MY WEEK IN COMICS - - - for the week ending Sunday, JUNE 28 2026
#218 - #224 ROBIN #177 - #183 by Fabian Nicieza and Freddie Williams III (DC Comics, 2009) The promotional synopsis:
With Batman gone from Gotham City, Robin must stop the gang warfare that threatens to overrun the city. And what does the mysterious Red Robin have to do with the situation?
While I’m not a fan of the story-telling style of Fabian Nicieza (after this,
Batman and Bruce Wayne are missing and considered by many of the Bat-Family to be deceased. But, others believe he has decided not to return after some soul-searching and a retreat to a Himalayan shaman and isolation in a cave. (See Grant Morrison’s BATMAN: R.I.P.) Tim Drake believes it best to maintain the idea that Batman is still out there protecting Gotham, especially considering the rise in gang warfare which Tim is trying to control while Nightwing is busy with the bigger crime bosses/villains.
There’s a lot of soul-searching and the whole story arc centers around how Tim handles things and develops as a more responsible, less brash and impulsive, hero. Jason Todd messes things up by trying to unite the gangs and broker peace but his methods results in the gangs fighting each other. Meanwhile, Tims’ relationship with Stephanie/Spoiler is on the fritz, and she was taken into Batman’s confidence and asked to challenge Tim in order to test his mettle for leadership.
Many side stories are introduced which sometimes confuse the central plot, including the presence of Red Robin (different people use the costume), and the revival of Anarky (but not the original). THREE STARS.
#225-#230 = THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE, VOLUME ONE by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (DC Comics/Black Label, March 2022)
I'm finally getting around to continue reading the story in Volume Two. But, I wanted to refresh my memory so I began with a re-read (this might be the 3rd or 4th time, but this is good enough to read every year) of Volume One.
While there's not much I need to add to my 2023 review, I always find additional appreciation for the story-telling artistry of both creators. At its' core, this isn't a complicated story. At the end of the world an alien (in human disguise for years) decides to save his friends and invites them to a lake house retreat where apparently they will spend their end of days in confinement, a pleasant but nonetheless prison.
What sets this apart from the mountain of post-apocalypse stories is the way the story is unfolded in bits and pieces, little character reveals, and snippets of information. Tynion manages to make the readers a part of it. They know only as much as the survivors do and uncover bits of information together. That's why I consider this a masterpiece of graphic story-telling. Highly recommended. FIVE STARS.
#231 = THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #7 by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (DC Comics/Black Label, May 2022)
At the end of Volume One the eleventh member of the guests at alien Walter’s lake resort, Reggie, is broken out of the separate glass house where Walter had confined him, and introduced to the others. He’s a high school friend of Walter’s, another artist/designer, who helped Walter construct the resort. The big reveal at the conclusion is Reggie telling the others that there is still time to save the world and he knows how.
There’s a lot of unanswered questions and mystery surrounding everything as I begin reading the second arc of stories. I’m going to be sharing my thoughts here, so if you don’t want spoilers just know that I highly recommend this title and move on. I’m reading these slowly and sometimes a second or third time - - yeah, there’s that much that you could miss the first time around. There’s also little hints in the imaginative art from Bueno.
The back page of this issue contains a guide to the characters, which I find extremely helpful and refer to it often. Curiously, all ten characters are depicted, plus Walter - - but no Reggie. Hmmm, wonder why?
The issue opens with Molly (The Accountant) in a field that appears to be on fire. Has she escaped? I’m not sure. In the last panel of her scene there are those huge sculptures of alien symbols like those seen around the estate. I’ve suspected that the entire lake resort is a construct of Walter’s that he is mind-managing - - and the actual reality is that the landscape is nothing like the countryside of Earth used to look like. There are some clues throughout from Bueno where wildlife appears to show partial alien aspects.
In the flashback we learn that Molly and Walter were college friends who were involved in keeping the stormy relationship between Norman (now transgendered Norah/The Writer) and Veronica/Reggie/The Scientist.
It appears that Walter has returned to associating with the group, and they act like he is a captive just like them. Apparently, they have forgotten who he is. Curiously, new member Reggie is not seated at the breakfast table but in a chair separate from the others, and only conversing with Walter. There’s evidence that Walter has influenced the memory of others in a scene where he causes Reggie to forget a question that Walter didn’t like.
In a dark scene, Norah has a breakdown and mentally berates Walter. If this is in present time, then she may be the only one who resisted the mind-wiping. Yeah, I think so — as later in the issue it seems that Walter has confined her to a new and separate house. He also needs Norah’s help, as revealed in the final panels. Still a FIVE-STAR read for me.
#232 = THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #8 by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (DC Comics/Black Label, June 2022)
When describing this series to friends I label it as a post-apocalyptic science fiction tale - - - but the more I think about this the horror genre also fits, and quite well.
When you get to the crux of it, Walter may be an alien but he’s quite the stalker. His obsession and attention to the eleven characters he’s chosen to “save” from the end of the world is genuinely creepy. And, now that’s he put himself back into the mix as one of the group and coming to prominence as an influencer on the rest is unsettling.
