The House #3
"The House #3" Comic Review
Published by Sucker Productions
Written by Phillip Sevy
Illustrated by Drew Zucker
Colored by Jen Hickman
2017, 24 Pages, $1.99
Comic released on April 26th, 2017
At first, the house seemed like a great place for a group of World War II soldiers to hide out and weather the storm. That was before the building trapped them inside, changing around like a demented version of Hogwarts to keep them from escaping. Now one of them has been shot and they need help fast if they hope to keep him alive.
The tension in The House has slowly risen throughout the first two issues. Now, it's a boiling pot running over. The soldiers are freaking out as the grim reality of their situation is sinking in. They're trained to shoot guns and fight the enemy, but how to do you fight a supernatural house? They do have guns and I guess they could try shooting it, but that's not going to be very effective.
The House works in subtle scares at first, waiting for the soldiers to get comfortable. Those are rather unsettling on their own, playing tricks on the characters' minds. This issue goes into all-out horror movie mode. You've still got those subtleties, but now there are ghosts, creepy things in the mirror, and terrifying laughter. There is a moment where this creepy little shadow person crawls behind the characters and I yelled, "Oh Hell No", while reading this book. Definitely freaked out my wife who was trying to sleep at the time.
This is where artist Drew Zucker shines. These specters are otherworldly and ethereal, swirling through the air to taunt the soldiers. Their very being is loosely held together, so as they move, they leave trails of themselves behind. This gives the impression that they're strangling the men just by spinning around them. It creates a claustrophobic feeling. Jen Hickman's colors complement this well, as the spirits have an eerie blue / black glow to them. If you only caught a glimpse of them, you might trick yourself into believing you didn't see anything.
Zucker nails the expressions of terror on the soldiers' faces. These men are on edge and it shows. They've never encountered something like this before and their minds are struggling to make sense of it all. Bravado can only take you so far before you just crack. The fact that they're all holding loaded rifles isn't going to help matters. There are still a few awkward poses or angles, but they don't detract from the story or the mounting terror at all.
The House is a solid paranormal horror comic. It's a frightening haunted house tale that has only gotten scarier the further it gets. We're only halfway through, so I can't imagine what else is in store for these poor soldiers. War may be Hell, but the House is something worse.
Jen Hickman
Phillip Sevy
Drew Zucker
Sucker Productions