DC Vertigo has made a historic comeback this year and it all got started with James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno’s cosmic horror series, The Nice House by the Sea. This apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, a sequel to the earlier series The Nice House by the Lake, is set after the end of the world at a beach house populated with ten people who are supposed to represent the best of humanity as chosen by a mysterious member of an alien race named Max. However, when the members of the house learn of the existence of another house—the lake house introduced in the earlier series—carnage and chaos ensue.

Look, if you want to know more than that, you can read my primer on the saga or better yet, check out the series on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE. But today, as a fun little experiment for those of you who are reading the comic, I thought I would explore an interesting idea: what characters would I choose to live in the Nice House by the Sea if I were Max and the series were set within the DC Universe?

To be clear, The Nice House by the Sea is a DC Vertigo title featuring characters created by Tynion and Martínez Bueno and is not set within the DCU. There are no announced crossovers with the DCU at this time, and there’s no reason to think that there will be. This is just me having fun and bringing all of you lovely readers, who are presumably fans of both DC and Vertigo, along for the ride. We’ll pick the characters based on Max’s categories: The Doctor, The Writer, The Historian, The Actor, The Artist, The Priest, The Scientist, The Singer, The Senator and The Mathematician.
 

The Doctor: Poison Ivy

Both Max and her lake house counterpart Walter have doctors in their houses, and in both cases, they’re medical practitioners. But there isn’t a rule book here, and nothing is stopping me from going with a doctor of botany instead. With countless geniuses operating within the world of DC, it was hard to know where to even begin here. But in the end, when only ten people will carry the memory and knowledge of Earth, knowing about Earth’s native environment is invaluable. While Pamela Isley is the only character on this list with villainous tendencies, I think Ivy still represents the best of humanity. After all, she fights for the planet. She can also make plants grow, which could be extremely valuable if things ever go really pear-shaped.
 

The Writer: Lois Lane

Both Max and Walter have writers in their houses, with Walter technically having two with the additional category of The Reporter. Taking inspiration from his line of thinking, I have to go with the best journalist in the DC Universe: Lois Lane. Yes, Clark Kent is up there, but nobody does it better than the award-winning journalist Ms. Lane. In the end, I think her personality and good-hearted spirit would be perfect to represent the last of humankind—the best of humankind!
 

The Historian: Superman

DC has many academic professors and time travelers that can be considered historians, such as Hawkman, Resurrection Man or heck, Vandal Savage. But I think Clark Kent makes sense as The Historian because of his relationship with Earth and Krypton. Having been raised on Earth with no memories of his home planet, he grew up learning the history of our world. When he discovered and explored his Kryptonian identity, he then took it upon himself to learn as much about the history, culture and language of Krypton. He is now one of the few people in the universe to know the history of this forgotten world. Wielding the knowledge of two planets, in addition to being fast enough to learn anything at the drop of a hat, Clark Kent is the ideal historian here, offering perspective informed by the past events of two different worlds and global societies.
 

The Actor: Beast Boy

Yes, Garfield Logan, member of the Teen Titans and Doom Patrol, has dabbled in acting! With many other DC characters falling under this category, including Booster Gold, Clayface and even Zatanna (since she does perform on a stage), it’s Beast Boy’s endearing and lovable personality that makes him a fantastic candidate for this hypothetical house. Plus, in the end, who wouldn't want a shapeshifter to carry on the legacy of Earth’s animal kingdom!
 

The Artist: Kyle Rayner

Artist is a broad category, since it can encompass so many different mediums. Visual artists, of course, but technically musicians, actors, novelists and poets can all be considered artists. Since we already have an actor, a writer and a musician (whom we’ll get to shortly), I decided to look at traditional visual artists. Naturally, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner is one of the first to come to mind and is the perfect candidate. A true embodiment of willpower and heroics, Kyle Rayner was a passionate illustrator and cartoonist before becoming the Green Lantern we all know and love. In the end, I’d trust him to carry on the spirit of humanity!
 

The Priest: John Constantine

The Priest is an interesting and perhaps challenging role to fill when you’re limiting yourself to well-known characters from within the DC Universe. When it comes to an overall knowledge of religion, I think occultist and magician John Constantine is the perfect choice. While rough around the edges, Constantine does have a good heart underneath it all—plus, who doesn’t love a little drama? While the concept of Heaven and Hell seems fruitless within the world of The Nice House by the Sea, Constantine will carry that aspect of human culture and history with him.
 

The Scientist: Mr. Terrific

One of the smartest and most accomplished scientists within the DCU is Mr. Terrific, Michael Holt. Having recently made his silver screen debut in Superman, to say he is a genius is almost an understatement. With several Ph.Ds. and standing as a leading expert in the fields of physics, engineering, chemistry, mathematics and pretty much everything under the sun, he can fall under several categories on this list. I chose him to be The Scientist because he’s simply the best in addition to being an incredible hero. Sure, Lex Luthor is comparable, but a terrible choice to represent the best humanity has to offer.
 

The Singer: Black Canary

The most powerful and famous singer in the DC Universe is none other than Black Canary! Dinah Lance is part of a superhero legacy and a member of the Birds of Prey, Justice League and JSA. She’s a true hero in every sense of the word. Known for her canary cry as well as putting on a good show, Black Canary is the perfect addition to this hypothetical house. She showcases the art and skill of singing, while also possessing unrivaled martial arts skills, which let’s be honest, is also going to be essential in this post-apocalyptic world that seemingly pits houses against each other.
 

The Senator: Wonder Woman

For the sake of this House of List-ery, we are going to broaden the niche role of The Senator to the more inclusive title of The Politician. When thinking of an exceptional world leader in the DC Universe, Diana of Themyscira comes to mind. It’s a difficult decision when you consider other Amazonian leaders like Queen Nubia and Queen Hippolyta, but Diana is the true ambassador of the Amazonians to man’s world. With a heart of gold and plenty of compassion, Wonder Woman is the perfect choice to carry the torch of humanity and Amazonians alike…while also offering nearly unrivaled strength when needed.
 

The Mathematician: Batman

The. World’s. Greatest. Detective. One of the most brilliant minds within the world of DC is Bruce Wayne, an expert in the sciences including physics, engineering, chemistry and mathematics. A large part of being an effective detective is calculating odds and devising strategies, which is math! Look, I’m willing to stretch the definition a little here because in the end, Bruce Wayne is someone you want on your side in a dark world of mystery and danger like we find in Tynion and Martínez Bueno’s series. After all, “a dark world of mystery and danger” could pretty much describe Gotham City as well. You just know he would be the first to figure out what's going on with Walter, Max and the world of The Nice House on the Lake and The Nice House by the Sea, as well as how to respond to it.
 

The Nice House by the Sea by James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno and Jordie Bellaire can be read in full on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and reviews comics every week on social media. Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and Substack.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.