This past spring, writer Francesca Perillo and artist Stefano Cardoselli joined forces for Love Me: A Romance Story. In a future where robots have assumed mankind’s least celebrated jobs, JoJo the taxi-driving robot falls in love with a human tangled up with the mafia. Not yet done till deeply human stories set in some bizarre future, the pair have reunited for Long Cold Winter.
Rounded out by colorist Lorenzo Scaramella and letterer Buddy Beaudoin, Long Cold Winter is set on a future Earth where the air’s entirely unbreathable. Lucky for the citizens, though, the conglomerate Air Co. has built “generators that provide oxygen for those who can afford it,” which has helped foster a system where folks like our lead, the ex-soldier Peace Dog, will “do anything to obtain breathable air.” But when he finds a mysterious young boy in need of help, Peace Dog will embark on a desperate escape out of the city toward a brighter future — if he can escape Air Co.’s clutches, of course.
If you’ve read Love Me, then Long Cold Winter captures the same kind of benchmarks: post-dystopian vibes; an edgy-meets-deeply-human take on robotics and future tech; a direct but still massively resonant storyline; and plenty of action to boot. In short, Long Cold Winter is a singular vision of the future, and one where humanity is at its most desperate and heinous and still capable of great love and goodness. So come for the robots with giant swords, but stay for the heart of it all.
Ahead of Long Cold Winter #1 dropping this week (December 4) from Mad Cave Studios, both Perillo and Cardoselli were kind enough to field some questions recently via email. That includes their collaborative process, the power of knight-errant tales, the scope and focus of the core story, and the influence of spaghetti westerns.
Variant cover by Marc Aspinall. Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios.
AIPT: Where did the idea for Long Cold Winter come from?
Francesca Perillo: I grew up with my grandparents, who were farmers. Since I was a child I was lucky enough to run through the fields, climb trees, and see how plants are grown. The idea of Long Cold Winter was born right there: from the simple gestures of my grandparents who always worked hard respecting nature and its cycles. Winter is a season that is apparently of little importance in agriculture but it plays a fundamental role in the success of crops in the following season. Thus, a ‘long cold winter’ is necessary to open the way for a different future.
AIPT: One thing I love is that the story gets right to the action and the meat and potatoes of it all. Why was that important?
FP: Stefano and I liked the idea of telling a story without too many turns of words, dry and with a lot of action. This led us to study a few characters but with clear identities. It was interesting to create the backgrounds for each of them. I stressed to Stefano a lot to try to best represent the characters, with specific accessories and clothing. I really like the villain of the story that readers will meet in the second issue.
AIPT: What was it like to reunite after Love Me: A Romance Story? Why do you two work so well together?
FP: Stefano and I live together :D I am very lucky to be able to talk to him about work often, during the day. We usually start breakfast with a nice cup of coffee! It is not always easy to find the right compromise between idea and graphic realization but we like challenges, we love our work and here we are.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios.
Stefano Cardoselli: It is the first time I have lived with a screenwriter. This can be stimulating but sometimes complex, we both have strong personalities so we can clash but in the end, we always find the key to creating the best. Or at least I hope so! What do readers say?
AIPT: Building off that last question, are there any similarities or connections between Long Cold Winter and Love Me: A Romance Story?
FP: The two stories are absolutely connected. They both belong to the same universe. Long Cold Winter is set more or less 50 years after Love Me: A Romance Story, in a future where the air is no longer breathable. Don’t Spit in the Wind is the final chapter of the quadrilogy we thought of. In fact, I’m working on the screenplay for the prequel to Love Me: A Romance Story again with Mad Cave Studios.
AIPT: Francesca, you said that “we live overwhelmed by technology and progress and I believe it is necessary to return to taking care of ourselves and our relationship with the environment.” Can you expand on that — how do sci-fi stories help us to better engage with our world?
FP: I use science fiction to tell stories that induce reflection. Since I was a child, the science fiction films that my father and brother showed me, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey by [Stanley] Kubrick or Dune by [David] Lynch, The Thing by [John] Carpenter, and Blade Runner by [Ridley] Scott, put me in the position of asking myself questions. Science fiction allows us to look at themes that are far from contemporary times. In reality, this is just an illusion. With science fiction, everything becomes tangible and suddenly we can no longer bluff ourselves. Peace Dog and The Kid live on Earth with unbreathable air. We know the problem, too.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios.
AIPT: Stefano, you mentioned being inspired by spaghetti westerns and Sergio Leone films. Can you talk about what specifically inspired you about these movies/approach?
SC: I am a great lover of Sergio Leone’s cinema and spaghetti westerns. This story was perfect for building settings with large open spaces and endless deserts that recall the long shots of the ’60s and ’70s cinema. The close-ups allowed me to play with details and particulars. I really enjoyed it!
AIPT: I love stories like this, which feel like knight-errant tales. Why is this format or approach so interesting or compelling to read?
FP: Maybe because each of us can easily identify with one of the characters, whether human or robot. We are all engaged in a journey during life, be it of research, redemption, or hope.
AIPT: Can you tease some other highlights from the rest of the story/adventure? Do you have a favorite page or scene you can discuss?
FP: It’s very difficult to talk about the story without spoilers. I can say that at a certain point in the story, the main character, Peace Dog, finds himself having to deal with his past through a very particular knowledge that readers will discover during the series.
Courtesy of Mad Cave Studios.
AIPT: Between The Kid and Peace Dog, is there one character that feels more interesting or that you resonate with more personally?
FP: Great question! Difficult to answer. Starting from the assumption that the characters are very different in personality, with different goals and objectives to achieve, I feel I have a lot in common with both. The Kid, however, is the one I identify with the most.
AIPT: Is there anything else we should know about Long Cold Winter, sci-fi, comics, art, the future, life, etc.?
FP: I enjoy writing stories and I hope I still have many to tell; I don’t think I can do without it anymore, writing has become a necessity. There are new projects that Stefano and I are working on. I hope readers like them. Fingers crossed!
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