House Of Mystery Vol 1: Room and Boredom

[ENGLISH] Vertigo tells us: « This is a book where you can have a pirate, a psychic detective, a spaceman, a French romantic poet and an NYU film student sitting at a table having a beer together. It’s a writer’s dream come true. »  — Matthew Sturges. Written by Matthew Sturges, writer of the Eisner-nominated JACK OF FABLES, and his JACK co-writer, FABLES creator Bill Willingham, HOUSE OF MYSTERY: Room and Boredom Vol. 1 (Vertigo | January 14, 2009 | 128pg. | Color | Softcover | $9.99 US | ISBN: 9781401220792), collecting issues #1-5, takes a classic DC Comics concept into the twenty-first century.

Everyone is a prisoner in one way or another, and Fig Keele—a feisty young architect who just happens to be running for her life—is no exception. Unfortunately for Fig, she’s ended up in the House of Mystery, a strange place like something out of her nightmares.

Fig is one of five unfortunate characters trapped at the House, trying to solve the mystery of how and why they’re imprisoned there. Each one has a terrible past they’d like to forget, and with no books, newspapers or TV allowed, they face an eternity of boredom. However, the House contains a supernatural bar where an eclectic mix of visitors eat, drink, and repent for their sins. To cover their tabs, stories become the new currency, and amazingly enough, the House attracts only the finest storytellers.

In his U.S. debut, artist Luca Rossi has illustrated HOUSE OF MYSTERY in the classic Vertigo horror tradition. Each issue in the first storyline also includes a second feature—a story told by one of the patrons—written by Willingham and illustrated by a myriad of guest artists, including two-time Eisner Award nominee Ross Campbell (WATERBABY), SANDMAN fan favorite and multiple Eisner winner Jill Thompson and, Mike Allred, best known for his Harvey Award nominated MADMAN. This collection is enclosed in an ethereal cover from Sam Weber (The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time Magazine).

“Magic—properly understood—is metaphor. When it comes to magic, you see not what is, but who you are.” Come on in to the HOUSE OF MYSTERY.

Praise for HOUSE OF MYSTERY

“Featuring oddball fantasy tales from strange characters . . . the stories are quirky and creepy in a fun way . . . and there’s enough variety here to lure the curious back for more. Grade: B.”

—VARIETY

“Worth a look if you like your comics heavy on the quirk.” 

—IGN

“A truly twisted fairy tale. . . . Skewed vision, sheer inventiveness and inviting art.” 

—OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

“Phantasmagoric. . . . A rock-’em/sock-’em/blood-splattered horror series. . . . The writing here is dexterous and vivid; the imagery brooding and bloody. . . . Willingham and Sturges are best with the absurd. . . . Dynamic, layered and visceral.”

—SF WEEKLY

“This is the next Vertigo pillar to watch!”

—WIZARD UNIVERSE