Colder, Vol. 2: The Bad Seed

Colder (Collected Editions)

by Paul Tobin, Juan Ferreyra (Illustrator)

Declan Thomas is a former inmate of an insane asylum that was destroyed by fire. He has the strange ability to step inside a person's madness. Sometimes he can cure it. One day, he hopes to cure his own. Life goes on for Declan Thomas after his deadly encounter with the psychotic Nimble Jack, but Declan's strange powers continue to develop, offering him a profound connection with the nature of insanity. Little does he know that the malevolent Swivel wishes to pick up where Nimble Jack left off!

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Supernatural

115 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2015

About the author

Paul Tobin is the Eisner-award winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Bandette, Colder, and many other comic books and graphic series.

Bandette, drawn by Colleen Coover, was awarded the Eisner Award for Best Digital Series in 2013, 2016, and 2017; and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature in 2016. His original graphic novel I Was the Cat was nominated for an Eisner in 2015.

The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat , first in his five-book series of middle-grade books, came out in 2016 from Bloomsbury Kids. It was followed in 2017 by How To Outsmart A billion Robot Bees , and How To Tame A Human Tornado in March 2018.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure this needed more and you can easily stop with the first volume.
Just sayin.

Ok, so what's happening?
Well, Declan is now using his power to help the insane, and he and Reece are all lovey-dovey.
All is right with the world.



Enter the weird dude from the cover, who strolls through town chopping off fingers and planting them in pots. From a spooky standpoint, this guy gets points for looking scary as hell. Also, fingers! They just kind of dangle out there and it made me want to curl mine up when he was on the page.



He's after Declan because of some stuff in the past that our hero doesn't remember. But after a little trip to the Other Side of sanity, he & Reece find out all about the good old days when he was a chicken thief who made a deal with this finger swiping creeper.



It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm interested in seeing how it all pans out.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nimble Jack is dead, the Nightmare World is closed off and Declan and Reece are enjoying life together with Declan curing mental illness wherever he goes. Until a figure from Declan’s past returns, upset that the lack of crazy is causing his horrific crop to wither and die. He is Swivel, a finger farmer from the Nightmare World, and he is here to harvest.

The Bad Seed is an ok follow-up to the first Colder book though Paul Tobin unfortunately doesn’t have much of a story to tell this time around. The book is mostly scene after scene of body horror as Swivel hacks off people’s fingers and does awful things like wringing people like dishcloths and ripping the skin of their backs to make paper planes!

Artist Juan Ferreyra does a fantastic job of realising it all on the page and his artwork once again steals the show - Colder wouldn’t be the series it is without his contributions. And his Swivel character is so well-designed with so many creepy, unpredictable moments - whenever he shows up, you’re always wondering whether he’s gonna do something insane or just wander off. He’s a great monster.

The second Colder book is very light on story so it’s not as compelling as the first one though Ferreyra’s art continues to impress and Swivel is an interesting, if quite shallowly-written, psycho. Body horror fans will love this one!

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars. Not as good as the 1st volume.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is all about the art as it's light on story. I hope you like lots of body horror with fingers being chopped off. Declan and Reese are doing great until Swivel comes along. He's a finger farmer and his crops haven't been growing since Declan quit cutting them off people a long time ago? The story is confusing and I'm still not clear on what was true and what was just insanity. Anyway, Ferreya's art continues to impress even if the story doesn't.

[CS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

I didn't realize the plot could really go anywhere after the first volume, but here is volume 2. It's okay, hence the 3-stars. If you like your horror with lots of creepy, cut-off fingers, this is right up your alley.

Not sure where the series could go from here, but at least I didn't have to hide this cover like I did with Volume 1!

[Rocio Voncina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Titulo: Colder, Vol. 2
Autor: Paul Tobi, Juan Ferreyra
Motivo de lectura: -
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Mi edicion: Electronico
Puntuacion: 3/5

La historia avanza y Declan intenta explicarle a Reece su origen. Pero aca se da una combinacion muy interesante, Declan no es muy bueno explicando y Reece no es muy buena entendiendo.
Nimble Jack vuelve a aparecer para alimentarse (de una manera muy particular y absolutamente espeluznante), sigue siendo el personaje que mas interes me genera.

Realmente no hay mas cosas para resaltar, despues de todo hablamos del volumen 2 (son cinco en total). Vuelvo a destacar el trabajo maravilloso del ilustrador Juan Ferreyra.

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first volume but probably just because I don't find Swivel to be as compelling of a villain as Nimble Jack but still a really fun volume overall and we get a lot of interesting information about Declan's backstory as well. I think it goes a *bit* over the top with the finger imagery but it's definitely creepy and as always the art style is just absolutely gorgeous and the designs are very imaginative if nothing else.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars

So in this second installment, Paul Tobin said screw the story, let's just be weird.

There is some creepy guy running around hacking fingers off and collecting them in a bucket. He also sometimes has a finger face (which is weird) and I guess he is haunting our hero because he once lent him some fingers...?

So the story is very very light, but the imagery is amazing. You almost forget the story because the artwork is so stunning, almost.

