Warning: Spoilers for The Nice House By the Sea #1!

Summary

• The Nice House By the Sea flips the premise of its predecessor, showcasing self-absorbed rich survivors after the apocalypse - far from heroes.
• Character modifications, yacht outings, and self-entitlement take center stage in this satirical horror comic featuring a new, unlikable cast.
• Set on the Mediterranean coast, this sequel presents the one-percenters' lack of care for the world's end, blurring the line between villains and victims.

As a sequel to The Nice House On the Lake, The Nice House By the Sea distinguishes itself from its acclaimed predecessor by flipping its premise on its head. The Nice House On the Lake opens on a group of friends all connected by the enigmatic Walter, who has gathered them together to save them from the end of the world - and to run a few experiments on them. The sequel reveals an entirely new cast of characters, and they're nothing like the others: they're rich, they're famous, and best of all, they already know the world has ended. They just don't care.

The Eisner Award-winning team of return to a similar setting in The Nice House on the Sea #1, except this time on the Mediterranean coast. Returning fans will be surprised to find a lack of heart in this new cast and, in its place, a whole lot of money.

As it turns out, these tenants knew before coming to the house that they would leave the world and everyone they loved behind. And on the two-year anniversary of their selfish survival, they do what rich people do to celebrate: they toast to their own success.

The World May Have Ended, But Not In This Nice House

The Nice House Tenants Argue About the Weather While the World Dies

In On the Lake, none of the characters knew the world was ending, and every time they found out, they got their memories erased. Tynion and Bueno pull a smart move by providing the exact opposite in their sequel to a story known for subverting clichés. Fans have already seen what regular people stoop to do in this heightened sci-fi situation, but what would their opposites do? In a satirical commentary, By the Sea shows just how the über-rich and famous would react to surviving the apocalypse - by not giving it a second thought.

In a satirical commentary, By the Sea shows just how the über-rich and famous would react to surviving the apocalypse - by not giving it a second thought.

In their secluded paradise, they have everything they need. Quinn, a 56-year-old scientist, modifies her body to when she was much younger, and the Hugo Award-winning writer Victor, 82, does the same. The historian Henry, 74, modifies his body to become the most buff out of the whole group. Never mind family or friends. The fact that they chose to come here, willingly, knowing what they were leaving behind, shows that they would rather play with toys than be human. The self-absorption of the one percent, both in society and in survival, might be the real horror here.

The Nice House By the Sea Finds a New Cast, And None of Them Are Heroes

The Nice House By the Sea #1 Variant Cover by Nick Robles

Award-winning though these protagonists might be, it's hard to read through this issue and root for their success. These are not likable characters by any means. But that's exactly what makes this sequel interesting and not just a repeat of the original. Compared to their predecessors, the one-percenters act differently in this horror comic by being as self-entitled as ever. With this knowledge, it seems the line is suddenly blurred between the villains and the victims of this story that has already convinced me it can follow its predecessor.

While the previous cast ran around like rats in a maze trying to solve an impossible mystery, the main characters of the sequel just argue about the weather so one of them can take their yacht out on the water. As long as the tenants of The Nice House by the Sea get everything they want, it doesn't matter that the world has ended.

The Nice House By the Sea #1 is out now from DC Comic Black Label!