The Coldest Winter: Atomic Blonde Prequel Edition

I just saw Atomic Blonde and loved it. Looked into getting the graphic novel when I got home and was pleased to discover that not only was it available in a Kindle edition, but they had this book as well which was a prequel to the Atomic Blonde book. Excellent book, although it's a comic so it's not too long. Very suspenseful with a lot of twists and turns. Can't wait to read the Atomic Blonde book and compare it to the movie.

The Coldest Winter is a prequel beginning eight years prior to The Coldest City with a previous supporting character, David Perceval, taking center stage in this new tale. Perceval is a young up-and-coming MI6 agent looking to make his name in one of the most sought after postings during the Cold War - Berlin. He’s tasked with spiriting a defecting Russian scientist out of the city and back to Britain during a severe winter storm.From the opening pages you immediately can tell you're in good hands with Johnston. We start with a peek at the future before jumping back several weeks and see the story tick down to that opening moment as the tension rises. Fans of John le Carré, Len Deighton and Adam Hall will appreciate how all the pieces of this classic espionage tale click into place. In particular, Perceval emerges as a spy you can root for and will have you digging out your copy of The Coldest City to re-read to see the rest of his story.We’ve seen this type of tale in film and books before, but not in this format. Although Johnston isn’t necessarily breaking new ground in the end it doesn't matter. This plot is a classic for a reason and if the story is done as well as this one, it is worth telling again.Steven Perkins's art is outstanding and a perfect match for this story. He makes wonderful use of negative space and his black and white drawings excel in the outdoor snowy scenes. I guarantee you'll be feeling chilly by the time you're done reading. The standout is a thrilling, mostly wordless, car chase in the slick, snow covered Berlin streets. It has just the right combination of energy and tension needed to convey that type of action via images.This GN is very much worth picking up.

Bought this to finish up the set, having previously purchased "The Coldest City" and loving the movie Atomic Blonde. Was surprised that I enjoyed Atomic Blonde considerably more than its source material. This is NOT like the movie. The book(s) have less character development, and very subtle use of color--black, white, grey scale, and that wintery blue. This makes it difficult sometimes to tell the characters apart--one man with a mustache in a trilby looking quite a bit like another man with a mustache in a trilby. Things I liked: Quite a feel for the chilliness of Berlin at the time; some decent plot; sets up The Coldest City; good pricepoint for the value. But unless you're in the mood for stark scenes, slow-ish pacing, monochrome coloring, and a short read, do yourself a favor--skip the graphic novels and go straight to the movie.

The story is okay, simple but at the same time a bit convoluted. The b/w drawings are really good, also simple which gives the reader a cold stark mysterious Berlin feel.

I enjoy reading graphic novels and just finished this 183 page (The Coldest Winter by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Steven Perkins) hardcover book and found it to be an okay and fair read at best.This is a spy tale taking place in a vicious winter storm in Berlin. All the illustrations are in black and white, which added to this dark espionage story. I never give away too much information when reviewing a novel. If you are interested in dark black and white illustrated graphic novels by Antony Johnston and Steven Perkins you many want to check out this volume.I personally found this book to be a fair read but at times boring.Rating: 3 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Seated Zen Karate for seniors and the physically challenged).

I saw the movie and really enjoyed it, I wanted to read this title because of the movie and growing up during the cold war.

Compared to the movie, it lacks motion and thrill. Surely that's not something to hold against a picture book versus a cinema work, so let me explain: it is actually boring, and less nuanced in its characterization. In artistic terms it is a series of unremarkable black-and-white tableaux of stone-faced middle-aged white men, and in writing terms it assumes a narrative tension it doesn't earn. It would like you to care a lot. It is bad at helping you do that.I wanted to care, really I did. It was very hard to care enough to finish, and after I had finished I put it down and didn't care to pick it up again or reflect on the story. It failed to thrill. It Failed to amuse. It was a decent account of Cold War spycraft, which isn't nothing, but...frankly wish I hadn't bothered.

I guess it's my own fault for not paying closer attention to the description. I thought I was getting a novel, not a picture book. I'm too old to read picture books, so off to the bookshelf it goes.

I thouroughly enjoyed The Tempus Project and the Exphora Code and went looking for further work by the same author. I bought The Coldest Winter because I assumed it was a book to be read in th same way as the others. It was not. In effect it is a comic. This is not a criticism of the work, no doubt there will be some who will thoroughly ejnoy the format but it is not one that I can comfortably read. So from my point of view it was a waste of money.

Didn’t come to this expecting Charlize Theron so not disappointed. Drawn in an arresting and very effective black and white style, this might easily have been a John le Carré short story rather than a comic. Definitely looking for more from the author who has a few novels out, I believe.

Loved the style of this prequel to The Coldest City. If you aren't used to reading graphic novels you might not take to the style but I enjoyed this. It's about setting the tone and mood with the illustrations. Hey compliment the story and era.

Gresat story and pictures would recomend this and the second

I loved the story, although the original was more interesting.