After Vertigo, Good Horror Returns to DC with The Dollhouse Family

Error message

Deprecated function: Using ${var} in strings is deprecated, use {$var} instead in require_once() (line 132 of sites/all/libraries/bad-behavior/bad-behavior/core.inc.php).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $type declared before required parameter $key is implicitly treated as a required parameter in include_once() (line 1442 of includes/bootstrap.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $data declared before required parameter $name is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $data declared before required parameter $name is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $file declared before required parameter $entity_type is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $account declared before required parameter $entity_type is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $entity declared before required parameter $entity_type is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $account declared before required parameter $entity_type is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $values declared before required parameter $entity_type is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $view_mode declared before required parameter $entity_type is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $langcode declared before required parameter $entity_type is implicitly treated as a required parameter in require_once() (line 342 of includes/module.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $view_mode declared before required parameter $langcode is implicitly treated as a required parameter in include_once() (line 1442 of includes/bootstrap.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $terms declared before required parameter $node is implicitly treated as a required parameter in include_once() (line 1442 of includes/bootstrap.inc).
Deprecated function: Optional parameter $args declared before required parameter $node is implicitly treated as a required parameter in include_once() (line 1442 of includes/bootstrap.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityStructureWrapper::getIterator() should either be compatible with IteratorAggregate::getIterator(): Traversable, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 292 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityListWrapper::getIterator() should either be compatible with IteratorAggregate::getIterator(): Traversable, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 991 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityListWrapper::offsetExists($delta) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetExists(mixed $offset): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 991 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityListWrapper::offsetGet($delta) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetGet(mixed $offset): mixed, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 991 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityListWrapper::offsetSet($delta, $value) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetSet(mixed $offset, mixed $value): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 991 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityListWrapper::offsetUnset($delta) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetUnset(mixed $offset): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 991 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityListWrapper::count() should either be compatible with Countable::count(): int, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 991 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataWrapperIterator::hasChildren() should either be compatible with RecursiveIterator::hasChildren(): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1192 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataWrapperIterator::getChildren() should either be compatible with RecursiveIterator::getChildren(): ?RecursiveIterator, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1192 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataWrapperIterator::current() should either be compatible with Iterator::current(): mixed, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1192 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataWrapperIterator::next() should either be compatible with Iterator::next(): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1192 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataWrapperIterator::key() should either be compatible with Iterator::key(): mixed, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1192 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataWrapperIterator::valid() should either be compatible with Iterator::valid(): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1192 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataWrapperIterator::rewind() should either be compatible with Iterator::rewind(): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1192 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataArrayObject::offsetExists($delta) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetExists(mixed $offset): bool, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1235 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataArrayObject::offsetGet($delta) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetGet(mixed $offset): mixed, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1235 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataArrayObject::offsetSet($delta, $value) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetSet(mixed $offset, mixed $value): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1235 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataArrayObject::offsetUnset($delta) should either be compatible with ArrayAccess::offsetUnset(mixed $offset): void, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1235 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataArrayObject::count() should either be compatible with Countable::count(): int, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1235 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).
Deprecated function: Return type of EntityMetadataArrayObject::getIterator() should either be compatible with IteratorAggregate::getIterator(): Traversable, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in include_once() (line 1235 of sites/all/modules/entity/includes/entity.wrapper.inc).

FTC Statement: Reviewers are frequently provided by the publisher/production company with a copy of the material being reviewed.The opinions published are solely those of the respective reviewers and may not reflect the opinions of CriticalBlast.com or its management.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. (This is a legal requirement, as apparently some sites advertise for Amazon for free. Yes, that's sarcasm.)

Submitted by RJ Carter on Sat, 02/01/2020 - 22:47

THE DOLLHOUSE FAMILY is the first Black Label title from DC I've seen that wasn't in a prestige format size. This makes me happy for more than one reason, but mostly because i don't always have to pay the price point necessary for the oversized prestige formatted books.

This comic is also what Andy Khouri should have been courting to the Vertigo line before it became a corpse so decayed it can't even be used for good fertilizer. Or perhaps Chris Conroy should have been given the editor's position earlier. But, it's fruitless to become lachrymose over upturned dairy, so let's take a forward-looking approach, because THE DOLLHOUSE FAMILY is a positive step forward for DC mature horror.

It's not a surprise the book is this good -- as good as Vertigo 1.0 titles were back in the day. The title is crafted and steered by M.R. Carey and Peter Gross, the same two talents who had such a successful run on this little thing called LUCIFER. THE DOLLHOUSE FAMILY is a proper blend of fantasy and reality, drawing the reader in almost immediately and pulling them inexorably through the most amazing tale until the skull-busting finale.

Young Alice receives an inheritance from her great aunt -- an antique dollhouse, done up in exacting detail, with five tiny realistic dolls inside it. Her father thinks they should have it appraised and sold, if it's worth anything, but Alice has already laid claim to it and it was specifically for her. As the story progresses, Alice is drawn more and more into the world of her dolls, while being completely aware all the while that her mother is being physically abused by her father. That's when she discovers the dolls don't just speak to her, but are actually alive, and able to be visited if you speak the magic words.

There's a bizarre history that leads up to why the dollhouse exists and how it came to be, and it goes back to the dawn of creation and meteoric giants crashing to Earth. It doesn't quite get to connecting to the more recent story arc (Alice's story takes place in the early 1980s, while other bits take place during the early 19th century), but not everything needs to be explained in the first issue -- just enough to make the reader come back for the second issue to discover a little bit more.

A horrific blend of CORALINE and THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD, THE DOLLHOUSE FAMILY is a breakthrough in the comic book horror genre, the likes of which we haven't seen since Jamie Delano kicked off the first issues of HELLBLAZER. Highly recommended.

Grade:

5.0 / 5.0