At the end of my last review, I wrote “one more issue left” and made a comment that this wasn’t one of Cullen Bunn’s world-building efforts . . . I spoke to soon. Cold Spots #5 is a really nice way to wrap up this limited series before things get worse in what appears will be a much longer and more involved story.

An absent father, Dan, was hired by his wealthy father-in-law to track down Dan’s ex-wife Alyssa who took their daughter Grace with her. What starts out as a sort of film noir blazes down a darker trail altogether. Dan quickly follows a series of clues to a secluded island with a Victorian mansion built right in the middle, where Alyssa is harboring Grace under the protection of some very eccentric characters – some very dangerous characters. Dan finds himself in over his head as he stumbles into a world full of undead beings that freeze you with a single touch. How all of these characters are drawn into this scenario, I’ll let you figure out.

While I became a little impatient at times with this five-part series, as an introduction to a much larger universe and story, it sets up a hell of a scenario that I’ll want to follow. As much as the world-building aspect is one of Cullen Bunn’s strongest tools as a writer, which gives this story lift, Mark Torres’ artwork really grew on me over the short run. The colors and textures are otherworldly; choosing a palette to work with that’s unnatural does have an effect on the reader the deeper we follow Dan into this mystery. Despite my minor complaints, this is a mystery worth following. These are characters that I want to know better, and this is a world I now want to spend more time in. Soon, I’ll be able to.

Creative Team: Cullen Bunn (creator, story), Mark Torres (creator, art, design), Simon Bowland (letters)
Publisher: Image Comics
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