This reads like a nightmare, it is quick and scary and doesn't always make sense.

[alexander shay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given how the first volume ended, I was very curious to see how another volume would come about. The villain in this one is definitely more creepy and disturbing visually, but I found him a lot more mild compared to the first villain in just about every other respect. Maybe it's just the writer in me who wants to know how this came to be, but knowing this 'other world' exists and that these villains come from that world but not knowing how they got to be there is kind of distracting me. Both this and the first volume were very focused on dealing with the villain and situations at hand; neither protagonist knows the full story of this other world and therefore neither does the reader. I don't mind being taken along on this ride, to an extent, but while we are learning more about Declan as we progress, we aren't really learning too much about the world where these horrors come from and that's actually what I'm more interested in.

[Yany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lamento estar escribiendo tan tarde está reseña ya que me he leído los tres volúmenes uno tras otro, y son de esas historias que hubiera quedado mucho mejor en un tomo único que dividido en tres partes.

No hay mucho que pueda decir de esta continuación, no por hacer spoiler si no porque no hay mucho de que hablar. En este tomo Declan usa su poder para curar a la gente enferma de su locura. Hay situaciones demasiado raras, todo es tan raro, es una historia que no tiene ni pies ni cabeza, y para mí es eso lo que lo hace tan llamativo, eso y el arte increíble! Las ilustraciones son magníficas, la creación de escenarios, criaturas y cosas bien locas es todo lo que le das el puntaje a este volumen.
La historia ya desde un comienzo es un montón de hilos que se van para todos lados y se enredan a su antojo. Uno podría imaginarse posibles acontecimientos, tratar de entender, ver o comprender para donde va la historia pero es todo una locura, y eso es lo que más me gusta, que pasa los límites de mi obvia imaginación.

[Devon Munn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty enjoyable horror series with great art and some downright creepy antagonists

[Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art, pleasantly gory. The story was alright, if not a bit too random. That was my issue with volume #1 as well.

I liked the short story at the end better than the main story, actually. Found it well-written, fascinating, funny and tragic, and its take on insanity seemed more personal and realistic than the comic book tends to be. I kinda hope it will be continued in the next issue.

[Valeska · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so GOOD.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

With no hesitation I tell you that this is the goriest and most disturbing graphic novel I have ever read. Absolutely amazing.... should be a horror movie. Would make TONS of money.
Continuing from Volume 1, Declan and Reece are doing well, and he's still helping people be released from their insanity. And just when the post-Nimble Jack world seems to be peaceful, we meet Swivel. This guy is insanity incarnate. There are certain horror tropes that are usually observed when making a kill: head chops, throat slit, disembowled, impaling, etc. For all the unique kills we see in horror, when have you ever seen a guy just cutting off fingers? Or planting them? Or having them as snacks? OR MORPHING HIS BODY TO APPEAR TO BE COMPLETELY MADE OUT OF FINGERS????
Important to the story, we find out that Declan was a thief way back before getting "colder". He gets caught and the farmer takes vengeance, cutting off his fingers. At some point, Jack and Swivel visit Declan and Swivel gives him new fingers. Using those, he becomes a killer and when he decides to stop, that's when his catatonia begins. Having self induced it to stay off their radar, Jack only finds Declan when he starts using his fingers again.
A fight breaks out between Declan and Swivel, and using insanity, Declan cuts off his (possessed) fingers and tricks Swivel into falling off a roof. We see the "finger plant" smash on the ground, but a reborn Jack crawls from the dirt.
This Volume was an insane ride into chaos and back out again. Or am I? Onto Volume 3...
High recommend.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, nice artwork and tension. The relationship between Declan and Reese is more fleshed out, and there is more effort making Declan likeable. There's a great amount of body horror, particularly around hands and fingers (as you might guess from the cover). Swivel is a good eldritch villain - there's not really malice to him, just an alienness.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book brings new, even more scary enemy and explains some things from Declan's past, however, same as first book, it fails to create working world with some rules, and all hold together just by great art. Another problem is that five issues feels like not enough to deliver whole plot and final encounter is over before it actually starts.

[K.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juan Ferreyra's art is visceral, disturbing, dark, and beautiful.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weakest of the 3 volumes. You start to realize here that plotwise the series is weak. I did enjoy ut overall though.

[Stano Várady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je to hlúpe, ale vyzerá to dobre. A prstový farmár Swivel ma veľmi baví.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insane.

[Brian Rosenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colder Vol. 2: The Bad Seed
Dark Horse, Collects issues 1-5

Meet Reece and Declan. Declan is able to help the insane with their insanity. “He makes all the Monsters go away.”
Reece works at place that deals with the disturbed. What a fun couple!

Reece introduces Declan to her coworkers at the Institute. They approve, loving Declan’s hair.
Declan interfaces with the patients, making “their madness make sense.”

Enter Creepy guy. Swivel by name. He has fingers in place of teeth. Swivel collects fingers via a sharp object.
Swivel pays a weird visit to Reece and Declan. A suggestion - maybe invest in security cameras.

