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I am falling more and more in love with Vertigo comics every day. I just reviewed House of Mystery: Room & Boredom for the Girls Entertainment Network. Bottom line? Room & Boredom is like nothing I have read before. It mixes fantasy and horror, the luxurious and grotesque and the ordinary and extraordinary. I highly recommend it for someone wishing to read work off the beaten path. Read on for a taste of the review!
Review: If you know DC, you know the House of Mystery. A staple of the DC universe, The House of Mystery (an actual house) made its debut as the center of an anthology of horror titles in the mid-1950s. Its form and function has evolved over the years, but the basic premise of the house generally stays the same. The House of Mystery is ever-changing, supernatural in origin, and very very dangerous.
In May of 1968 the House of Mystery as many fans know it was established with the introduction of two caretakers – Cain and Able. The brothers committed to watching over the puzzling property and its sister estate the House of Secrets. Each took refuge in a different house, connected by a graveyard at the center.
But the House of Mystery has not been confined to just it’s namesake series. If the names above ring a bell (apart from the biblical ties), it’s because Cain and Able made several appearances as the caretakers in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Additionally, well known DC characters such as Superman and Batman have interacted with the house in one incarnation or another. Elvira even had a short stint as caretaker in the mid-80s.
So needless to say, the series had an established fanbase prior to the 2008 revamp provided by Mathew Sturges and Bill Willingham. While I can’t attest to the reception of the new series by these longtime fans, I can vouch that Room & Boredom is a gripping read I couldn’t seem to put down.
Click here for the full review.
