Carnage USA starts off with scenes from the small meatpacking town of Doverton, CO, and then starts the terror immediately. Cletus Kasady wastes no time terrorizing the towns residents. Word gets to the Avengers and they head out to stop the madman, but Carnage is ready for a fight.
The writing in this comic is top notch. Zeb Wells doesn’t hold back and makes Carnage as nasty as possible. Needless to say, this comic isn’t kid-friendly. Wells also did a brilliant thing by taking one page to show the quiet nature of Doverton. Doing so only amplifies the terror that the towns folk must be feeling. And that terror must be great because Carnage goes after everyone: The workers, the cops, the children, and he even abducts a baby. Wells has definitely nailed the creep factor in tight.
As for the art, I’m left conflicted. Out of the context of the comic, Clayton Crain is a great artist. His art is detailed and weighs more to the realistic side. However, his style doesn’t really fit the comic. In some places, its downright distracting. In many places, Crain’s art really helps bring out the creepiness. Another thing that Crain does do well is make Carnage look as menacing as possible. He is not something I’d ever want to run into in broad daylight, let alone at night. In others scenes though, Crain’s art just feel awkward. The scenes with the Avengers, for example. The color scheme used for the characters causes them to clash with the surrounding world. I swear Spider-Man looks like he’s made out of modeling clay.
I’m on-board for this series. Although the art is sort of hit, sort of miss, I still enjoyed it thanks to excellent writing. This one might be one hell of a slugfest by the end and I want to see how it turns out.
Rating: 
