House of Whispers #7 Review

Come Into my Parlor

Written By: Nalo Hopkinson and Dan Watters

Illustrated By: Dominike “DOMO” Stanton

Colors By: John Rauch

Additional Finishes By: Isaac Goodhart, Amancay Nahuelpan and Aneke

Letters By: AndWorld Design

Cover By: Sean Andrew Murray

Edited By: Molly Mahan

Associate Editor: Amedeo Turturro

Assistant Editor: Maggie Howell

Executive Editor: Mark Doyle

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: March 13, 2018

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

The houseboat belonging to Madame Ezrulie set sail last issue, so what new wonders and delights await our senses? Frankly, I couldn’t hazard a guess, so let’s just check it out when I review House of Whispers #7, right here!

Explain It!

Hoo boy. I’ve been cribbing that “Explain It!” bit from Eric’s old review template from years ago—it still makes me chuckle, long past the time that he stopped doing it himself—but it’s rare that I take it like a personal challenge from the comic book. “Explain it,” indeed. I don’t understand anything happening in this book, in any appreciable, relatable way, and it’s more frustrating that it is illuminating. From what I can tell, the conditions of the last issue: souls winding up stranded in the Dreaming, one of Madame Ezrulie’s husbands being used as the hull of their houseboat, a crazed Shakpana stalking the Earth to infect humanity—these conditions remain, as far as I can tell. But there are also developments: Uncle Monday has gotten near feral with crankiness, and I don’t know why. There’s this whole other story, a nightmare created by the (new) Corinthian, and I don’t understand its connection to anything. Reading this book is like reading someone else’s dream journal. And, like looking at personal pictures, if you’re not in someone else’s dreams, you don’t want to know about them.

I mean really, I am just at a loss here. Madame Ezrulie wants to solicit the help of a giant, gross spider, but I’m not positive about what that help will entail. Shakpana has taken on a new unwilling host, one we’ve already met that is using his Cotard’s Delusion to murder others. Okay! What are the stakes here? Is the world in peril, still? I really can’t answer any questions about this title, and for four bucks that seems like a bit of a problem.

Bits and Pieces:

Even after some cursory research, I am completely lost with this story. I’m not sure what is happening, or what the main characters are attempting to achieve. I think that’s a problem when you’re seven issues into a comic book series.

4/10