HAUNTED HOUSE: A LOVE STORY #3, by Blood Moon Comics on 1/17/24, enters a new generation when the house’s latest tenants struggle with family pressures and personal secrets during the Great Depression.
The Details
- Written by: Winston Gambro
- Art by: Winston Gambro, Joshua J. Beck
- Colors by: Winston Gambro, Rob Cloma
- Letters by: Winston Gambro
- Cover art by: Winston Gambro
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: January 17, 2024
Is HAUNTED HOUSE: A LOVE STORY #3 Good?
Winston Gambro’s generational story of love and horror enters a new phase when the house pushes a newly married couple to the breaking point in HAUNTED HOUSE: A LOVE STORY #3. Each issue of this soulful series recounts a different aspect of love and heartbreak through the years, and this time it’s rage that takes center stage.
When last we left the haunted house, a young family with two daughters became the focus of the house’s ire when it manipulated the daughters into acting out, forcing the mother to seek spiritual help against her husband’s wishes. Now, a young couple works to make the house their first home during the Great Depression, but the husband’s parents apply too much pressure and criticism to let the couple find peace, creating a potentially deadly rift.
The beauty of Gambro’s mini-series is in the way it acts as a light horror story that serves as an exploration of relationships in different forms of distress. The house serves a role in the story, along with the recurring appearance of a grinning salesman, but the story works equally well as a relationship drama if the supernatural aspects aren’t present.
What’s great about HAUNTED HOUSE: A LOVE STORY #3? Issue #3 pushes the series furthest towards horrific violence when the husband and wife separately crack under the pressures of life, so readers keeping up with the series get the familiarity of a continuing story while seeing a new aspect of the narrative. If you’re squeamish about violence, don’t worry. It doesn’t get gory.
What’s not so great about HAUNTED HOUSE: A LOVE STORY #3? The recurring appearance of the grinning salesman continues to foreshadow something down the road, but no seeds are planted or hints dropped as to what. If Gambro doesn’t expand on who the grinning salesman is and what he wants soon, the concern is that the resolution of that plot point will be rushed.
How’s the art? Gambro pulls double duty as writer and artist in this series, and he uses this issue to show off a few compositional tricks and dramatic flare. Specifically, there’s a sequence of scenes where Rita and Alejandro pursue each other through the house that gives readers an X-ray view into their chase while the house reacts to the potential for bloodshed. It’s a cool visual sequence.
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What’s HAUNTED HOUSE: A LOVE STORY #3 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our HAUNTED HOUSE: A LOVE STORY #2 review to learn about a family grappling with a conflict of faith.
We begin with a husband and wife, Alejandro and Rita, frantically cleaning their new home in preparation for a visit by Alejandro’s overbearing parents. Rita puts on a brave face during critiques of her cooking and the insistence that she work on getting pregnant sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, Alejandro is caught between Rita and his parents while pressures mount at work during a crashing Stock Market. We conclude the issue with a knife demonstration, a rage-inducing push, and a look in the mirror.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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HAUNTED HOUSE: A LOVE STORY #3 moves forward in time when a young couple moves into the house, creating rage-inducing friction as external pressures mount. Winston Gambro’s thoughtful tale works as a ghost story and a romantic drama, giving the tale of young lovers multiple dimensions to consider.
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