Swivel confronts Reece at her job, kidnapping her to a realm of nightmare.
Reece flees and Swivel sends severed fingers to find her.

Cut to pages where Declan is a chicken thief. His fingers get axed as punishment. And Declan in an asylum with Nimble Jack (see Vol. 1).

Issue 4, we start to get answers. My interpretation - The fingers are seeds for insanity that grow till harvested… if the crops are healthy.
Swivel blames Declan for the bad crops. “You’ve been tainting the land.”

Reunited with Reece, Declan sacrifices his fingers. Exit Swivel but there is a surprise guest star on the final page.

This volume include a bonus prose short story.

After a 2nd reading, this volume made more sense. I’ve not read Volume One and that may have helped.
Book ranks high on the Weirdness scale.
As a Film/TV/ Streaming series, I’d watch just to see how comic pages translates to screen.
Art is a winner, especially the coloring.
There is a Volume 3.

[Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης · Rating 4 out of 5]

So here we are getting some more background on Declan before he grew colder and it's not pretty. We also see the ramifications of his curing insanity on an unprecedented level and how the nightmare world reacts to the sudden shift in balance.

It's interesting that, contrary to the description, Swivel is not so much evil in and of himself, but a terrible byproduct of the human condition AND motivated to act by the new imbalance that Declan creates.

Make no mistake, Swivel is terrifying on a completely different level than Nimble Jack, an old thing that is poked and reacts as old, terrifying things will. Where Nimble Jack is a sadistic fool, Swivel is uncaring. His only concern is a sort of cosmic status quo and that makes him (it) incredibly Lovecraftian.

As always, the art is horribly beautiful to look at.

[Jonathan Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This didn't disappoint. As always, I am so enamoured by the gorgeous artistry of this book. The colour palette is just absolutely gorgeous.

Story wise, this book is amazing! I love how it introduces us to another "monster" [Swivel] and how they stitched up Swivel in the story.

It is absolutely brilliant how the story and the characters intertwined with one another.

The thing I love about this book the most is how awfully mesmerizing the transition between the panels are. It moves so gracefully that you don't even notice that the panels changed. You just flow as the story progresses.

I felt as though I am watching a scene from a horror movie. The genuine fear, shock, and excitement. All the tensions are felt in all the right places.

This book is bloody (literally) amazing!

[ButterPoached · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not really grabbed by the first volume in this series, but this one does a lot more world building and answers some questions whose absence was definitely felt in the earlier chapters. I was initially a little suspect at the way the story was treating mental health, but this book does a lot more to establish that the "super madness" of the first story is actually cosmic horror stuff from another dimension leaking out, rather than just having "crazy people" generating "spooky juice". I think I am warming up to Colder (har har).

[Bruno A. (La Orden de Hierro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

En este tomo encuentro cosas mejores que en el tomo anterior pero a su vez algunos aspectos que no lo son tanto. Nuevamente la historia me parece muy buena y el dibujo sigue estando increíble. El villano Swivel me parece fantástico y toda su personalidad siempre calmada pero a la vez malvada es uno de los mejores aspectos del tomo. El final por otro lado no me pareció tan bueno como en el anterior, y por eso le baje una estrella. Sin embargo, hasta acá creo que sigue siendo una lectura muy recomendable. Veremos qué nos depara en la última parte de la historia!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is harder than the first one.

Swivel is not as charming as Nimble Jack, and the fingers are a lot creepier. That's not just for his construction, but everywhere. It's hard. And you get so invested in Declan and Reece, who work great as a couple, but both the final page of this and the included short story make it seem that any good that can be found is always on a very shaky foundation.

Which I suppose is true, but it doesn't give you a warm feeling.

[Chad CG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I haven’t read the first one, so I knew I was missing some details but the book did a good job giving me everything I needed to still enjoy the read. I absolutely love the creepy creativity of the characters and their stories. Even before you consider the pictures, the ideas and themes are new, dark, and intriguing. The art work was amazing and really set in stone the horrors that were at play.

[Petr Nakasharal Fabián · Rating 3 out of 5]

V druhym volume se objeví záporák s originálním character designem ale zároveň je pro příběh naprosto zbytečnej. Teda slouží jen jako nejlacinější scénáristická berlička, kvůli který autor může (samoúčelně) ukazovat flashbacky hlavního hrdiny. Celej scénář se oproti prvnímu volume mnohem víc táhne a chvílema je vyloženě otravnej. Pořád to ovšem byla celkem zábava, která je naprosto zabitá stupidním a líným závěrem.

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The creepy dude in this one was extreme. A sinister guy with a very polite way of talking. Very charming until he cuts your fingers off! Declan and Reece are also back and building their relationship while trying to fight evil. Story line was great, artwork was awesome and the ending had me shrieking! Can't wait for the next volume!

[Edurne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una segunda parte que está a la altura de la primera, donde destacan el villano, las ilustraciones y la trama (pese a que algunas preguntas se quedan sin respuesta). Aquí podéis leer mi opinión, donde explico detalladamente los puntos negativos y positivos del cómic.