Carbon Grey #1
Review
Credits
- Words: Hoang Nguyen, Khari Evans, Paul Gardner, and Mike Kennedy
- Art: Khari Evans, Kinsun Loh, and Hoang Nguyen
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Price: $2.99
- Release Date: Mar 2, 2011
Posted by Jason Wilkins on Mar 1, 2011
I remember an acid trip back in the nineties, during which I watched Total Recall – you know, the Phillip K. Dick adaptation starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. I didn’t have a clue what was going on in the movie and had to watch it again only to find out it wasn’t that complicated a story to begin with.
I came away from Carbon Grey #1 feeling the same way – only less Arnie and the acid trip. I have the sense that should I go back and reread it, I may come to the same conclusion I did upon re-viewing Total Recall – it’s likely not so confusing as it came off during the first reading. The thing is, I really don’t feel the need – or more properly, the desire.
Featuring some truly sumptuous digitally painted visuals from the art team, Carbon Grey’s greatest flaw is its weak storytelling. There’s a lot of spectacle here but no real substance. I’m still not sure where or when the story is supposed to take place or what the basis is of the prophecy/tradition of the "13 Greys" is. I’m sure it was supposed to feel appropriately mysterious and with heavy religious overtones but it only came off as vague, cumbersome, and more than a little irritating. I mean really – who are the bloody protagonists here? The Sisters Grey? All of them? Some of them? Or just the extra one?
Although the final page would seem to make this clear, it really doesn’t, featuring only three of the four sisters in the closing montage. By the end of the book, I wasn’t really sure which sister was which or if the fourth sister really existed.
This unnecessary confusion extends itself to the design of the book as well. While the artistic team renders the world of Carbon Grey and inhabitants in lush detail, the actual visual tone of the book, from settings to character designs, felt like slogging through a hodge-podge of mismatched period costumes, from every first-person RPG produced in the last five years. The end result was that reading this book felt less like an escape and more like work.
Bogged down by unfocused storytelling from the development stages on up to the final edit, Carbon Grey reads more like the plot synopsis of a popular shoot ‘em up video game than an actual comic book. With over-thought visuals and a plot and characters desperate for more care and consideration, Carbon Grey fails to truly establish itself in the imaginations of its audience.
Related content
Related Headlines
- Sisters At War In Carbon Grey - written by Richard Boom on Jan 4, 2011
- Carbon Grey: Daughters of Stone #1 in June - written by Richard Boom on Apr 26, 2012
- Exclusive Preview: Existence 2.0 #3 - written by Frederik Hautain on Aug 24, 2009
- Image Tells Fractured Fables on FCBD 2010 - written by Frederik Hautain on Dec 16, 2009
- Image Comics Previews for March 3, 2010 - written by Frederik Hautain on Feb 28, 2010
Related Lowdowns
- Trading Up: Phonogram: Singles Club - written by Ryan Burton on Apr 29, 2010
- Inside Look: The Vault #1 - written by Sam Sarkar on Aug 30, 2011
- This Week's Must-Have Comics: April 4, 2012 - written by JasonClyma on Apr 2, 2012
- Image Month: Trading Up: King City - written by Kris Bather on Apr 18, 2012
- Image Month: Inside Look: Avengelyne #8 - written by Mark Poulton on May 4, 2012
Related Reviews
- FCBD 2010: Fractured Fables - written by Jason Wilkins on May 4, 2010
- EmiTown: A Sketch Diary - written by Noel Bartocci on Dec 23, 2010
- Shinku #1 - written by Joshua Yehl on May 25, 2011
- Blue Estate #5 - written by Chad Bonin on Aug 17, 2011
- Activity #1 - written by JasonClyma on Dec 22, 2011
Related Columns
- Comics Don't Like Kids, These Days - written by Mike Bullock on Aug 31, 2011
- Glory: Woman on a Mission - written by Jason Wilkins on Feb 14, 2012
- Parental Guidance: Vaughan and Staples Give Birth to 'Saga' - written by Jason Wilkins on Mar 13, 2012
- Image Month: How Jonathan Ross & Bryan Hitch Gave America Powers - written by Jason Wilkins on Apr 11, 2012
- Image Month: The Walking Dead - On the Road to One Hundred and Beyond - written by Jason Wilkins on Apr 18, 2012
Comments
In order to post a comment you have to be logged in. Don't have a profile yet? Register now!
Dylan Meconis Joins PvPOnlinecom Writers' Room for 15th Anniversary
Press release by Richard Boom
For its 15th Anniversary, PvP is again breaking new ground in the comic medium with the creation of the PvP ...
Preview: Harbinger #12
Sneak peek by Richard Boom
Valiant has provided BF with a preview to Harbinger #12, in stores everywhere May 8th.
Marvel's INFINITY Comes Alive on Free Comic Book Day With Marvel AR
Press release by Richard Boom
This Saturday, Free Comic Book Day hits stores worldwide and Marvel wants fans to take the experience to a whole ...
READ ALL HEADLINES