Customer Reviews

House

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"House" is a new graphic novel published by Fantagraphics. It is unique in that it is a true graphic novel as the story is told without benefits of dialogue or captions. To pull something like this off you need two things: You need a good story and an artist who is capable of relating it without the need for dialog. In this case, the book is written and drawn by Josh Simmons and he is largely successful in his efforts.

The back of the book describes the characters as teenagers but they look a bit older than that. The male character in particular looks like an old hippie to me but oh well...I'll go with teenagers. The three friends are out on a hike in the woods when they stumble across a massive deserted old mansion. Simmons here shines as he dwarfs the characters with the size of the mansion, showing it at different angles to really give you a sense of how expansive it is. I also like how Simmons contrasts his two female characters with one dressed in white and the other in black, which also serves to describe their personalities as well.

The three explore the mansion through its empty hallways and rooms. This was more than a house. The long corridors with the numerous, similar doors and tiny windows on them, marks the place as possibly an old hospital or maybe an asylum. Unfortunately, we don't find out anything more about the place, which is a bit disappointing. The picture on the cover of the book is from a painting on the wall in one of the large rooms, but again, we learn nothing more about. The male and the female character have an attraction to each other that seems to have just blossomed. The female in black looks on with jealously.

They find an old, hidden stairwell and begin to descend into darkness and this is when the true terror begins...Simmons has a very minimalist style, somewhat reminiscent of old underground comic artists. As his characters become separated in the darkness, the terror becomes palpable. You can see the fear in their faces and in their expressions. Gradually the panels of art become smaller and smaller as darkness overwhelms the trio and it's a powerful effect.

House leaves a bit too much unanswered to get a perfect score but it is a very different type of story and a change of pace from the usual comic fare.

REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

I didn't find anything too compelling here in both story and artwork. I found the first half much more interesting than the last, when I was hoping it would be just the opposite. I was also hoping for a more supernatural story, but this is really just a cautionary tale about old staircases. It was over in 10 minutes, and I really can't recommend it. There is a reason you can buy it for 75 cents.

3 friends decide to investigate an abandoned old derelict mansion in the middle of the woods. They walk about the massive, empty rooms admiring the beautiful architecture fused with the dilapidation of years to create it's own sense of gothic majesty. They then enter a room with a grim picture of an old man (the front cover painting) and one of them notices a sealed off though not well covered portal. They crawl into it and discover darkened and bleak corridors. It is here, in the deep underground darkness that they become separated and find their own challenges to overcome (or not). And in the darkness - are they alone?

Josh Simmons draws beautifully and manages to convey a strong sense of narrative without words in this short but satisfying graphic novel. Black and white, he uses black paper to convey an overwhelming claustrophobia and horror. I really enjoyed it and would recommend any fans of Thomas Ott and Shirley Jackson that they will not be disappointed, this is a haunted house story as good as any other.

This graphic novel is about three young persons, a man and two girls, exploring for fun a decrepit building in a remote abandoned village, until they loose their way back. At the beginning their stories intertwine in a lightly described juvenile experience of a budding attraction and its dynamics in a group of three: jealousy, exclusion, indifference, set in the bright light of a mysteriously empty nature. Soon though, the characters fall into three separate narrative lines, in which each one has to confront fear and despair alone. The simple wordless drawings make you feel their heart-beat rushing into terror and anger and then slowly, when hope fades, their breadth getting dimmer and halting. The way the flickering breadth of life is portrayed by repeating the same image again and again with subtle changes or by slowly reducing its size is masterly simple and effective. The darkness and the void, feelings of being lost, the unbreakable claustrophobia of being alone in confronting your own destiny. These emotions are narrated without words and well, it's worth to pay attention.

I had originally seen an advertisement for this book in Rue-Morgue Magazine. The ad didn't say much other than that a small group of teens explores an abandoned hospital and discovers it's depths which take them deeper and deeper into darkness. It also mentioned that this book did not have any words, only pictures. I ordered the book and sat down with it as soon as it arrived. I didn't put it down until I had finished it. I have to admit, I didn't think that I would be attracted to this type of book. I loved it. Also, I recently noticed that Rue-Morgue Magazine awarded this book with their graphic novel of the year award for 2007.

I'm not an avid fan of graphic novels, but when I read a review of "House" in Rue-Morgue Magazine my interest was piqued. The story is simple: three teenagers happen upon an abandoned house-a house that looks more like a palace-in the middle of the woods. Naturally, they decide to explore and what follows is a claustrophobic nightmare that will have you biting your nails. The panels grow smaller as the book progresses and so does the use of lighting. In all of the pages not one word of dialogue is recorded, but this only hightens the growing sense of panick. "House" comes highly recommended by someone who doesn't normally venture into this kind of territory.

After reading several raving reviews about this unique horror graphic novel, I had to see it for myself.
(**MINOR SPOILER AHEAD***)

This story of 3 characters exploring an abandoned building only to find themselves trapped after descending a structurally unsound staircase sounded intriguing enough, and the fact that it's told entirely in silence, without any dialogue or narration, only peaked my interest further.

Unfortunately, once you get past the novelty of the technique, the reality sets in that with no dialogue and no narration, there isn't much going on intellectually to keep you interested. The story itself is so simplistic, that merely watching it unfold in silence just isn't that engaging.

Now if the visuals compensated for what its lacking in plot and prose, we might still have something worth your attention. However, the artwork is done in a very simplistic, cartoonish style with seemingly little attention paid to proportion or depth. Visually, it's just not very compelling.

There is an interesting effect with the layout--the frames in the opening pages are large, bright spreads which get increasingly tighter and darker as the characters descend deeper into the structure. By the end, there is definitely a feeling of claustrophobia. But that alone isn't enough for me to recommend this book.

In this wordless graphic novel, three friends decide to investigate an old abandoned mansion that has suffered great disrepair. Things quickly go from interesting, to creepy, to downright terrifying. It becomes clear that the house is actually a malicious character in the novel that begins to take over the human characters. Elements of fantasy come into play as tragedy strikes and the three friends realize that they must fight alone in order to survive.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this graphic novel is the way that it makes the reader feel as trapped as the characters. The graphics begin with a lot of white space and intricate drawings of the house. As the friends venture further into the house and are met with greater darkness, both literal and figurative, the pictures become blacker and blacker. In addition, the pictures that were once sprawling become smaller and smaller until they are only a tiny circle enveloping the characters. Similar to how the house becomes a character, the blackness becomes the text and it tells the story of the friend's descent into darkness.

However, I can only give this story two stars because the tale became a bit too odd for me. The premise was fascinating and I would love to see it polished and have a bit more depth added to it. It is possible that my complaints are merely because the novel to a turn towards science-fiction (not one of my favorite genres). It should also be stated that this is Simmons' first graphic novel and his craft may not be completely formed yet. Still, I think he will be an interesting author to follow and has great potential for the future.

the drawings are very good but the story is so bad i couldnt believe it was even published.
3 people go into an abandoned house, descent to darkness and die there. Thats it!!
nothing more happens, they dont find anything unusual, no monsters, nothing. just get inside, die.
some previews showed great pictures, they end after one third of the book. then everything happens i darkness and all you get are basically black pages wizh some tiny white spots.
waste of money!!!!! (and high quality paper)