Vincent Price: House of Horrors #1
Written by Jay Katz
Pencils by Stefano Cardoselli
Colors Jeff Balke
Letters by Warren Montgomery
Graphics by Darren G. Davis
Bluewater Comics
Release Date: May 30, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

“I spoke with God in your little church here today. He says He’s expecting you…” – Vincent Price House of Horrors #1

This is my first foray into Vincent Price. Ever. Sure, I know who he is, and sure, I should probably be ashamed of myself for not being more familiar with his work. I came into this comic series totally cold, just looking for some horror fun in the vein of Tales from the Crypt or the recent Ragemoor from Dark Horse. I figured this might be a bit campy, but still have some creepy chills and fun thrills… and I was right!

I don’t want to spoil much, because half of the fun was coming into this comic with no real expectations and not knowing what the story was even about. Let’s just say church member Nick doesn’t spend all his time alone in his house watching television and reading the good book…

Vincent Price: House of Horrors #1 was a fun and very fast read. I’m the kind of reader who doesn’t like to read dense comic pages, so when the art does the storytelling effectively, I’m a happy camper. This book did just that and more. The pencils by Stefano Cardoselli were fantastic and were very tone appropriate, but the colors in this book by Jeff Balke were what really blew me away. Each panel really pops and is refreshing to look at, even when everything and everyone is painted in red blood. I can’t say enough about the art in these pages and really look forward to following Cardoselli and Balke as they continue to work on this series and others.

While this book is pretty creepy and really sadistic beyond my usual bloody threshold – there were animals involved – there was final twist that I enjoyed that left me feeling satisfied yet curious to see what comes next. This issue feels very standalone, but the series isn’t advertised as anthologies, so we’ll see where this goes.

Overall this comic is a must for any Vincent Price fan or horror comic enthusiast. I think this is one of those great books to put on your ‘buy pile’ and stow away for a quick train or car ride, because this is definitely a fun on-the-go comic that can be read quickly and enjoyed with multiple reads… though I would recommend against reading this before bed! Bluewater Comics has crafted a fun series and I can’t wait to see if the second issue is as fun as the first. Stay tuned…!