Vertigo: Winter's Edge #2

I miss the Winter's Edge anthologies.  They were a nice place for writers to tighten their writing with short stories and it was a nice place for readers to get exposed to series they may not be reading at the time.  It is a shame North American readers, who drive the comic market, don't like anthologies.  It is the anthology that helps create the skills many celebrated writers have, such as Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison.  If the Anthology was successful, then may be Winter's Edge would still be around today.   
 
This anthology was not as well written as the one before it.  Was not sure if it was rushed because of a last minute idea to continue the Winter's Edge or was the package just not as tightly written.  It is still a great overall read.
 

The Minx - "Stories"

This is the framing story of the issue and here is where my problem with the series starts.  As a stand alone story I am sure I would of liked it more, but it felt like it was a stand alone that was chopped up to frame the issue, not a framing story written to frame the the stories.  When the framing story works we have great anthologies like the 2008 House of Mystery and the Winter's Edge before this one.  
 
As a Minx story is was an good crime tale. Full of violence, betrayal and even a bit of magic.  It is sad the Minx did not take off, this series I am sure had potential. 

Death - A Winter's Tale

A symbolic  Winter story where Death is like the seasons.  Winter takes away life so Spring can start new. 

Transmetropolitan - Edgy Winter

Spider Jerusalem, or Warren Ellis' Hunter S. Thompson for all you fear and Loathing fans, is just great.  Set in a future where Aliens and Humans are not strangers to each other.  This short story is a nice was to get exposed to the writing that Ellis set in his opus of Transmetropolitan. Spider is a gonzo-journalist who seeks the truth.  If you haven't read Transmet, this is a nice way to brace for it.
 

The Sandman Mystery Theatre - In The City of Dreams

Loved this story.  I miss the Sandman Mystery Theatre. This story is very cleaver, Steven T. Seagle creates a tale in a tale, in which is cased by Wesley Dodd's Dream Dust.  I don't really see any holiday connection in this one beside some Christmas trees. The Sandman Mystery Theatre is one of the best noir series released in comics and this short is a good example of it.
 

The Books of Magic - We Three Thing

Writer Peter Gross really understood the Vertigo universe.  Writer and artist on many of the Books of Magic issues, as well as one of the prime artist in Lucifer.  This story of Tim Hunter is a coming of age story.  A story were Tim is learning about his own limitations as the greatest mage of his time.  The John Constantine reference did help me enjoy this story more, not because John is my favorite comic book character, but because Peter Gross understood the Vertigo universe enough to work the comment in so smoothly.
 

Scene if the Crime - God and Sinners

Scene of the Crime is one of the many Brubaker series I wish he extended.  Not sure why he limited this universe to two one mini series and two shorts, but it is missed.  Ed Brubaker is one of the better police procedural writers.  In Scene of the crime he breaks down things like stake outs and the business within SCI.
 

The Invisibles - Paper dolls : King Mob and Lord Fanny

Adding to the Hypersigil of The Invisibles, this simple idea of paper dolls ripples genius to what The Invisibles represent.  If you have never read the Invisibles these four pages will be very odd.  To sum up what they are a symbol of, they are a symbol of control and identity.
 

Nevada - New Year's Demolition

Nevada is one of those forgotten Vertigo series.  It is not a must since the universe will likely never be revisited, but it was a nice universe on its own right.  Nevada was a series that explored morals and who better to do that then a Vegas Showgirl?
 

The Dreaming - Marble Halls

This story is an end of an era story.  Very sad if you know the universe and meh, if you don't. 
 

Hellblazer - All those little girls and boys

I am a minority with Ennis, I like the guy a lot, but I like him more without the Preacher formula.  I am pretty sure this was the last time Ennis ever revisited John Constantine.  This is another story where John remembers who he had screwed in the past and this leads him back to remembering Kit Ryan, the girl who got away.  This is not really a Winter story, just a story about how life can be so cold.  Peter Milligan revisited the idea of John Constantine one day settling down, an idea that Ennis left us hanging with.  I wonder if Ennis never returned to Hellblazer because Kit could of been the one who got away in his life?  
 
In retrospective, this is a great story for fans of Hellblazer, since John thinks of long lost and dead friends. This story does fail to bring in new fans to Hellblazer, because I know I won't care to jump in if I wasn't reading Hellblazer after reading this.
 

Paul Pope "Heavy Liquid Interview"

Paul Pope is great.  This is a good interview to help introduce Paul Pope.  It didn't help help want to read Heavy Liquid when I read this years ago, but I was dumb back then and didn't know any better.

Verdict

Not as strong as the issue before, but an overall good anthology.  The things that hurt it was a framing structure that does keep people entertained, but it does not set up the stories well.  The Framing story in issue one was much stronger.  Another weakness this anthology had was some of the stories didn't have a winter or holiday feel to them.
 
Overall I don't regret keeping this comic and would recommend it to anyone who want to dig deeper into Vertigo.
Cheers and have a Happy Holidays 
- Silkcuts