Comics
Review: ‘Colder’ #2
With tons of good scares and well-developed characterizations, Colder #2 has the right ingredients to make for an entertaining supernatural thriller. With all the exposition out of the way, the second issue kicks up the story another notch. Just the frightening visual imagery alone in this issue will have readers talking.
WRITTEN BY: Paul Tobin
ART BY: Juan Ferreyra
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: December 5th, 2012
Years ago, a mental patient, Declan Thomas, became the sole survivor of a deadly inferno. Since that horrible night of blazing fire, Declan’s body has been mysteriously changing. Though he never gets sick or feels pain, Declan’s body temperature is slowly dropping. He remembers someone coming out of a hole in the wall and invading his mind. While Declan has been comatose, an evil entity has been walking around freely, stealing innocent people’s souls. After waking up suddenly, Declan must find a way to stop this sadistic killer.
After establishing the premise in the previous issue, Paul Tobin has more freedom to let his characters interact, and explore the bizarre aspects of the narrative. The antagonist, Nimble Jack, was a major focus before, and stole the show. Now, Tobin concentrates his attention on his protagonist, Declan, who had no dialogue in the first issue. This time around, Declan has a lot more to say and do, making him interesting and relatable to readers. Declan’s nurse, Reece, is also more involved in the action.
In a pivotal scene, Tobin establishes the relationship between Reece and Declan. Because he his mind has already snapped, Declan can actually see what drives people into madness. Reece is the outsider looking in, witnessing what really transpires inside the mind of those who have gone off the deep end. Tobin brings in a wicked sense of black humor as Reece reacts hysterically to the craziness around her.
Juan Ferreyra’s art offers memorable and eye-popping surrealist images. To depict the insanity and loss of control, Ferreyra visualizes several rundown Gothic buildings floating in the air, with sewer tunnels spewing out blood. To keep up the dream-like scenarios, Reece encounters a parade of freaks with many eyes and noses on their faces. To distinguish their emotions, Ferreyra has Reece look frightened out of her mind, while Declan acts like he has visited this hellish world before.
Ferreyra does a great job illustrating Jack’s nightmarish powers. When Jack enters the mind of his victim, he tortures them with their internal fears. With immense glee, Jack conjures up monsters with elongated fingers and half a mouth. These are eerie images that will definitely stick in your mind after you have finished reading. To distinguish reality from unreality, Ferreyra depicts the real world with vibrant and blossoming colors. The surreal world is drained of color, with a major focus on the grey tones.
4.5/5 skulls
Reviewed by Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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