Carbon Grey V.3 #1

By Paul Gardner, Hoang Nguyen and Khari Evans

This is the third volume of the series Carbon Grey. Having never read any of the previous volumes, this was a bit of a hard read. Raisa Vasilyeva is an illegitimate daughter of a czar; she is looking to destroy everything and everyone in her path. She is a determined woman with one thing on her mind, and she won’t be denied her birthright.

This book features an excellent list of characters that can be used for references to new readers to the series; however it can still be a bit confusing. Gardner and Nguyen do a good job of keeping the characters interesting, but this really isn’t new reader friendly, you are either a fan of the series or you are lost. The dialogue is fine and witty, and the Wolf General is a cool breakout character, but there is so much going on that it can be a little overwhelming and confusing at times. There are definitely a couple of pre-requisites before tackling the third volume.

The art is done wonderfully by Khari Evans, who has also done some work for Valiant. There are several panels that are eye popping with how well drawn they are. His style in this book has an old school feel to it, and that is a huge bonus for this issue. Evans artwork is something that can be greatly appreciated, even if you are a bit confused by the story. His crisp lines and powerful panels really make this book worth the cover price alone; he truly is a talented artist ready to break out.

Carbon Grey is a beautifully drawn story that long time readers will love, however first time readers will be confused and lost without having read the previous volumes. The issue has interesting characters and some plot elements that will raise an eye brow, but this is not a book to casually pick up.