Absolute Carnage: Separation Anxiety #1 is everything you’d hope for in a tie-in to the Carnage focused event. The comic is a follow-up in a way to Deadpool vs. Carnage. At the end of that series, four of the five Life Foundation Symbiotes – Riot, Phage, Agony, and Lasher – bonded to a stray dog, wandering the Midwest. But with Carnage descending on New York, the call to join him is too great.

Written by Clay McLeod Chapman, Absolute Carnage: Separation Anxiety #1 is horror done right. The comic revolves around an abusive family who is paid a visit by the symbiotes. From there, it’s a descent into destruction and murder as the family is consumed.

The comic is rather simple in a way taking the trapped in a house while hunted horror setting. But, it works really well. Chapman leaves it open as to who will and won’t escape and you can feel the tension build as the comic progresses. Sure, there’s a lot of tropes here but that’s also partially what makes horror enjoyable.

The one negative to the comic is, if you’ve never read Deadpool vs. Carnage, the symbiotes aren’t really explained. The dog is a mystery. I haven’t read that previous series but I still enjoyed this for the spiral into death that it is.

Part of that enjoyment is due to Brian Level‘s art. Along with color by Jordan Boyd and lettering by Travis Lanham, the art emphasizes the terror. There are literal spirals that play off the Knull motif and the out of control nature of it all. Lanham’s lettering provides a disturbing “tone” to the dialogue. Boyd’s colors at times add a sickly palette. The art and lettering come together to build on and emphasize the scariness of it all.

The comic absolutely delivers horror tropes but there’s something to it that makes it all enjoyable. There’s an unknown aspect to the comic that makes its story all the more scary and disturbing. Add in just enough macabre and it comes together to create the perfect tone for a comic tied into Carnage.

Story: Clay McLeod Chapman Art: Brian Level
Color: Jordan Boyd Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 8.35 Art: 8.35 Overall: 8.35 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review