Colder #3

written by Paul Tobin
art by Juan Ferreyra

Insanity in Colder is more a supernatural phenomenon with symptoms familiar to psychological diagnoses than it is a medical condition.  It's a condition that gives access to other disturbing and dangerous worlds and makes one vulnerable to predators from those worlds.  And Declan had entirely underestimated the consequences of showing Reece the Hunger World.  The stress and sheer unreasonable-ness of it all has chipped away at her sanity, so that she's having difficulty distinguishing between what is and what is not real and losing faith in that distinction entirely.  It's also landed her soundly on Nimble Jack's radar.

After a failed attempt to flee in the real world, Declan forces Reece back into the Hunger World, where he gluts and confuses Nimble Jack by making others crazier.  Once again, Ferreyra's depiction of the Hunger World—in particular, Declan and Reece's transition into it through a kind of rotating mirror—is darkly compelling.  It's a nightmarish and decaying world, now filled with grotesque monsters.

The highlight of Colder #3, however, is Declan and Reece's conversation on the park bench.  In the unusual situation of having spent the last five years living together with Declan in a feigned catatonic state, Declan and Reece are beginning to realize the surprisingly deep feelings they have for one another.  Even sexual.  After all, she did choose to read Anaïs Nin to him.  But Declan is reluctant to admit his feelings for Reece to her, though he is more open with the delightfully witty crêpe vendor.  Despite her warmness toward Declan and her seemingly surprised pleasure at his kiss on the forehead, Declan's got a lot to make up for, including dragging her into his dangerous world.  And Reece isn't shy about letting him know it, as the vendor notices:  "You cheat on her or something?  Because that was a 'Sorry I slept with your sister' level slap" (Colder #3: 15).

By the end, Declan's confronted with his own crimes, particularly making others in the Hunger World crazier to facilitate his escape.  They find him.  To his credit, he recognizes his need to fix what he has broken, which he seems uniquely capable of doing, but it takes a toll on his body, and he needs to warm up before he can do so.  Unfortunately for him, Reece is kidnapped before he is able to.