About:
The Coldest City by Antony Johnston (art by Sam Hart) is a graphic novel taking place during the Cold War in Berlin, Germany. Mr. Johnston has worked on several high profile comic book projectsincluding Daredevil, Queen & Country,Wasteloand, Wolverine and more.
My rating for The Coldest City – 4
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Thoughts:
The Coldest City by Antony Johnston (website | Twitter) with art by Sam Hart(website) takes place two weeks before the Berlin Wall came down. The graphic novel is a spy thriller and uses the pictures to tell a story which is exciting and well paced.
The art and dialogue of the book is done in a noir style, one could almost hear the music blazing in the background. The panels are full of shadows, as is the story, and the eeriness of Soviet controlled Berlin comes through.
The story telling is very good, I don’t know if I had the final version since the publisher sent me an ARC. The art was in black and white which, I felt, very much fitted the story and the mood Mr. Johnston tried to create. Whether or not the final product would be colored I do not know.
I enjoy espionage story because they are sort of a jigsaw puzzle, they force me to put together pieces which might fit together. I also like my spies “gray”, meaning that just like in the real world they have good and bad traits. Let’s face it, you have to be of certain character and have moral ambiguity to even be in that business.
While this graphic novel might not be for everyone, I enjoyed it.
Oni Press says:
[T]the book will not be colored. The ARC will have some small art corrects and probably some lettering corrections but for the most part it is near finished form.
So tell me, do you enjoy graphic novels which are not about superheros?
Synopsis:
An undercover MI6 agent in Berlin was killed and the agency sent an experienced spy named Lorraine Broughton to investigate. Ms. Broughton has no pre-existing ties in Berlin which might hinder her investigation but might be an asset as well.
Berlin at this time is a powder keg filled with social unrest, even the spies are defecting and looking out for themselves. Broughton is looking for a list of agents which will help her save the lives of those on it.
Great price on this graphic novel from Amazon
through the Man of la Book Affiliate Account
Check out this & more World War II books on Man of la BookStore
Zohar – Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I got this graphic novel for free.
BOOK BLOGGERS – Have you read The Coldest City? If so link up your review below:
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I'm ashamed to say I have not read nay graphic novels. But I think I would love this one. I like good spy fiction, and to be honest the older I get the more open I am to different genres. I really enjoyed reading your review.
You should try them Mel, some of the graphic novels are very high quality both in art and dialogue. I believe that comic books are the only consistent publication which is published in college level English.
Have you tried my reading challenge?
Sounds like a very interesting story - what an amazing moment in history, intriguing to consider events in the weeks leading up to it.