Carbon Grey #1

The Cover 

The regular cover of this issue is strangely uninspiring to me. Three short haired women on a red background with Asian looks and gritty, retro WWII looking guns with a tiny steam-punky twist. Muted references to the Third Reich and Europe do all give hints to the content but honestly if i saw this in a comic book store I'm not sure I would even pick it up. The drawing is well executed but just not gripping enough. The Glossy alternate cover is far more dramatic to my mind.

The Story  

The story is another point of mixed feelings for me. The opening is sparse with text, which is fine because the visuals are stunningly rendered. We are gently guided into the stories wider themes which have little to do with the action but that is okay.

Several times i had to re-read a pages and even flip back pages to re-read the text to make sure i had gotten the meaning correct and indeed found i hadn't. Which is not the best recommendation you can give to the writing in a story. You get the impression they are trying to introduce a story with a grand and rich backstory and not overwhelm us all at once.

We are dropped into an assassination, aboard a massive dirigible, by a sword and gun wielding female. Theres plenty of blood that is appropriate to the realistic rendering of the visuals. The story moves between airwar to dingy brothels to trench warfare to diplomatic discussions with an ease that flows and starts to link the characters together without expressly stating so. 

Overall the text is sparring and lets the artwork do the talking instead. The dialogue is measured, realistic and nothing feels out of place.

Artwork 

I have nothing but praise for the artwork in this issue. Its gritty when it needs to be and suitably dramatic and sharp when the scene requires. The faces are expressive and the bodies beautifully rendered in realistic pose. The characters have distinctive looks and its easy to follow who is who in this introduction. We have the cheesecake of corseted ladies alongside, dark and roguish villains in scenes as diverse as corridors of power to the horror of trench warfare.

The opening few pages are some of the most enticing and gripping I've seen in years and immediately you feel the story flowing out the sides of each panel into a much wider world at war. It's not afraid to show blood and death but keeps them proportionate to the storyline. 

Conclusion. 

This is an outstanding first that shows immense promise. It only falls down on a slightly confusing story but that might be more a symptom of starting a story with a rich background we have yet to explore.

Recommending 

If you love WWII stories with strong female leads this is for you. If you like your steam-punk with action this is for you. Theres no super heroes here but strong visuals and distinctive villains more than fill that gap. Bloody death and swordplay means this is not for younger readers, I would say this is for teenage and up.  

Rating  

Easily a 9/10.