to its bronze age roots. Instead, it’s just a House of Boredom. This is one of those rare cases where being mediocre is worse than being bad.

Someone let me know when it’s safe to come home. (Grade: C-)

– J. Montes

House of Mystery #3 – Review

By Matthew Sturges (writer), Luca Rossi and Zachary Baldus (artists), Lee Loughridge (colors)

I’m still waiting for this book to make a left turn and become all “70s gothic-horror” on me. Other than a few fleeting moments from the first issue, it still hasn’t happened. Still, HoM #3 reads much better than the second issue. With Fig acting as the anchor for this series, we get to see what happens when someone tries to escape from the House. And though the outcome is very predictable, it’s nice to know that boundaries are being set early. We also learn that there is indeed a way out, but it’s never really explained. All that’s shown is if you happen to make it out, you’re in for something not so pleasant.

The storytelling by Luca Rossi expressive and mood driven. When Fig is outside, we see less dreariness and shadows. When she’s inside, the mood level intensifies and Lee Loughridge’s colors work well to match that mood. The side story art by Zachary Baldus is quite good, but feels a bit too photo referenced for my tastes. There’s also a few panels where characters feel still and just “off”. But his brutal depiction of mobster violence makes a strong impression.

I enjoyed the fact that this issue spends more time with Fig and growing her relationships with the other house guests instead of segueing into another tale. Granted, I love the short side stories, but it’s good to see more focus on the character relationships. Now, if Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham (who’s absent from this issue) can work on ramping up the spookiness factor (like the stuff we see on the last page), I’ll be all over this book. In the meantime, it’s beginning to hover dangerously close to “I’ll just wait for the trade,” mentality – because the interior of your book should match what’s portrayed on the cover. (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

As a series, House of Mystery has disappointed me a bit only because I expected more of a horror element to the stories being told. The series has given us glimpses of the potential horror elements, but has yet to really deliver in that regard (outside of the fly story in the first issue). With that said, I still consider this title to be one of my favorite reads each month. Fig is an interesting character, the overall story arc is compelling, and the short stories, while not quite what I expected, are always fun to read.

As for this issue, I agree with Jason on every point made, though I don’t think I could possibly trade wait something that is so consistently entertaining even if it isn’t exactly what I expected. The art is extremely well done, the relationships are developing nicely, and I really like how it shows what’s in store for someone who manages to leave the house. It finally feels as though the story is starting to go somewhere and I believe things will only get stronger from this point on. House of Mystery #3 is a fun read, just make sure to keep expectations in check. Don’t let the awesome cover art deceive you into thinking this “House” is all about horror. (Grade: B)

– Kyle Posluszny

House of Mystery #2 – Review

By Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham (writers), Luca Rossi and  Jill Thompson (artists), Lee Loughridge (colors)

While I appreciate and enjoyed the story presented in this issue, I’ve got to admit I was a bit let down by the lack of “horror” elements. I guess this place can’t be scary all the time. Instead, HoM #2 presents us with a tale of a man who was retrofitted to take trip into the deep. It was a mission of diplomacy, but at its core, the man was a glorified collection agent. The world he delves into is fantastically realized by Jill Thompson as she does some beautiful water color work. And as much as I enjoyed this small tale, I couldn’t help but wonder where all the suspense was.

Later, when the story shifts back to Fig, we get a better understanding of how she found her way into the House, but little is revealed about her ghostly assailants or their motives. And while we do get to see more of the House and learn that Fig can never leave, there’s little story that happens in this sophomoric effort. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind it as much if we got a load of character development (we don’t), and lack of any suspense cripples the book – at least for me. That’s not to say the story is bad, it’s entertaining, for sure, but anyone hoping for some actual horror or mystery may be a bit disappointed.

As for the art, it’s one of the bright points in the book. Jill Thompson’s muted watercolor work is hauntingly beautiful. It’s only a few pages though, so don’t expect too much. Luca Rossi handles art chores for rest of the issue and produces quality that matches the previous issue. In other words, it’s good stuff. The story, however is strictly average at best. And that’s something House of Mystery should never have. (Grade: C)

– J. Montes

House of Mystery #1 – Review

By Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, Luca Rossi , Ross Campbell, Lee Loughridge

Horror and mystery fans gather ’round, your book has arrived. After being canceled in 1983, DC’s flagship horror title makes its triumphant return. And while the House of Mystery never really disappeared off the radar (it played a role in many of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series), it has been too long since we’ve been without this series (and its brother title, House of Secrets). If you’ve never read an issue of House of Mystery have no fear. Because the dynamics and the format are for the most part completely different than the original series, you’ll have no problem getting into this book.

What immediately came to mind after finishing this issue was one of the later Sandman storylines called World’s End. That story featured a group of people trapped in an inn where stories from different walks of life and cultures were exchanged. House of Mystery’s premise is very similar in that manner. The house has disappeared from “reality” (I’m sure this will all be explained as the series goes on), and seems to be caught in a weird purgatory style dimension. Trapped in this house are a group of strangers – each from a wildly different dimension or time.

This first issue gives us the story of a woman who lived in a town infested with human-sized flies and how she fell in love with one of them. The story ain’t pretty – in fact it’s grotesque near the end – but it serves in many ways as a satire and analogy of sorts. I’m not going to go into what I took away from it, because it can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide. No matter what you take away from it, on the surface it’s a chilling and disturbing story not for the weak-hearted. And that’s just the way I like it.

The art teams do an excellent job of translating the spooky atmosphere to the comic page (especially that creepy fly story), and the writing teams both turn in stellar scripts. There’s a bit of confusion involved with a few of the opening plots that may throw off some people, but I urge you to keep reading. As the issue progresses, things begin to unravel. And while you won’t get all your answers from this first offering, you will get just enough to make you come back next month. The industry needs more comics like this. Highly recommended. (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes