“A world of heavy shadow and blurred motivation, filled with doubt,
cruelty, and prejudice... Johnston and Hart have turned out a
superlative
spy thriller.”
Greg Rucka
“Can take its place alongside Funeral in Berlin, Absolute Friends and Zoo Station in the file marked ‘classic Berlin espionage fiction.’
A cracking thriller.”
The Deighton Dossier
Berlin.
November 1989.
Communism is collapsing, and soon both East and West will tear down the Berlin Wall.
But there is one last situation for MI6, Britain's intelligence service, to resolve. Two weeks ago, an undercover MI6 officer was killed in Berlin. He was carrying information from a source in the East — a list that contains the name and details of every espionage officer in the city, on all sides.
But no list was found on his body.
MI6 sent Lorraine Broughton, an experienced spy with no ties to Berlin, to recover the list. But Lorraine walked into a powderkeg of social unrest, counter-espionage, defections gone bad, and secret assassinations. Then, on the night the Berlin Wall fell, her superior — MI6's senior officer in the city — was shot dead in the street.
Now Lorraine has returned to London to tell her story. And nothing is what it seems.
“I want that list, Broughton. I don't care how you get it, who you upset, or where it takes you. Bring it home.”
The Coldest City
is the first in a new series of spy thriller graphic novels from Antony Johnston, revitalizing classic espionage fiction and following in the footsteps of authors like John Le Carré, Len Deighton, and Ian Mackintosh.
Set in Berlin during the last days before the Wall came down, The Coldest City revels in the paranoia, mistrust and corruption boiling over at the epicenter of the Cold War — where loyalty is the first casualty of survival, and honor is a rare luxury.
The Author
ANTONY JOHNSTON is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of comics, graphic novels, video games and books, with titles including Wasteland, Daredevil, Dead Space, and Julius. He has adapted books by bestselling novelist Anthony Horowitz, collaborated with comics legend Alan Moore, and reinvented Marvel's flagship character Wolverine for manga. His titles have been translated throughout the world and optioned for film. He lives and works in England.
“Berlin is a powderkeg. Bloody Gorbachev and his glasnost nonsense has us all running around like blue-arsed flies.”
The Artist
SAM HART was born in the UK, and now lives and works in Brazil. His work in comics and graphic novels includes iconic titles like Starship Troopers, Judge Dredd, Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood and Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur. He also illustrates for newspapers and magazines, and creates storyboards for advertising. He enjoys historical fiction and myths.
Read a sample
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“Some of them are saying there'll be no more secrets, from now on. But you and I both know that's not true.”
Press Contact
For review copies, ARCs, publicity and other enquries, contact Cory Casoni at Oni Press.
