Writer: Gerry Conway

Artist: Mike Perkins

Color Artist: Andy Troy

Carnage returns in the All-New, All-Different Marvel universe. After reading the preview for this title and being a fan of the character, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this first issue. The last time we saw Cletus Kasady, he was being hauled off to Ryker’s island before the start of Secret Wars but after finding out Manuela Calderon survived his first mass murder at St. Ester’s School for Boys he heads out to put an end to Manuela’s life once and for all. 

This issue was better than I expected. The story is simple, the government is using the story as a ploy to get him to come to an old mining area to trap him there but you know not everything goes according to plan. They even call in astronaut Colonel John Jameson for help. Conway does a fantastic job on Cletus Kasady, as he is still the sadistic character he has always been. We also get the return of Eddie Brock, who has been Toxin for awhile now. When I was reading Carnage, it seemed like Eddie Brock may not be all there. The dialogue was good and the detailing of both plans work for the story. We even learn why Manuela was even a target of Kasady. Carnage doesn’t appear a lot in the issue, but the set up pays off for what’s coming next issue. There’s not a lot wrong with the story unless you don’t like Carnage. Also, Brock brings up something about Venom, that makes me wonder where the story is taking place.

Mike Perkins is on art duties for this title and I love it. From the facial expressions of Kasady when hears that Manuela survived and turns into Carnage. He makes Carnage look even more deadly with his tendrils extruding from his body and taking his enemies down effortlessly. When Carnage gets to Calderon, the fight is brief and Perkins makes it look good. He shows how dangerous Carnage can be, but at the same time, highlighting Calderon’s evasiveness. Other characters are translated effectively like Brock and John Jameson, especially giving Brock a creepy smile in one panel. Perkins does a great job on making panels flow together, but the art tends to go down as characters don’t always look detailed in certain scenarios. The environment in each panel are established well,  going along with the mining area. I enjoyed the colors Andy Troy used here. Colors flow with Perkins artwork, going from dawn until daybreak. With that, he can identify which colors work best in each situation and panel. It also looks like Carnage has a darker color shade of red applied to him and it look phenomenal.  

Overall, Carnage #1 was a fantastic first issue and can’t wait for the next issue to come out. The story was clearly defined along with the art and colors enhance the story itself. The characters are interesting, especially the return of Eddie Brock. Since he didn’t get into combat this issue, I can’t wait to see him get unleashed against Carnage. If you’re a fan of Carnage like this guy, pick this title up and give it a try.

4 Eddie Brock Smile’s out of 5