Ben Johnson

Every friend group seems to have that one person who stands at the center of it. They’re the one who connects everyone else together; the one who organizes the hangouts, the parties, the group texts and vacations; the one who drops everything for a chance to catch up and makes each person in their life feel like the most important person in their life. As someone who tends to be on the more introverted side, someone who sometimes has trouble keeping in touch with people I care about, I’ve always been a little envious of those who can effortlessly balance a number of close, meaningful friendships and maintain them for decades, no matter the age or the time apart or the distance that might separate them.

The Nice House on the Lake #1-6, by writer James Tynion IV with art by Álvaro Martínez Bueno and colors by Jordie Bellaire, pose a question: What if that friend, that person you’ve bared your soul to, or dated, or look up to, or all of the above; what if that person you trust is not who you thought they were, and might be something a whole lot more sinister than you could have ever imagined? The answers to that question – at least the ones that are doled out in this first volume, released in trade paperback form on March 1 – make for one of the most compelling comics I have ever read.

I’ll note here that I’m going to do my level best to avoid discussing specific plot points, but there are some minor spoilers ahead. [Read more…] about The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1 Review!