Another book I had never heard of that was on my local comic shop’s shelf of new releases; the cover grabbed my attention and I gave Winterworld a quick thumbing. I quickly added it to my buy pile and headed to the cash. Here’s the publisher’s blurb:
Dixon & Zaffino’s long out-of-print classic is finally collected! In a bleak and desolate future, when our world has been encased in ice from pole to pole, an amoral adventurer and an orphaned girl form an unlikely alliance-and together fight tooth and nail to stay alive. This features the stunning, groundbreaking artwork of Jorge Zaffino.
As a special bonus, this hardcover also collects the never-before-published sequel, Wintersea!
A page in and I was hooked. Chuck Dixon created a world of eternal winter where survival is all that matters. Immediately we’re introduced to the protagonist and his foil: the unwanted sidekick. It’s classic and overused but that’s because it works well. Slick and simple storytelling gets things moving and keeps them there. Dialogue is well done: witty and rough between our lead characters and broken English from the locals.
The art is solid, angry, and black and white. As Dixon mentions in his introduction Zaffino draws men you don’t want to meet: life is hard in Winterworld and only the strong survive. The detail contained within the inking is stunning: take a look at that first panel above and just let it wash over you. Colour would only detract from this marvelous art. Panel layout is to the point and nothing fancy to get in the way of the storytelling.
A little back story. Winterworld was originally published by Eclipse in 1987 as a three issue colour mini series; Wintersea was never published. Jorge Zaffino is no longer with us so what you see is what you get. This was released in hardcover last year and softcover last month: both are readily available. This is a solid value and a must read.
Winterworld
IDW, 2011, ISBN 978-1-60010-914-0
First published at Comic Book Daily.
