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Long Cold Winter introduces us to a whole new unique apocalyptic world full of fantastic designs and interesting characters. “The Kid” shows up to a restaurant looking for “Peace Dog”, the biggest and toughest guy in town, to guide him to paradise. What he finds is a whole lot of trouble!
- Written by Francesca Perillo
- Art by Stefano Cardoselli
- Colors by Lorenzo Scaramella
- Letters by Buddy Beaudoin
- Published by Mad Cave Studios
The Long Cold Winter at a Glance
Long Cold Winter tells the story of a future world in wish the air you breath comes at a price. The ultimate “pay to play” it literally paying for breathable air. Peace Dog is a former soldier in a city full of trouble looking to just be left alone.
He’s also not in a financial position to afford that sweet, sweet breathable air. Enter “The Kid”, a robot child with an offer Peace Dog can’t refuse. The Kid needs an escort across dangerous lands to a utopia and Peace Dog is one of the biggest an baddest dudes in town. Unfortunately for both of them, that rank comes with a lot of enemies.
The Dystopian World of Long Cold Winter
Francesca Perillo sets up for the adventure to come. We’re introduced to our main characters Peace Dog and The Kid. There’s not a lot of background for The Kid yet, so there feels like a definite air of mystery surrounding his origins and maybe his ultimate goals. Peace Dog however gets a little more depth, however vague. Perillo does a great job of not showing all of his cards just yet. This will ultimately let the plot move with the characters in harmony.
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The world building in this issue was phenomenal. The gritty, yet colorful world screams dystopia. Buildings are crude and abstract. Characters are crude but diverse. The issue serves as introduction obviously, but leaves room for growth and gives us a peek behind the curtain just enough to leave you wanting more.
The Artwork is Anything but a Long Cold Winter
The artwork is unique. I love the highly stylized work here by Stefano Cardoselli. His abstract work gives everything a sense of awkwardness. You get a sense that nothing in this world is right, but it still feels so inviting. It’s a really great dichotomy that is captured in the architecture. It’s larger than life, yet comfortable.
The colors of Lorenzo Scaramella are what really draw the reader in. Everything is so bright and fun to look at. It gives off the same vibe as another well know apocalyptic epic, Borderlands. As a matter of fact, the whole artistic vibe here reminds me of that popular game franchise. It really serves to keep things upbeat in a downbeat world. This serves the readers instincts of the dangers of brightly colored objects, like poisonous frogs!
Everything Points to 8.5/10
Long Cold Winter is vibe. I love it, I really do. The story at the moment is very simple and predictable in nature, but I find that is the charm of it. It helps that the characters keep you invested and I know there will be some surprises along the way. This was great set up. The artwork alone makes this great pickup. You could honestly take the dialogue out completely and still follow along with what was happening! But it helps that Buddy Beaudoin’s letter work compliments the artwork and character styles. I think this is one of those books to keep a look out for going forward!
