Love Stories for Dead People by Matthew Sturges (House of Mystery: Volume 2)

9/10

Matthew Sturges, writer of the Eisner-nominated JACK OF FABLES, and his JACK co-writer Bill Willingham, the creator of FABLES, proudly unlock the doors to the HOUSE OF MYSTERY, a new graphic novel series that reinvents the classic DC Comics concept. It focuses on five characters trapped in a supernatural bar, 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 in the House, they face an eternity of boredom. But stories become the new currency, and fortunately, the House attracts only the finest storytellers. This is the second collection of stories from the House of Mystery series, which just keeps getting better, in this edition we learn slightly more about the history of the inhabitants and how they keep themselves amused.

At the moment the inhabitants of the House of Mystery are still gelling into a group of people who look after each other more than themselves. Fig is still getting used to where she fits in with this group as she is being left out of many of their secrets and yet dragged into their adventures. We find out slightly more about Fig and her family as well, although again there is a lot left unknown such as who is her father and what is the Conception?

What I find really interesting is how there are so many stories interweaved within one volume as the main story takes Harry, Fig and Ann towards the basement which has been closed for many years with a story of why and how soon to be told. Leaving Cress and the Poet to manage the bar, where we find out slightly more about Cress and how she lives her life in the bar. There are also the stories told by the people visiting the bar, we learn as well that these people are invited here by Abel as a favour to Harry which is in itself an interesting story.

I can only say as usual that if you are looking for a new graphic novel series to take a chance on this one as I can only imagine it getting better and more complicated from here on.