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aprilmarie's review
4.0
3.5 - 4 stars.
A post-apocalyptic take about a world decimated by a second Ice Age. The survivors are now fighting to stay warm while trying to avoid a disease called Frostbite. If contracted you will basically freeze from the inside out. It’s painful, contagious and incurable. Well, there maybe a cure.
What I liked ... Keaton. She’s a transporter/smuggler who has been hired to take a couple of scientists from Mexico City to San Francisco. She is the main protagonist, maybe. She’s pretty much an anti-hero. Super messy, but you can’t help but root for her.
I like Williamson’s approach. Not a new idea but told well and with style. Downside, a few loose ends would like a vol. 2 to finish this off.
A post-apocalyptic take about a world decimated by a second Ice Age. The survivors are now fighting to stay warm while trying to avoid a disease called Frostbite. If contracted you will basically freeze from the inside out. It’s painful, contagious and incurable. Well, there maybe a cure.
What I liked ... Keaton. She’s a transporter/smuggler who has been hired to take a couple of scientists from Mexico City to San Francisco. She is the main protagonist, maybe. She’s pretty much an anti-hero. Super messy, but you can’t help but root for her.
I like Williamson’s approach. Not a new idea but told well and with style. Downside, a few loose ends would like a vol. 2 to finish this off.
villyidol's review
3.0
Welcome to the new Ice Age!
Some scientists fucked up big time and now we’ve got winter all year. For fifty-seven years now, to be precise.
On top of that there’s a serious disease spreading, which is called Frostbite. It freezes people from the inside out until you can basically smash them into little icy pieces.
Dr. Henry Bonham and his daughter Victoria, though, have found a cure for Frostbite and are now looking for a ride from New Mexico to a secret government installation on Alcatraz. Enter Keaton, our main character, who’s captain of the cargo hauler Icebreaker, could use the pay, and wants out of New Mexico anyway.
Of course there are other people interested in what the Bonhams have found. And pretty quickly this turns into Mad Max on ice, as our heroes are chased by several criminals and, frankly, freaks.
This was my second Joshua Williamson comic in as many days. And also the second that borrows heavily from popular movies. But I liked [b: Nailbiter|27028655|Nailbiter, Vol. 1 There Will Be Blood|Joshua Williamson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1444384105l/27028655._SY75_.jpg|41765489] quite a bit better than this one.
I mean, the setting is kinda cool (heh) and there’s lots of good action here. But the characters and the story left me a bit cold (okay, I’ll stop this now).
Bottom line: Good, but not great.
Some scientists fucked up big time and now we’ve got winter all year. For fifty-seven years now, to be precise.
On top of that there’s a serious disease spreading, which is called Frostbite. It freezes people from the inside out until you can basically smash them into little icy pieces.
Dr. Henry Bonham and his daughter Victoria, though, have found a cure for Frostbite and are now looking for a ride from New Mexico to a secret government installation on Alcatraz. Enter Keaton, our main character, who’s captain of the cargo hauler Icebreaker, could use the pay, and wants out of New Mexico anyway.
Of course there are other people interested in what the Bonhams have found. And pretty quickly this turns into Mad Max on ice, as our heroes are chased by several criminals and, frankly, freaks.
This was my second Joshua Williamson comic in as many days. And also the second that borrows heavily from popular movies. But I liked [b: Nailbiter|27028655|Nailbiter, Vol. 1 There Will Be Blood|Joshua Williamson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1444384105l/27028655._SY75_.jpg|41765489] quite a bit better than this one.
I mean, the setting is kinda cool (heh) and there’s lots of good action here. But the characters and the story left me a bit cold (okay, I’ll stop this now).
Bottom line: Good, but not great.
alexauthorshay's review
4.0
I have to say this comic wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it was a first volume, and the way it ended definitely hinted at material for another volume, but apparently it's a standalone. The art style is a bit eh for me; I've been reading a lot of traced-photograph type art graphic novels lately and it's really not my thing. But this one at least had more color than the previous ones I've read so things weren't quite as hard to distinguish. Interesting concept and execution of it through the storyline, though looking back on it I don't know that anything would be considered unexpected; it's pretty much exactly the surprises/cliches you would expect in a movie. Very big setup just to be rushed and end ambiguously, which I'm also not a fan of, but that just comes down to personal preference.
carriegessner's review
4.0
The dialogue's stilted at times, and the world-building felt a little thin, but Keaton makes an intriguing protagonist, and the story and the relationship between Keaton and Vic are compelling.
loop's review
4.0
A solid post-apocalyptic road trip tale.
Very good world-building within the short timeframe of a graphic novel. Williamson touched on all the necessary tropes but never dwelled long enough to wear them out. The characters felt real and were well developed given the constraint of 6 issues, and the ending wrapped everything up nicely with no loose ends, possibly even setting up a sequel (though the story provides closure if this is to be a standalone graphic novel).
The pencils by Jason Shaw Alexander are incredible. He did a great job designing all the characters and the cities, and he somehow nailed the impossible task of making a frozen tundra look amazing. His style reminds me a lot of Alex Maleev and Michael Gaydos, which is one of the biggest compliments I can give an artist.
