The Highest House 1 Featured Reviews 

“Highest House” #1

By | March 9th, 2018
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

A boy is sold into slavery and enters a life of bondage in a legendary house. Whispers of a long-dead god may be the only key to his escape. As per usual, our review will contain spoilers.

Cover by Yuko Shimizu

Written by Mike Carey
Illustrated and Lettered by Peter Gross
Colored by Fabien Alquier

The creators behind The Unwritten, Mike Carey and Peter Gross, invite you into The Highest House, the story of a slave boy named Moth, who makes friends with a powerful entity called Obsidian that promises advancement and happiness. Clearly, Obsidian has a hidden agenda, but Moth has ambitions and plans of his own…

A magister rakes the land for slaves to fill Highest House, a sprawling castle complex to rival the likes of Gormenghast or Hogwarts. Amongst the prospective slaves, a young boy catches his eye. His name is Moth, and he seems to possess some extrasensory abilities. And so begins the involuntary servitude of boy Moth and his serfdom within the walls of Highest House.

As the first issue, “Highest House” is loaded with characters and steeped in a complex history. There’s Neem, manservant to the magister; Jet, Moth’s blind sister; Lord Demini Aldercrest, the unseen lord of Highest House; Master Temtoller, of the Kitchen Carls, with a curious affinity for Moth; the unnamed and monolithic stable hand; and Fless, Moth’s task mistress in the art of roofing. To incorporate this plethora of characters, each page is packed with panels and dialogue, all spoken with a medieval flourish. As far as comics go, “Highest House” feels pleasantly dense and lengthier than its 25 pages. Carey and Gross use every inch of space to thread in plenty of mystery, intrigue, and overall world-building.

One mystery concerns an absent god, whose name and purpose are somewhat spoiled in the official synopsis. Though titled ‘Obsidian’s Bargain, Part 1,’ Obsidian has yet to be named nor make an appearance, and a bargain has yet to be negotiated. Obsidian exists only on the periphery of the issue, the “long-dead god” hinted at in the magister’s story and whom Lord Demini Aldercrest currently seeks. This unseen entity is only heard as a whisper to Moth on the final page, promising to raise him from the gutter while destroying his enemies.

Perhaps because of the divergent nature of solicit and actual issue, the premiere often feels like a prologue, a mere taste test of what “Highest House” will deliver. Nascent conflict and plot emerge, but it’s too soon to tell what “Highest House” is truly about. Carey’s patient approach to comic storytelling is more reminiscent of a novel’s opening. It may not suit every reader, but this slow approach and setup will likely payoff greatly in later issues—like the fantasy epics it draws inspiration from.

Ultimately, issue one is all about slaves and their masters, domination and submission. We see the slaves queued up, reduced to a mere elevator pitch by their owners hoping for a successful sale. We see the arrogance of the higher-class masters and the oppressed gloom on the peasant slaves’ faces. Due to poverty, circumstance, and cruel parenting, Moth’s freedom is taken from him. It’s heartbreaking when we see how easily Moth’s mother exchanges her son for a small bag of coins. In two quick panels, his mother releases her son to his new life of bondage and with the same hand accepts the coins.

To properly view the dark and dirty world of slavery, Alquier operates within the warmer sector of the visible spectrum. Muted yellows, browns, and grays fill in the medieval world of Ossaniul. Think earthy tones, rust and dust, dirt and blood. The color palette helps to ground “Highest House” in realism despite its fantasy setting.

A sense of setting and history is further explored in Magister Extat’s story of Highest House, a visual highlight of the issue. Through a magic lantern’s projection on a tent wall, the magister weaves a tale of Ossaniul’s greatest House, and how it came to be occupied by the Aldercrest clan. It’s a historical shadow show of silhouettes of gods and kings, pious peasants genuflecting in prayer, executed sorcerers dangling from the noose or cross. In just one page, narrated by the Magister, the history of Highest House is fleshed out. The story hints at secret tunnels and passages occupied by a profane deity, hinting at what is surely Obsidian.

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The eponymous Highest House makes its stunning debut shortly after on a two-page spread under a rusty sky. It’s a stunning creation well worth the two pages of precious comic book real estate it occupies. It’s a magisterial gothic mansion, all steeples and cylindrical towers with arched windows. Built into the cliffside, its only entrance is the Bridge of Sorrows, flanked by angelic statues. Eggshell walls, bricklaying and masonry, climbing vines, and exquisite shingling are all on glorious display. Its grandiose design suggests vast histories and mysteries. The setting is truly the star of the show.

In the end, Moth’s new reality crushes down on him as he sits upright in the swirling blue darkness, feeling utterly dejected. Moth has become another dying insect trapped in a bulb—like the lamp above him. Though freedom is visible on the other side of the glass, a means of escape remains unclear. What is clear is that Carey and Gross have another winner on their hands, one that should leave readers eager to continue exploring the cryptic corridors of Highest House.

Final Verdict: 8.9 – A promising, confident debut. Carey and Gross have created a realistic fantasy world rich in character and setting.


Matt Sadowski

Matt is from Chicago but is currently living a curious existence in Xiamen, China. He can be found on Twitter as @mattrsadowski

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