Review: HOUSE OF WHISPERS #9
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers: Nalo Hopkinson and Dan Watters
Artist: Dominike “DOMO” Stanton
Colors: John Rauch
Letters: Deron Bennett
Reviewer: Tony Farina
Summary
This month our visit to the House of Whispers actually features the Dreaming’s version of a rap battle. In this corner, the great spider god, Ananse. In the other corner is the heroine of House of Whispers, Mistress Erzulie. They are literally battling for the souls of Maggie and LaToya.
Mistress Erzulie’s story is clever and interesting just as one would expect, she is the star of the story.
Ananse, the trickster spider that he is, works Maggie’s little sister, Bibi into his story and he makes it come to life. Erzulie butts in, they battle. Ananse “wins” and Bibi’s story moves forward. She eventually finds Maggie and LaToya and she actually save’s their souls but, as we know, nothing involving Ananse is what it seems.
Positives
If you are a person, like me, who does not actually remember your dreams, you love spending time in the House of Whispers and in the Dreaming because Domo Stanton creates a world where every creepy crawly nightmare inducing thing comes to life and haunts you during your waking hours. If you do remember your dreams, you have to worry that Domo might be secretly looking into your brain and projecting what you see there into the world. His art has been the featured part of this book from the beginning and this week, having Ananse as the central focus, his mad skills shine. See:
Seriously, this is beautiful.
Also, the focus on Maggie, LaToya and Bibi is delightful. More of that. Also, Ananse is just the best, worst character. Good choice.
Negatives
This book is called The House of Whispers, but so far the House of Whispers has been pretty empty and not really a huge plot point. Honestly, this book took a bit of a step back toward the middling book that this has been. While it was nice to see some focus on the girls in the real world, this book still feels like there is a secret code breaking book one needs to keep up with what is going on. For some, having Ananse in the book is a big win, but if you have never read anything about him, you don’t know that he is a trickster. You don’t get that he will give you what you think you want. While he is great, there is just too much prior knowledge that one needs to really enjoy the book fully. Yes, this story is on going, but most stories have a way in.
Verdict
As has been the case of House of Whispers so far, this is just a bit uneven. The focus is scattered, but the art is striking. Honestly, as long as Domo is drawing, this book is worth getting
