Carnage USA (2012 series) #1

Review: Wells and Crain follow up their creepy CARNAGE with this sequel as the monstrous symbiote terrorizes a small Midwestern town. Crain's acrylic paintings are still unnerving but the brighter look diffuses some of the terror. But only some. We still have a Carnage baby, Carnage zoo animals, and worse, Carnage Avengers (though they don't really contribute all that much beyond giving the reader the chills down the spine). Patriotic references appear frequently on the covers and in the titles but don't really play that great a part in the story. Like the first miniseries, this is pure nightmare fuel.

Comments: The cover shows Carnage literally wrapping himself in an American flag, an idiom used for a politician trying to present himself as patriotic. Title refers to Woody Guthrie's folk song, “This Land is Your Land.” Kasady's scary quote, “That'll do, pig, that'll do” is from the movie BABE where it has a less sinister meaning.