Spider-Man: Venom vs. Carnage (Paperback)

~ (Author), Clayton Crain (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

What's worse than one mayhem-producing symbiote? Two. What's worse than that? Three. That's right: Venom's offspring, Carnage, is about to have a baby itself - a creature of indescribable power and appetites. Question is, who's gonna bring up baby? Quick - someone call Spider-Man! Guest-starring Black Cat!

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics; Direct Ed edition (December 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785115242
• ISBN-13: 978-0785115243
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #170,066 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peter Milligan does it again, January 19, 2005

By	Nolan J. Werner "Writer" (Chicago, Ill.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I honestly would have to say that "Venom v. Carnage" would not be a title that would instantly draw me to a comic book. I am reminded of the many ill fated crossover comics of the 1990s that languish in quarter bins everywhere. And never in a million years would I think that a Venom v. Carnage miniseries would be something that I would actually own a trade paperback of, nonetheless recommend to others.

But I was wrong on all counts. Thankfully. I picked the book up because I was going on a Peter Milligan buying spree before he took over X-Men and probably would not have even touched it had his name not been on it.

I am giving the title four stars overall. I give the story four and a half and the artwork three and a half. The artwork itself seems to be very uneven, amateurish as often as it is amazing. The characters are occasionally difficult to tell apart at first glance. Clayton Crain seems to have been hired to draw the book based on what he can do with the fights between the symbiotes, not anything else in the story. Though he does seem to show a lot of promise as a comic book artist and could very well be doing amazing things in a few years. I still think the series could have had five stars with the same story and a differnet artist.

Peter Milligan's story tells of a police officer who bonds with the symbiotic spawn of Carnage. The police officer is about to become a father for the first time. And there are a lot of fights between Toxin (the new spawn), Venom and Carnage. And Spider Man shows up. It's jolly good fun.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good, March 10, 2007

By	N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you were reading comics during the 90's, chances are you remember the countless mini-series' starring favorite Spider-Man villain Venom. There were quite a bit, and I can't recall a single one that was really anything special. After a long break, Marvel cranked out this mini-series, which gave me a sure fired groan, but I was surprised at how good Venom VS Carnage ends up being. The murderous Carnage is about to have an offspring, much like Eddie Brock, AKA Venom, had years ago that helped spawn him. Knowing this, Venom attempts to do some good and not let this new symbiote end up a murderous psychopath. However, soon enough the offspring finds it's way to a cop, and Toxin is born. What develops next is both surprising and action packed, as Venom and Carnage both play a major hand in deciding the fate of their descendant. Peter Milligan, who has written a handful of excellent and underrated titles like X-Statix and Human Target, writes the story, which is better than one would give it credit for. The art by Clayton Crain (Ghost Rider: Road to Damnation) is nice eye candy as well; providing great renderings of bloody symbiote violence. All in all, despite your memories of Venom in the 90's, this TPB is worth checking out, and with Spider-Man 3 on the horizon, it might be a good time to get yourself a good dose of Venom.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars it was a so-so effort, May 10, 2007

By	J. Berner (Oakland, Ca) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It was definately an interesting book but it had some major flaws. As a stand alone book it is worth reading but the art varies from good to unbearable pretty quick.

This is seen with how huge venom appears which just becomes rediculous. Another problem concerns continuity. What I refer to is The Black Cat not recognizing either venom or Carnage. Anyone who has followed spiderman comics knows that the black cat helped spiderman in the crossover series Maximum Carnage which dealt with both carnage and venom. For her not to know these two is very unlikely.

That is the one thing that really bothered me because it made me feel that the author didn't do research on the characters at all but instead decided to ignore previous histories that these characters had. The whole deal with the birth seemed a bit far-fethced as well. When venom created carnage it was a spur of the moment event that didn't show him to bin in any pain. But carnage acts as if it is a painful experience. That might be nit picking but it seems like it is a bit misjointed when looked at if you remember carnage's origin.

other than these major flaws the story was entertaining and one does want to continue to read the book to find out what happens.