The Winchester Mystery House #1 Review
The Winchester Mystery House #1 takes a look at the story behind the world’s most unusual mansion. The series is written by Joshua Werner, illustrated by Dustin Irvin, and lettered by Justin Birch, with a variant cover by Ryan Quackenbush.
After the deaths of her husband and child Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune, purchased a mansion in San Jose, California. This marked the start of one of America’s greatest mysteries, as Sarah began a seemingly neverending series of renovations that varied from strange to downright insane. Rumours circulated that it was all an attempt to protect herself from the ghosts of those killed by her late husband’s inventions, but what is the truth?
The Winchester Mystery House #1 is published by Source Point Press and is available from October 27, 2021.
Winchester Mystery House #1 Story
The thing that struck me first as I started reading this issue was the almost documentarian voice that the comic uses. It speaks of events in a factual manner that does the historical nature of the story a real credit. It isn’t trying hard to make the story interesting by adding drama or glamour, it lets the real mystery itself carry the weight of it.
From the title alone, even if you’re unaware of the real-life story, it should be obvious that this is not a tale of action, but rather it is all about the mystery and atmosphere. The tension comes from the unease that flows through it all as the reader is left to observe without any clear answers as to the truth of it all.
The only place where the documentarian tone felt off to me was in some scene shifts, as occasionally they would be a bit too sudden and didn’t quite flow as well as they possibly could. That being said the rest of the comic is paced well and flows as it should, making these issues exceptions rather than rules.
Winchester Mystery House #1 Art
The characters in Irvin’s art all nicely pop on the page, never being lost on the page or feel overshadowed by the backgrounds. Sarah Winchester has a suitably mysterious look and always stands out on the page the way a character like that should.
There is some really nice framing in the panels on some pages, producing some truly beautiful images. There are also some very effective techniques used, in particular in the early pages where a ghostly, hazy effect is used to show the future of the house as Sarah plans to have it built. It truly adds more character to the house at the center of the mystery.
I also need to make note of one sequence around the middle of the comic that has an absolutely beautiful usage of shifting outdoor light, as the scene shifts from evening to night. It’s something I wish I saw in more comics.
Winchester Mystery House #1 Conclusion
Those already familiar with the Winchester Mystery House may find this first issue a little dry, as it largely provides the background exposition behind it all. However, any who are not intimately aware of it will likely get a lot out of it and really enjoy the mystery as it is set up. It can be difficult to establish a solid mystery in a story based on true events, yet Winchester Mystery House #1 manages to do so in a way that should work for people whether they have a passing knowledge of it or not. If you have an interest in real-life mysteries then this comic is well worth a look.
Want more Comic Book Reviews?
RELATED ARTICLES:
1. REVIEW: Good Luck #2 continues to Exceed Expectations
2. REVIEW: Dark Blood #1 is an Intriguing and Solid Start to a New Series
3. Death Note: Manga vs Anime
4. REVIEW: Basilisk #2 is Beautifully Unsettling
