House of Whispers No. 8 review: “The troubles I’ve seen”
A round of literary fisticuffs finishes off the latest House of Whispers
Some folks only read Marvel. Some only read DC. Some only read indie publications; whatever your choice, often times it seems the enjoyment of the “universe” a comic is set in is a big factor in what draws the reader in, and keeps them coming back. The Sandman universe, created by Neil Gaiman in 1989, which was vaguely connected to the DC universe initially and was incorporated fully not too long ago, has long been a fan favorite, and Vertigo Comics has four current series set in that amazing reality: Lucifer, The Dreaming, Books of Magic, and House of Whispers. Writers Nalo Hopkinson and Dan Watters, along with artist Dominike Stanton, colorist John Rauch (with help from Isaac Goodhart, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Aneke) and letterer AndWorld Design, along with a cover from Sean Andrew Murray, have given us a clever and lovely glimpse into the world of whispers, and this issue ends with a battle of stories, a “one-up” for the ages.
Vertigo Comics
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House of Whispers traps ghosts and flies into the spiderweb
In the last issue, Shakpana, plague deity, had taken up residence in the body of a killer who had lost his soul due to the waking death sickness that had infected many people in New Orleans and elsewhere around the world. At the beginning of this issue, guided by the spirit inside him, the killer begins trapping the ghosts of slaves at Madame LaLaurie’s residence (she tortured dozens of slaves in her cruel life) in Louisiana, which begins to drive Shakpana crazy. Also in the last issue, Madame Erzulie, goddess of whispers, made a deal with the Corinthian, a mouth-eyed nightmare and perennial fan favorite, to seek the assistance of Ananse the Spider, weaver of stories and trickster god, in separating the soul of her husband Agwe from the literal House of Whispers, which was currently a boat. To do so, she and her crew must traverse the spider’s lair.
Vertigo Comics
The House of Whispers brings an end to the waking death sickness
Shakpana helped the killer trap many souls at Madame LaLaurie’s home, including one other: his own. His soul doesn’t want to go back into his body, disgusted at the crimes he committed while they were separated. Shakpana forces the killer’s soul back into his body, causing him to feel and empathize with all the pain he caused the people he killed, making him sick. Realizing that returning the missing souls to their bodies will cause a bunch of suffering, Shakpana ends the plague, which came from his essence in the first place, but in doing so, he cures himself, and becomes self-aware of the harm he’s been causing, which makes him unusually regretful. He allows the killer to free several of the souls, who manifest as ghosts and bring him upstairs, where Madame LaLaurie’s ghost is still tortured by formerly free ghosts, and let LaLaurie torture him in penance for his crimes.
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In Anase’s web, Maggie and Latoya’s souls are trapped, unable to head back to their bodies. The spider-god refuses to help Erzulie with her husband, preferring to feast on the “delectable” misery of her coming suffering should she lose Agwe. He declines books that Uncle Monday took from Dreams library, books that were never written, and Erzulie challenges him to a storytelling competition, with extremely high stakes. If Anase loses, he gets to eat her story instead of the women’s souls and help separate Agwe from the House of Whispers, but if Erzulie loses, Ananse gets to eat her! This story is really picking up steam; 7/10 recommended. Let us know what you thought in the comments section below.