Review: American Carnage #1

[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Bryan Hill

Artist: Leandro Fernandez

Colors: Dean White

Letters: Pat Brosseau

 

Summary

A new, thrilling crime saga from the writer of WILDSTORM: MICHAEL CRAY and the artist of The Old Guard! Disgraced FBI agent Richard Wright is offered a chance for redemption when his old mentor sends him undercover to infiltrate a white supremacist group believed to be responsible for the death of a fellow agent.

 

Positives

The cover by Ben Oliver is great. I love the use of the American flag. The detail and the colors are striking. This is a wonderful image that conveys the tone of the book.

The premise of a cop going undercover with the bad guys isn’t necessarily original but it is an interesting one. The element that makes this story a bit more interesting is that the former cop going undercover with a white supremacist group is half black but looks white. That’s a good hook.

The other element that works is Jennifer Morgan. She is the daughter of the man believed to be the leader of the white supremacist group. The main character, Richard, has to meet with her before he can join. He tries to use hateful rhetoric to see if that will help him get in the door but she shuts it down immediately. She is against any kind of hateful rhetoric. I am curious to see where this story goes because she seems like a good person. The Morgans could be well meaning and just have crazy fans. And if that is the case, how responsible are celebrities for the actions of the ones that follow them?

 

Negatives

I don’t like the art. Stylistically, it isn’t what I’m typically drawn to. I prefer characters to be a bit more defined. Tonally, I understand what the book is going for. It’s a grungy style; it just doesn’t work for me.

Verdict

Other than the art, this is a solid first issue. I am interested enough in the premise to read more and I like a lot of the thematic ideas being presented. I’m curious to see where this book goes moving forward.

 

Sean Blumenshine

Sean Blumenshine

I am currently a senior at Wichita State University studying communications. I started reading comics in 2013 because of how much I loved Man of Steel and season one of Arrow. My favorite hero is the Green Arrow and my favorite villain is the Joker.