A review by steveatwaywords
The Nice House on the Lake, Vol. 2 by James Tynion IV

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Tynion's series continues (the 3rd--and final?--volume has not been released, yet) and this second volume is as compelling as the first, no small feat considering the "cliffhanger" resolution of the previous one. What threatened to be some kind of <i>Groundhog's Day</i> plot as quickly evolved instead to something more complicated, something more calculated.  And while Tynion has in some ways already offered us the end-game for all of his stranded characters, how they arrive their and what it means are far from predictable. 

Once again, excellent (and often ambiguously suggestive) artwork by Bueno and Bellaire support the nature of the storytelling. What I most appreciate from this (at least so far) is the grand scale of the story implications while tightly wrapping the action in a very localized setting. The characters are thoughtful and real, smart and emotive. 

For the first time in discovering a graphic novel series, I honestly look forward to the next issue!



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