But cracks are starting to develop, as some individuals are regaining part of their memories and resist the impulse to think they are all just living in a heaven-like paradise where their food and shelter is automatically taken care of by some benevolent outsider or outsiders.
The spotlight this issue is on Sarah/The Consultant, who seems to have lost her mantle as influencer to Walter, and is struggling with feelings of isolation - that she doesn’t matter in the same way that Ryan/The Artist and Norah/The Writer are suffering.
What about Reggie/The “Designer”? He’s now conversing with the others, as Walter has had him design a separate customized house for each of them. He’s still not on the back page guide to the characters, and I’m still wondering why he is absent there. This issue slipped a little for me in terms of awesomeness, but the rating still remains at FIVE STARS.
#233 THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #9 by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (DC Comics/Black Label, July 2022) It becomes clear that these flashback moments that open each issue occur closer to the finale of the story arc, and are pretty frightening. The spotlight this time is on Arturo/The Acupuncturist.
Reggie/The Architect/Designer (my designation) has created an custom home for Arturo built to his specification, including an indoor calming pool, and stocked with expensive acupuncture needles. A grateful Arturo makes Reggie his first patient and together they discover something disturbing that is later shared with the other house members.
I just noticed this issue (why it pays off to read them more than once) that Bueno always depicts Walter with opaque lenses in his glasses so that his eyes are never visible. A nice touch.
Norah, who seems to be in solitary confinement and already forgotten by the others via another mindwipe by Walter, finds a way to communicate with Ryan.
During Walter’s nightly visits to Norah to try and get her to appreciate and empathize with what he’s done - - - Norah persuades him to share something confidential at the sealed building that Walter often retreats to. And, she leaves a back-door access for Ryan.
Things are heating up. This is a pivotal issue. I’ll share no more. FIVE STARS.
#234 = THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #10 by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (DC Comics/Black Label, November 2022) Oh, this is getting wicked good. Naya/The Doctor gets spotlight time in the opening pages.
Two major things occur this issue. The guests believe they are immortal and possess a healing factor. After some experiments, they confirm it. So, they decide to test it further . . . with guns.
The other major development is Walter breaks down and agrees to share operational information with Norah, whose opinion and acceptance he craves (perhaps since he felt he was in love with her in her Norman persona back in high school). He shows her the controls that run everything, all the way down to the health and mental stability of the guests. Big mistake. He wanted her approval because he desired support for something he did - - which was to break the rules set down by his alien race. Also big mistake.
I look forward to the next two issues. FIVE STARS.
#235-#236 = THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #11-#12 by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (DC Comics/Black Label, December 2022-February 2023)
Before reading the final issues of this series, I spent some time speculating about the ending. Based on those opening page visuals every issue, I imagined the worst possible fate.
Of course, there is more than one option, but are any of them any good and is there one that would be the least devastating?
I will not share the ending here. In the final two issues there are changes in opinions, betrayals, secret pacts, awakenings, role reversals and plenty of trauma and drama. I will share that Bueno’s visuals are amazing in these final issues.
One of my favorite scenes for both dialogue and visuals occurs in Issue #12, one of several great scenes in this issue.
Reggie/the first Artist and Architect is speaking to Norah/The Writer:
“Norah, are you okay?”
Norah: “Obviously not.”
Reggie: “It seemed like before . . . it seemed like you were going to say something. I wondered if maybe when our memories came back . . . if you remembered something important.”
Norah: “I remembered a lot of things. . . . But nothing that could have made a difference.”
Without spilling all the beans, the reason why Reggie never appeared on the back page character guides is answered, as well as a lot of questions about the story. While many may be unhappy with the ending, it does conclude --
and in a satisfactory manner. Yes, the door is left open for more story. And I will read it when it happens. FIVE STARS.
#237-#240 = BLOOD COMMANDMENT #1-#4 written, illustrated and colored by Szymon Kudranski (Image Comics, November 2023-February 2024)
A fairly generic vampire story elevated by Kudranski's amazing and cinematic, photo-realistic artwork. Heartwarming father-son drama, complicated by the father concealing from his son the fact that he is a vampire. Regrets (the mother died from cancer when the father could have saved her by turning her into a vampire, but didn't) and sacrifice. A pure evil protagonist.
The art is the champion here, with a story that is well-told but bogged down in places by heavy dialogue, often philosophical. But certainly, a story worth re-reading for the amazing story-telling abilities on display here. Kudranski is a creator to follow. FOUR STARS.
The promotional synopsis:
Living an isolated life in a shadowed valley surrounded by mountains and a thick forest, a father and son are terrorized by a dangerous supernatural presence. Only the father’s dark secrets can save them…or damn their souls for all eternity! Being a single father can be tough, but for Ezra Connolly, it’s a duty he doesn’t take lightly. Living off-grid, away from prying eyes, in the heart of forest country, he spends his days teaching his teenage son Wil survival skills. But Wil has questions, questions Ezra fears to answer—about his past, and about why they never leave the valley before sundown. From the creator of the breakout hit series SOMETHING EPIC and the artist of SPAWN and Punisher, SZYMON KUDRANSKI serves us a story about survival, sacrifice, and hope.
