The Nice House by the Sea (2024-) #7 (The Nice House on the Lake

by James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno (Artist)

Genres: Horror, Comics

22 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2026

About the author

Prior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.

Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy shit, the people in Max's house are DICKS!
Walter's pals better get some helmets if they want to make it.
This one ends on a cliffhanger that seems to point at everyone in Walter's house being simultaneously attacked by the people in Max's. Are any of them going to survive?
Dun, dun, dunnn...



I do wish we didn't have to wait so long in between issues, as I think I've forgotten a lot of relevant plot points, and the characters are starting to jumble up in my head. The sometimes murky art doesn't help.
I imagine this will be a fun series to go back and re-read in its entirety when it all comes out, though.



Recommended.

[Colin Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vertigo and Nice House are back!! So thrilled on both counts. This issue just makes you realize why Vertigo is so vital to the comic landscape - this is a space for big, ambitious and totally unique comic storytelling. Especially as the big indie publishers are moving more and more to putting out 6-issue miniseries that were always designed for the trade paperback as an endpoint, we need a place for serial storytelling backed by a major publisher but with creators’ visions leading the way.

Man, does this issue rip, too. The foreboding of the House by the Sea crew infiltrating the Lake House is carried off so well. I love the splash pages of Dave’s DJ panel, strewn with beer and pizza. The Lake House crew is going to need to adapt to survive…

[Lizzy DeMarco · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOmetimes this series has confused me. This is one of those times. The issue was good, the art wonderful, but I'm still confused on why they are attacking each other.

[Cybernex007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be my favorite horror comic…ever, I’m literally sick to my stomach with the ball of tension growing there from how well this is built up, the art is phenomenal and world bending as ever, and I am stressed out thinking about where Max and Norah could possibly be. But there is an interesting note here, just like in the first series we are about halfway through when the Reg issue comes up, and just like before we don’t follow Reg in the apocalyptic future (which is worrying in itself) and instead we pick up right where we left off with Reg and Ryan walking through the backstage. But he does still get a chance to go back and talk about his history with Walter, and the topic of today is how Reg helped to build the house and world they have been living in. How he spent years throwing around casual hypotheticals with Walter about who he would save until it became second nature and oddly normal, when he actually remembered it that is. But all of that changed when Walter brought Reg to the raving world of untapped incomprehensible creation that made up this world before it was formed. The place itself is alive in its own way, as alive as Walter is anyway but at this point it hadn’t been shaped. Just a ball of potential. Reg first envisioned building paradise, but that’s not what Walter wanted, he wanted a home feeling, or as Reg puts it…a really nice house in the lake. Walter introduced reg to the ball of potential that the other house has and got confirmation that he could hide it as long as the core functions were accessible. But before this world was made Reg also got a chance to ask another question…why so many? He looked out for the first and only time and could see at least 50 other worlds being created. He isn’t sure if they are all full of humans but he knows they are all connected and as Ryan and Reg walk through the backstage it seems the dog knows where to go (WINK). They get to the other side and walk through the empty village with the salty air. They walk down the streets, and although they don’t hear it, the dog alerts them to Oliver banging on the glass of a nearby shop begging to be let out. There is no door and Ryan picks up a brick and hurls it at the window. Normally this wouldn’t work, but as Walter lights up his eyes the brick passes through and shatters it. Oliver climbs out and is freaking out wondering how they got here and if it already happened with his group passing over. When asked he explains his group locked him up as they saw him, but he immediately shifts his attention to the dog as if that is normal. Ryan explains that somebody ordered it, that’s how their system works, but as Oliver looks into the dog’s eyes there seems to be a moment of recognition as he drops it all together and accepts it. Oliver explains that his group knows about their house and they can’t stand the idea of not living forever so they plan to take out the competition before they can take them out. They are probably already on the other side and have probably already started killing people.

Back at the lake house David is giving his morning DJ session as Ronnie and Molly tune him out. The rain has stopped and Molly Hayes the feeling that everything is calm, like the pressure is off. They should be freaked out right now. And I have to agree as even though they don’t know it…the painter is right outside walking towards them. Arturo and Sam are also chilling in the kitchen, but as usual Sam is a ball of stress that Arturo attempts to calm down with every fiber of his being. I wish Arturo would listen to Sam about his idea to head to the other house, especially as the singer is outside approaching them. David isn’t paying attention to the control panel or the big red warning light she talks to Sarah over the walkie-talkie. She argues he is being too annoying and he is arguing that his sense of whimsy is necessary. She checks out and wishes him a goodnight as she throws away her cigarette and heads inside the library to find the writer looking over their pitiful collection. He is a bit offended that none of his works are on their shelf, but the collection itself is not very impressive just like the rest of them as he has no idea who they are…it’s occurring to him now “unremarkable” our group is. Everything is converging on this moment. As Sarah backs up in fear as she drops her walkie-talkie and the batteries pop out, the artist is walking up to the observatory with a crowbar in hand, as the singer approaches the kitchen, and the scientist and historian approach Rick at Naya’s grave with Rick’s in their hand. As the historian lifts the rock above his head, a stream of blood goes across Naya’s grave. All the while the writer is explaining how his group wanted to do this quickly…but there is no drama in that and the person who can tip all of this in their balance is part of their group. That’s because David is currently drinking away at the bar as the map lights up in the control room with all the foreign objects. Suddenly he hears a slight “heh” as the doctor comes from behind and smashes him over the head. He sees how small minded they are, his if they were clever enough they would have known they entered immediately and would have pushed the limits of their humanity like he has. He approaches their “simply designed” control board as he drops his shirt to reveal he has made body modifications…in the form of extra limbs which ready out and control every aspect of it simultaneously. Immediately using it to take David’s mouth away…we truly have already lost. The issue ends with the doctor planning on taking the atmosphere away. WOAH, alright we have a lot of moving pieces on the board and I have a few predictions. First off, I hate to say it…I think Rick is dead. The historian alone could have taken him out, but aided by the scientist…he didn’t stand a chance unless the Naya suddenly rose from the grave. David only stands a chance if the others can somehow get to him before the doctor can do too much damage, but that man also cost the lives of some of the others…namely Sarah, who I really hope can overpower the writer. Now in terms of overpowering, I think Sam and Arturo can do it but the singer may give up without putting up a fight and immediately flip sides. And I think Ronnie and Molly can handle the artist, but it will be a confusing few moments. But I also have to consider what we’ve already seen as we have seen most of these characters in the future. The only times we didn’t were with Naya, to tease her death, and with…Reg. Maybe this lake house group will break through and show how remarkable they truly are, proving Max completely wrong, or maybe that’s not even something I can consider. I love this series so much, I love how much it makes me think about every possibility. But wow it’s painful to wait for it, lol.

[Zach Rubbico · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful return and a welcome home to Vertigo Comics.

The art in this series has always been gorgeous and now that the two Houses know the each other exists, it's going to be a constant ramp up to an insane finish