winter world

Chuck Dixon (Author), Jorge Zaffino

(Illustrator), IDW Publishing (Publisher)

> Review by JOE TELL

Winterworld is a frozen, sci-fi thriller that was initially released in the late 80s. Jorge Zaffino’s art is stunning, creating expressions with movie-like detail and precision. IDW compiles this masterpiece along with the never-before-published sequel, WinterSea, for the first time. Winterworld is full of seedy characters that are willing to do anything to survive on a world that has been frozen in a new ice age. The main character, Scully, is a good guy under his tough-as-nails exterior. Scully immediately reminded me of Robert Redford upon first glance. The desperate new way of life is violently demonstrated by a life and death struggle between Scully and an unruly band of traders that look like frozen zombies. Scully’s life is saved by his pet wolverine, Rahrah, and a young girl named Wynn. The new threesome become slaves and they are marched into a heated baseball stadium called The Farm. An army of armed men have converted the ballpark into a hidden paradise full of fresh fruit and vegetables. The men enslave any outside of their domain into a life of slavery to work the huge farm. Scully’s nomadic life has found new purpose as he focuses on rescuing his friend, Gwynn, from The Farm. After siding with the warlord Bigbite, a chief that looks like Prince Vultan from Flash Gordon, Scully plans a raid of The Farm with Bigbite and his men. Scully reunites with Wynn and they manage to escape the melee as the epic battle for The Farm begins. WinterSea proves to be well worth the wait, as the story closes in the same brutal and suspenseful style as the original series.