Written by: Paul Tobin
Art by: Juan Ferryera
Publisher: Dark Horse
With the original Colder mini series being one of, if not the, best horror series of 2012, Paul Tobin and Juan Ferryera have a lot to live up to with Colder: The Bad Seed. Of course, judging the entire mini series based on the debut issue would be a little premature. That being said, if Colder: The Bad Seed #1 is any indicator, this series could very well eclipse the original Colder. It’s great to be back in Tobin and Ferryera’s horrific little world. Since we left, the world has become a lot less terrifying, and a lot more relatable. Things seem to be going well for Declan and Reece, who have settled down (well, relatively speaking, considering that they’re no longer dealing with the likes of Nimble Jack anymore).
But, in contrast with what the beginning may lead readers to believe, all is not well for our protagonists. A new threat has arrived, one that may not be quite as fun or dynamic as Nimble Jack was, but one that is even more frightening. His introduction scene is bone chillingly creepy, and it’s amazingly well done. Though he doesn’t interacts with Declan until the very end of the book, the scenes focusing on him alone are some of the best the book has to offer. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding his character and his motivations. There’s hints at what he’s doing, but there’s still a mysterious element to the character.
Aside from the scenes where he’s cutting off people’s fingers in public, we get some really great scenes with Declan and Reece. We’ve never really seen them acting like normal people (partly because, well, they aren’t), but we do get that in this issue. This provides some excellent character development for them, as we get to see them in a different light than we have before, which is definitely one of this issue’s strongest elements. While Tobin will likely get into the actual plot in the next issue, and up the horror level, it’s great to see him doing something different with the characters.
As with the original series, as great as Tobin’s writing is, Colder: The Bad Seed #1 is made by Juan Ferryera’s art. He really brings the world of Colder to life. His intricately crafted art makes the blood and the gore feel believable, yet uniquely terrifying at the same time. Ferryera has a way of injecting emotion and life into the characters that he draws, and the worlds that he creates. His art is easily one of the best parts of this book. The written storytelling is great, but it’s absolutely astounding how amazing the visual storytelling is in this issue.
Look, I know that there are a lot of new series coming out this week. But if you liked Colder, you should definitely be picking this up. Even if you didn’t read Colder, this issue is actually quite accessible for new readers. Sure, it may not be quite as meaningful, but this is definitely something that people should be checking out, especially if you’re a horror fan.