Of course, this wouldn't work as well as it does if it weren't for colorist Luis NCT. Using a very small palette of whites, blues, and reds, he gives the world of Frostbite the cold and brutal atmosphere it demands. What really stood out to me about Luis was his use of reds, which he uses almost exclusively to depict warm, comfortable places; or death and destruction. Given the mechanics of the frostbite disease (that I don't wanna spoil here), this attention to detail and symbolism is very well thought out.
Overall a very good graphic novel that only falls short of a 5 star rating due to the lack of originality.
Very good world-building within the short timeframe of a graphic novel. Williamson touched on all the necessary tropes but never dwelled long enough to wear them out. The characters felt real and were well developed given the constraint of 6 issues, and the ending wrapped everything up nicely with no loose ends, possibly even setting up a sequel (though the story provides closure if this is to be a standalone graphic novel).
The pencils by Jason Shaw Alexander are incredible. He did a great job designing all the characters and the cities, and he somehow nailed the impossible task of making a frozen tundra look amazing. His style reminds me a lot of Alex Maleev and Michael Gaydos, which is one of the biggest compliments I can give an artist.
Of course, this wouldn't work as well as it does if it weren't for colorist Luis NCT. Using a very small palette of whites, blues, and reds, he gives the world of Frostbite the cold and brutal atmosphere it demands. What really stood out to me about Luis was his use of reds, which he uses almost exclusively to depict warm, comfortable places; or death and destruction. Given the mechanics of the frostbite disease (that I don't wanna spoil here), this attention to detail and symbolism is very well thought out.
Overall a very good graphic novel that only falls short of a 5 star rating due to the lack of originality.
lilyn_g's review
5.0
I loved this. Holy crap. I loved this so much! The cover art of Frostbite caught my attention – reminded me strongly of one of my favorite sci-fi women – and so I grabbed it while I had a coffee at the local Barnes & Noble. I knew I wasn’t going to buy it, but I’m a quick enough reader that getting through a volume like this in the time it takes me to drink a cup of coffee is fairly easy. So, even if it was a dud, I was good. It wasn’t a dud. It was freaking awesome!
The resemblance to Zoe from Firefly doesn’t just end with the outfit and (apparent) race of the main character. Keaton is firm, but kind. She makes a decision and follows through on it. She might regret her actions later, but she does what she feels needs to be done at that moment. This means she succeeds where others fail. It also means a lot of people would gladly see her dead. In comparison, though Victoria is strong in her own right, she seems to pale in comparison. Still, there were moments when I rooted for her as well.
Jason Shawn Alexander did an amazing job here. While I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the stuff I’ve seen from his past, I definitely enjoyed his work in Frostbite. It wasn’t amazingly detailed,but everything was communicated, and it was a pleasure to look at. I don’t know exactly what was different, but this just felt more ‘real’ and clean to me. His drawings were only enhanced by colorist Luis Nct’s work. Luis didn’t use a lot colors, let alone bold ones, and yet he still managed to perfectly set each scene.
While I’m sure the set-up for Frostbite is not unique (I’ve seen similar scenarios many times in regular novels), I still enjoyed it immensely. I was completely immersed in Frostbite from the first page to the last. There was at least one scene where I muttered a rather crude word under my breath, and another where I remember drawing a quick breath in surprise.
I can’t wait for the next volume of Frostbite to come out. I’ll definitely be having a coffee and mooching another read from the local bookstore!
The resemblance to Zoe from Firefly doesn’t just end with the outfit and (apparent) race of the main character. Keaton is firm, but kind. She makes a decision and follows through on it. She might regret her actions later, but she does what she feels needs to be done at that moment. This means she succeeds where others fail. It also means a lot of people would gladly see her dead. In comparison, though Victoria is strong in her own right, she seems to pale in comparison. Still, there were moments when I rooted for her as well.
Jason Shawn Alexander did an amazing job here. While I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the stuff I’ve seen from his past, I definitely enjoyed his work in Frostbite. It wasn’t amazingly detailed,but everything was communicated, and it was a pleasure to look at. I don’t know exactly what was different, but this just felt more ‘real’ and clean to me. His drawings were only enhanced by colorist Luis Nct’s work. Luis didn’t use a lot colors, let alone bold ones, and yet he still managed to perfectly set each scene.
While I’m sure the set-up for Frostbite is not unique (I’ve seen similar scenarios many times in regular novels), I still enjoyed it immensely. I was completely immersed in Frostbite from the first page to the last. There was at least one scene where I muttered a rather crude word under my breath, and another where I remember drawing a quick breath in surprise.
I can’t wait for the next volume of Frostbite to come out. I’ll definitely be having a coffee and mooching another read from the local bookstore!
bookwyrmknits's review
4.0
Neat concept and execution, and sometimes the art fits perfectly with the theme. It can be a bit gory, so if that's not your thing you might want to avoid this one. I enjoyed the writing in it, though, and the violence fits in with the dystopian future setting.
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