Review: The Dollhouse Family #5
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: M.R. Carey
Artist: Vince Locke and Peter Gross
Colorist: Cris Peter
Letterer: Todd Klein
Reviewer: Tony Farina
Summary
The Dollhouse Family #5 begins with Alice being under suspicion for the disappearance of her daughter Una. Jake, Una’s dad and Alice’s partner is trying to wrap his mind around the ending of the last issue. Things are totally messed up. We finally discover the full connection between Alice and the Kent family AND more importantly, in this penultimate issue, we find out how and why the dollhouse was made and who the dollhouse family are. It is a nightmare. Of course, this is the Hill House, so nightmares are the idea.
Positives
First of all, I love the covers of these books. The actual covers and the alternate covers are both just amazing. Of course, the art on the inside by Gross and Locke is not shabby either. Horror comics work when we are scared. Sometimes, the scariest thing is a creepy old box full of family heirlooms and the facial reactions the hero has to them. Locke and Gross really do have a way of showing the anguish, fear, and confusion on every single character’s face. Even if you didn’t want to read M.R. Carey’s brilliant dialogue, (more on that below) you would know exactly how everyone feels. Check this out:
OK, the absolute best line in The Dollhouse Family #5 is a throw away line from a random guy at a bank. He says, “This is like the Second Coming, or that scene from Back to the Future Three.” I burst out laughing. That was quite a set up M.R. Carey threw at us, but it is absolutely brilliant. This book is full of amazing plot points too. There is nothing that is left dangling that isn’t supposed to dangle until the next issue. Nothing seems out of place. Horror comics could just be full of bloody corpses and scary nonsense. While there is plenty of blood, nothing here seems nonsensical. It is really well crafted art.
Negatives
The only thing that keeps this from being a five star book is way that Alice explains away the way other people explain away her leg. I get it. She is right. People want to believe what they want to believe. However, someone besides Jake would believe her on this one.
Verdict
The Dollhouse Family #5 is another excellent addition to the ever growing excellence that is Hill House Comics. I simply can’t recommend this finely crafted work of gory fun enough.
