Exclusive: Boom! Box to Release Cab’s English-Language Graphic Novel Debut, Nuclear Winter

Rogues Portal has the scoop on the exciting upcoming graphic novel from Cab called Nuclear Winter. Nuclear Winter is the English-language debut from cartoonist Cab who’s strong and stunning illustration style will not doubt look absolutely incredible in this English printing (you can see a preview of the French printing of the book over on Cab’s web site).

Fromn the press release (which you can read in full below), Nuclear Winter is about “a young woman just trying to survive her twenties in Montreal—albeit a Montreal that’s been plunged into an eternal winter with radioactive snow, thanks to an accident at the local nuclear power plant that occurred nine years ago. Life goes on for folks like Flavie Beaumont, a mail courier on snowmobile who’s carved out a pretty normal life for herself despite mutant rivals, eclectic urban wildlife, and unrelenting meteorological events.”

Let me tell you that I am incredibly excited to get my hands on a copy of this book ASAP. I had a chance to ask Cab a few questions regarding Nuclear Winter and you can check out Cab’s answers:

This is such a fun premise, especially as a fellow Canadian who knows these woes from so many friends in Montreal. How did the idea for this develop into something you knew you wanted to turn into a full-length graphic novel?

Cab: The premise of a perpetual, radioactive winter came pretty quickly; what took the most time was finding the angle. It then dawned on me that no one here is ever really ready for winter and when it does get here, everyone just kind of… waits it out. And complains! That’s what I wanted to show, a cast of characters that each have a different relationship with winter, as well as totally different lifestyles. When I found my two wildly different protagonists, I knew that it was their point of view on winter that I wanted to show. The science-fiction, nuclear apocalypse part was just a backdrop.

What’s your favourite real-life story about a winter in Montreal?

Cab: Weirdly enough, I really like snow-removal operations! Most people here don’t stop to think about it but the logistics of actually taking snow away is insane. As a kid, I would rush to the window each time the snow-blowers would pass in front of our house. And I still do! But other than that, winter is really beautiful, from an aesthetic point of view, and I keep being amazed by the light and colors. And fresh snow smells really good… !

Besides stuff like The Simpsons, is there anything else that helped give you inspiration within Nuclear Winter or that helped you design the look of the story?

Cab: My favorite character in The Simpsons was the power plant! But besides that, I think I just drew inspiration from a bunch of stuff. Scott Pilgrim taught me it was okay to have sci-fi or out of the ordinary elements in an everyday setting. I really liked how Bryan Lee O’Malley celebrated Toronto in his work. I’m also a huge animation fan and I drew inspiration from Adventure Time for the backgrounds and Steven Universe for the color palette and chubby, rounded characters over time. For the rest, I just draw my city as I see it, with all its flaws, crooked outdoor balconies, spiral staircases and all!

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE:
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (December 1, 2017) – BOOM! Studios is excited to announce the first volume of NUCLEAR WINTER, a humorous, slice-of-life original graphic novel (OGN) coming May 2018 about a young woman just trying to survive her twenties in Montreal—albeit a Montreal that’s been plunged into an eternal winter with radioactive snow, thanks to an accident at the local nuclear power plant that occurred nine years ago. Life goes on for folks like Flavie Beaumont, a mail courier on snowmobile who’s carved out a pretty normal life for herself despite mutant rivals, eclectic urban wildlife, and unrelenting meteorological events.

“I’ve always loved the more cartoony spin on nuclear energy, be it the Simpsons power plant, glowing radioactive ooze, or anything marked with the radiation sign,” says the creator, cartoonist Cab. “But beyond the humorous sci-fi aspect of the story, I wanted to show the love-hate relationship Montrealers have with their winter. Most people who hear the premise of a never-ending winter get weak in the knees at the thought!

“In the end, it’s all about a slightly off version of where I live—with an extra few feet of snow and a few glowing clouds!”

NUCLEAR WINTER Volume One is the latest OGN release from BOOM! Studios’ critically acclaimed BOOM! Box imprint, home to popular original series such as Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen, and Noelle Stevenson; Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin; The Backstagers by James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh; SLAM! by Pamela Ribon and Veronica Fish; and Goldie Vance by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams.

“I’m a massive fan of Canadian cartoonists, and Cab’s work on NUCLEAR WINTER is gorgeous, engaging, and entertaining, with plenty of regional charm and character, along with a healthy helping of pure joy,” said Shannon Watters, Editor, BOOM! Studios.

Print copies of the English-language debut of NUCLEAR WINTER Volume One will be available for sale May 2018 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one); booksellers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million; or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

For continuing news on NUCLEAR WINTER and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.