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kq5's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
library_brandy's review
2.0
An atmospheric and creepy wordless graphic novel. The wordlessness is, in this case, a strike against it; the small, scratchy drawings make it difficult to tell what's happening in many places. Is the guy a stranger, or a friend? Do the teenage girls know him? Have the girls been inside the house before, or is this the first exploration?
The story is a little confused, though--at times it wants to be a horror story, a surreal adventure, a romance, or a thriller. The resulting identity crisis makes the book hard to follow--finding an underwater city while exploring a decrepit old house makes a kind of sense in a surreal comic (like Shaun Tan's [book:Arrival]), but not so much here. They kiss underwater and are suddenly watching the sunset from a rooftop. The water is a surprise, as is the forest surrounding the house, as the house stood in the middle of a field when the guy walked up. If Simmons stuck with surrealism, there would be a sort of logic to it, but like this, it's more like mistakes.
Unfortunately, the genre problems aren't the worst of it--the art contributes its share of issues, as well. The back cover copy says they're all teenagers, even though one looks like an aging hippie--if they're all teens, that explains the budding romance, at least. A girl falls through a staircase, and her previously-fitted T-shirt turns into a toga--no sign of where the fabric went, no flapping torn cotton, just one boob hanging out for the rest of her story arc. As the story dwindles toward its conclusion, the house gets increasingly claustrophobic, evidenced by more and more black on the page, smaller and smaller art, until it's nearly impossible to make out what's going on.
The story is a little confused, though--at times it wants to be a horror story, a surreal adventure, a romance, or a thriller. The resulting identity crisis makes the book hard to follow--finding an underwater city while exploring a decrepit old house makes a kind of sense in a surreal comic (like Shaun Tan's [book:Arrival]), but not so much here. They kiss underwater and are suddenly watching the sunset from a rooftop. The water is a surprise, as is the forest surrounding the house, as the house stood in the middle of a field when the guy walked up. If Simmons stuck with surrealism, there would be a sort of logic to it, but like this, it's more like mistakes.
Unfortunately, the genre problems aren't the worst of it--the art contributes its share of issues, as well. The back cover copy says they're all teenagers, even though one looks like an aging hippie--if they're all teens, that explains the budding romance, at least. A girl falls through a staircase, and her previously-fitted T-shirt turns into a toga--no sign of where the fabric went, no flapping torn cotton, just one boob hanging out for the rest of her story arc. As the story dwindles toward its conclusion, the house gets increasingly claustrophobic, evidenced by more and more black on the page, smaller and smaller art, until it's nearly impossible to make out what's going on.
chadrushing's review
1.0
It just doesn't work. More of like a start to really dark story with out any actual story, no second or third act here. I just ends and feels like a waste of time in the end.
francomega's review
2.0
This is a wordless story about three teens who go exploring in an abandoned house. There are some interesting ideas at play, but the lack of precision in the b&w drawings plus that lack of dialogue leaves too much information unclear. That's especially true at the end which, I have to say, I don't really get.
jonh's review
4.0
Bleak. Dark. Cruel. Beautifully illustrated, the detail in House is remarkable.
A love triangle with no dialogue, an exploration of a decrepit world.
There's an errant boob in here which seems excessive, unnecessary. But having read some of Josh Simmons's later works, this first time out shows remarkable restraint. (Not that I necessarily have a problem with gratuity. Just an observation.)
House is a brief, stark, haunting read, petering into nothingness. Definitely worth checking out.
A love triangle with no dialogue, an exploration of a decrepit world.
There's an errant boob in here which seems excessive, unnecessary. But having read some of Josh Simmons's later works, this first time out shows remarkable restraint. (Not that I necessarily have a problem with gratuity. Just an observation.)
House is a brief, stark, haunting read, petering into nothingness. Definitely worth checking out.
otterno11's review
2.0
[2.5]
Sometimes, graphic novels feel like a very cinematic form of literature- after all, what are production story boards if not a form of comic? This seems particularly relevant with this short but atmospheric horror comic. A trio of teenagers explore a decaying abandoned mansion deep in the woods- by their fashion, we can date the period to some time in the late '80s or early '90s. As the three delve deeper into the sprawling, intricate, and occasionally fantastical estate, they encounter an increasingly surreal world until they find themselves swallowed by the dark. The use of panels to increase this feeling of claustrophobia and isolation is very effective. However, the decision to keep this comic wordless, in this case, cuts off the reader from the story.
There are no concrete supernatural occurrences, except for vague, impossible forms of architecture including a bottomless lake filled with ruined buildings in the basement, but there is a definite, spiritual menace in every frame until the house claims its victims. Atmosphere is something that this work evokes very well, but we are also cut adrift from this world. The lack of dialog, instead of evoking a deeper world where we don't know all the answers, in this case simply makes us feel like the whole story is missing something.
To bring up the cinematic comparison again, this is like watching a movie without sound or subtitles- its obviously there, as the characters speak to each other, discuss, scream. It is up to us to interpret their relationship, why they are there, what is happening, but it just feels like, instead of increasing the surreal atmosphere, in this case, its just missing. This makes the reader feel disconnected from the story, instead of drawing them in.
Sometimes, graphic novels feel like a very cinematic form of literature- after all, what are production story boards if not a form of comic? This seems particularly relevant with this short but atmospheric horror comic. A trio of teenagers explore a decaying abandoned mansion deep in the woods- by their fashion, we can date the period to some time in the late '80s or early '90s. As the three delve deeper into the sprawling, intricate, and occasionally fantastical estate, they encounter an increasingly surreal world until they find themselves swallowed by the dark. The use of panels to increase this feeling of claustrophobia and isolation is very effective. However, the decision to keep this comic wordless, in this case, cuts off the reader from the story.
There are no concrete supernatural occurrences, except for vague, impossible forms of architecture including a bottomless lake filled with ruined buildings in the basement, but there is a definite, spiritual menace in every frame until the house claims its victims. Atmosphere is something that this work evokes very well, but we are also cut adrift from this world. The lack of dialog, instead of evoking a deeper world where we don't know all the answers, in this case simply makes us feel like the whole story is missing something.
To bring up the cinematic comparison again, this is like watching a movie without sound or subtitles- its obviously there, as the characters speak to each other, discuss, scream. It is up to us to interpret their relationship, why they are there, what is happening, but it just feels like, instead of increasing the surreal atmosphere, in this case, its just missing. This makes the reader feel disconnected from the story, instead of drawing them in.
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