Review – Colder TBP (Dark Horse Comics)

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Colder was undeniably one of my personal highlights of late 2012/early 2013, and showcased the perfect horror partnership between Eisner Award-winning writer Paul Tobin and supremely gifted artist Juan Ferreyra. And now finally we have the trade paperback, collecting the five individual issues together along with some interesting sketches and notes from Ferreyra and Tobin.

Without delving too much into the realm of spoilers, the book is based around Declan Thomas, a mysterious ex Insane Asylum inmate whose body temperature is continually dropping and who seems to have the ability to step inside – and possibly cure – people’s madness. It keeps the unnecessary characters to a bare minimum, allowing us to focus on the main three; Declan, his ‘carer’ Reece, and the truly disturbing villain of the piece, the brilliantly sadistic Nimble Jack.

Jack is a gloriously twisted creation, and is worth the cover price alone as he slithers from panel to panel, manipulating and tormenting everyone he comes in contact with in a gruesome attempt to satisfy his ‘hunger’ by feeding on their madness.

Featuring some absolutely stunning artwork from Ferreyra, including some particularly gruesome moments that will linger with you long after reading (seriously, seeing people climbing in – and out – of each other’s mouths is something you just can’t unsee), Colder has undeniably set the benchmark for creative, beautifully crafted horror.

Chilling in every sense of the word, and a book I really can’t recommend highly enough. Get it bought!

Rating: 9.5/10.

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson (aka Ceej)
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