In time for the frigid depths of winter are ten previously uncollected short stories from the pages of VERTIGO WINTER'S EDGE – the timeless Vertigo title that featured comics' most select and sensational creators tackling the imprint's most enduring characters. Featuring The Endless, Swamp Thing, John Constantine and Tim Hunter in stories by Neil Gaiman (SANDMAN), Brian K. Vaughan (Y: THE LAST MAN), Dave Gibbons (WATCHMEN), Garth Ennis (PREACHER), Paul Pope (BATMAN: YEAR 100) and many, many more!
I bought this for 50 cents at my local comic shop, a pretty good deal I’d say. It’s a compilation of stories that first appeared in the three Winter’s Edge issues written and drawn by the usual Vertigo crowd: Gaiman, Ennis, Milligan, Jenkins, Phillips, Zulli etc. None of the stories are bad and a few of them are really good. I like all three Hellblazer shorts by Jenkins, Ennis, and Dave Gibbons* respectively. The Jenkins story is one of the best he wrote, while Gibbons’ has just the right touches of humor (I love his voice for John actually). Gaiman writes three stories here and they’re some of the weaker ones, surprisingly; he’s usually good at short stories but these are perhaps too short to leave an impression. I didn’t really care for Milligan’s Minx story, probably because I haven’t read The Minx. Overall though, this is an enjoyable Vertigo sampler, with enough variety and high points to be worth seeking out. Especially because the original Winter’s Edge issues are pricey nowadays.
*Not sure if it’s just my copy, but the pages for his story are out of order.