Deathless: The House Committee

Title: Deathless: The House Committee
Date: 2011
Writer: Catherynne M. Valente
Art & Layout: Amy Houser

The House Committee is a full-color half-sized minicomic excerpt from Catherynne M. Valente's upcoming novel Deathless, which adapts traditional Russian fairy tales and sets them in Stalinist Russia. In a crowded house in a city that was once called St. Petersburg, a girl named Marya discovers that her room, which had once taken four steps to cross, now took seven. Valente's mix of soviet culture with the gnome-like domovoi of Russian legend is instantly engaging, especially when combined with Amy Houser's beautiful artwork. As a teaser, this was a treat, and it certainly got me interested in the upcoming prose novel.

Rating: 8/10

I'd been hoping to run into Cat Valente at Arisia to pick up her new minicomic, so it was great to find her at the autograph area of the dealers hall when I arrived on Monday morning (along with author Seanan McGuire, who's in the picture with Cat and the comic).

I've got two more bonus reviews coming tonight, which will cover my last two comic book acquisitions at Arisia. The special convention edition of Comic A Day has been a lot of fun. I'm definitely planning to do convention specials for my upcoming shows. The next two are templecon in Rhode Island and Queen City Kamikaze New Hampshire, both in February.