Review – Orphans of the Impact Winter #1

Writer: Lee A. Carlisle
Artist: Ross Carlisle
Colours: Marina Goncalves
Lettering: Marco Ventura
Release Date: 17th April 2024 (ComiXology Link)

Back in 2022, we reviewed the first issue of Orphans of the Impact Winter during its successful Kickstarter campaign, with 139 backers going on to raise over $10,000 to make this brilliant idea a comic book reality. Fast forward to 2024, and with the comic about to have its official ComiXology release, we figured this was the perfect time to take a look back at the first issue, which has been re-lettered and visually tweaked, and which features a stunning new cover that you can feast your eyes on above.

The first chapter of this ten-part series introduces us to a young boy named Chuck as he and his faithful dog Addie try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world where the moon is literally falling from the sky. However, in order to cope with the horrors unfolding around him, Chuck has created an internal narrative where he and Addie are dynamic explorers in a colourful fantasy world. This first issue shows the pair navigating the landscape in search of supplies while both the narrative and visual style shifts back and forth between fantasy and reality.

It’s an ingenious move and, as previously seen with the likes of I Kill Giants, Spencer & Locke, and The Leftovers/The War for Kaleb, makes for a truly gripping read when done well. And I’m happy to report that brothers Lee A. Carlisle and Ross Carlisle execute their premise remarkably well here, rapidly drawing the reader into Chuck and Addie’s tragic story.

Ross, alongside colourist Marina Goncalves, does a fantastic job in delivering two completely different visual styles throughout the course of this first issue. Goncalves’ palette shift is truly striking, taking us from bright, vibrant, cartoony colours to a bleak, almost monochrome aesthetic at the turn of the page. Similarly, Ross delivers two completely different styles of linework for each ‘version’ of the story, going from a bold, exaggerated, almost fantastical approach in Chuck’s imagination to a scratchy, far more realistic style in the moments of harsh reality. It’s also worth mentioning just how much the improved lettering of Marco Venture adds to the story, giving a real fluidity to the page and providing several fantastic visual flourishes along the way.

There’s one particularly heartbreaking moment near the end of the issue that I won’t spoil for you, but which features Chuck being forced to take a desperate, traumatic step to replenish the pair’s depleted food supplies. These two wordless pages are delivered pretty much perfectly, and provide the emotional backbone that will no doubt carry the series throughout the remaining four issues.

For me, the really intriguing part is going to be finding out how the rest of this ten-part story unfolds. Honestly, the framing and delivery of this first issue is strong enough that it could easily be a perfectly satisfying one-shot, so seeing how the Carlisle brothers expand their premise into a full story arc is going to be truly fascinating.

Orphans of the Impact Winter delivers a surprisingly layered look at the way we process trauma and how it’s sometimes easier to retreat into fantasy rather than face up to painful reality.

The first five issues of Orphans of the Impact Winter will be released digitally every month from April to August 2024, with a softcover release of the first five-part volume being made available to purchase on the OrphansofTheImpactWinter.com in Q4 of 2024.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]