House of Mystery #1

CRITIC REVIEWS Back to Top

• 9.0

  Weekly Comic Book Review - J. Montes

  May 09, 2008

  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. Read Full Review

• 8.0

  Comic Book Resources - Timothy Callahan

  May 09, 2008

  As a way to trick reluctant readers into buying an anthology series, "House of Mystery" seems to work. The main narrative has enough strangeness and, well, mystery, to propel the story forward, and the small little flashback tales are an added facet to this potential jewel. The "Lost" model can work in comics, I think. I just hope Sturges and Willingham don't get bogged down by their need to keep the mystery alive at the expense of the solution. Read Full Review

• 8.0

  Comics Bulletin - Matthew J. Brady

  May 12, 2008

  So it's an auspicious debut, striking just the right balance of introduction and story, primed to draw new readers into the fold and keep them coming back month after month. I for one can't wait to see what Sturges and Willingham have to show us. Read Full Review

• 7.2

  IGN - Bryan Joel

  May 07, 2008

  If seeming impenetrability frustrates you, a visit to the House Of Mystery might not be the best idea. But if you're patient, this could be a pretty good addition to the fledging Vertigo imprint. Read Full Review

• 6.0

  Major Spoilers - Matthew Peterson

  May 23, 2008

  I can't decide what I think about this book. The script, by the Shadowpact team of Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges, is well done, and avoids many of the pitfalls of "Vertigo-itis," but it does remind one of the Sandman quite strongly, especially the "World's End" storyline, where various characters interact in an inn and swap stories. Willingham's story of Sally's marriage is very compelling, more so than the framing device that is probably meant the be the focus of the piece, and the art is quite strong throughout. Luca Rossi does a very good job keeping his characters distinct and giving them their own identity and personality. It's a good issue, and there's elements of what might be awesome here (see Fables #1 if you're wondering what I mean) but right now, the jury is still out. It's disturbing in parts, touching in others, and we'll see exactly where it's going. Right now, I'm happily confused, and willing to give the benefit of most of the doubt, awarding House of My Read Full Review