CARRIERS #3 – Review

CARRIERS #3, from Red 5 Comics on March 16th, 2022, confronts our fine-feathered hero squad with a deadly hurricane bearing down on NYC. Can they save lives when competing gangs are up to no good?

The Details

• Written By: Ben Ferrari, Erica Heflin, Johnny Arnold
• Art By: Kurt Belcher, Kevin Leverett
• Colors By: Seb Valencia
• Letters By: Jerome Gagnon
• Cover Art By: Kurt Belcher, Seb Valencia (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.95
• Release Date: March 16, 2022

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Was It Good?

CARRIERS #3 is the latest episodic entry in the Carriers series with the heroic pigeons fighting to save every animal possible from a massive hurricane. Equal parts first responder thriller and crime drama, this series is starting to find its footing and voice in a surprisingly dramatic way, That said, issue #3 has a few weak points, so let’s get into it.

The overall plot is very good. Ferrari, Heflin, and Arnold manage to craft a believable rescue story infused with crime gang elements. If the characters weren’t sentient animals, you could easily see this playing out as an above-average police thriller. The setup works because it brings multiple forces into conflict. The birds are struggling to stay alive and help others in need. The rats are up to no good, putting them at odds with both the storm and the Carriers. And innocent birds are at risk and need saving. This issue has layer upon layer upon layer of dramatic conflict, and it ratchets up the tension to eleven.

The art is generally good but also the issue’s weak spot. Belcher, Leverett, and Valencia do an admirable job of pulling off solid panel composition and dramatic angles. The coloring is, likewise, generally good.

Where the art stumbles is in the lack of details on the characters. The Carriers, particularly during the rescue scenes, look a bit lumpy and not well-defined. Overall, this series has struggled with holding on to an artist, and it shows the complete lack of consistency from one issue to the next. We’ve seen worse art, and in fairness, it’s not terrible, but it’s not great art and the creators would be better served settling on an art team to finish the series.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

If you’re not familiar with NYC’s feathered defenders, first read our CARRIERS #2 review.

We begin with a pair of wharf rafts robbing a jewelry store as the worst of a Category 4 hurricane makes landfall. The rats are under orders to bring the jewels back to their boss, but before they get too far, a flood wave sweeps them away as they struggle to hold onto the stolen jewels.

Gladius and Cherry Bomb spot the drowning rats and swoop in for a rescue. However, a rescue lift isn’t as easy as it looks when one of the rats, Jimmy, refuses to let go of the bags weighing him down. If he holds the bags, the weight will drown him. If he lets go of the bags, his boss will kill him.

Meanwhile, Fable intercepts an unkindness of Ravens from kidnapping the members of an abandoned Aviary to be sold into slavery to the Croc King. We conclude the issue with heroes rising to the occasion.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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