Absolute Carnage review: Perfect for the spooky season

The spooky season is officially upon us! So who better to start it with than Cletus Kasady himself? While there are countless comic books that feature Venom's offspring, Absolute Carnage is key to understanding how Knull was liberated from his symbiotic prison after thousands of years. And since Venom: The Last Dance is just around the corner, now is the perfect time to revisit this terrifying, dark, and violent tale.

At its core, Absolute Carnage sees the deranged Marvel villain hunt down everyone who once bonded to a symbiote to remove their spinal cord. You know, a normal day in the life of serial killer Cletus. However, the stakes are higher than ever now that Eddie Brock discovers he has a son and there's a great risk of an evil god being awakened. Right out of the gate, it's a very interesting premise, but does it manage to live up to its full potential? A horror story with dreadful villains

A horror story with dreadful villains

Donny Cates' Venom (2018) and Absolute Carnage heavily dive into the symbiotes' horror elements with overwhelmingly great results. Knull truly feels like a larger-than-life entity that could be capable of destroying life itself in the blink of an eye. You simultaneously want to learn more about him while staying as far away from him as possible. Similarly - but on a smaller scale - Cletus Kasady is also a force to be reckoned with. After being burned when entering Earth's atmosphere, Cletus' newest look is nothing but nightmare fuel. There's one particular sequence where he breaks into a prison that plays off perfectly, getting darker with each passing panel.

Absolute Carnage also revisits a bit of Cletus' history (such as when he was born and the first time he came face-to-face with Eddie Brock) and presents those moments in a new (and almost tragic) light, which is perfect for the series' tone. Speaking of which, there was also a great effort from Donny Cates to get new readers up to speed on many important events that are key to understanding this arc. You can even learn more about the psyche of specific characters at the end of every issue courtesy of their interviews at the Ravencroft Institute. It's a nice touch, especially because it sometimes can be difficult to go into a new series without tons of background knowledge and understand everything that's going on.

However, even if you don't need to revisit many comic books to understand what's going on in Absolute Carnage, it's 100% necessary to read the Venom (2018) tie-ins to get a complete and coherent experience. Otherwise, the 5 issues in the franchise may feel a bit disconnected at times, which (spoiler alert) is one of the only weaknesses to be found here.

Explosive actions and human interactions: The best of both worlds

Eddie Brock is the main character of Absolute Carnage. But while he fights hordes of symbiotes most of the time, there are also some very personal and even emotional moments with his son, Dylan. At this point, the two barely know each other, and the latter doesn't even know the true nature of their kinship. However, we see Eddie do everything in his power to protect his kid throughout the saga, which is very touching (especially considering Eddie didn't have the same luck when he was young).

That's one of the greatest strengths of Absolute Carnage. While it features a lot of explosive set-pieces with many iconic heroes, it doesn't shy away from having touching human interactions that feel genuine. That's better exemplified in the relationship between Eddie and his symbiote, Venom and Spider-Man, and even Dylan and Normie Osborn at times. Besides, the series does a fantastic job of letting you know what the Lethal Protector thinks at every moment, making him feel like a real character which is easier said than done.

But even if there's a lot of substance in Absolute Carnage, there's tons of style as well. Watching a Venomized Hulk fight against Carnage is a difficult sight to forget. Furthermore, the battle between Spidey and Venom against an army of symbiotes in the Ravencroft Institute has a true feeling of despair that's not easy to achieve. So hats off to Ryan Stegman for his jaw-dropping illustrations in the explosive set pieces (even if a few panels are unintentionally funny due to some facial expressions).

The bad guy wins even in defeat

Absolute Carnage features one of those storylines in which the villain ultimately achieves his goal even if he goes down. By the end of the run, Eddie Brock is forced to connect to the hivemind and awaken Knull in order to save his son's life. That means the heroes of this tale weren't able to save the day; they just bought a bit of time. And not only is that a perfect ending for a dark series, but it also sets up Venom (2018) for greater things to come.

Overall, readers find a true and genuine Eddie Brock story here. However, it also comes at the expense of spending time with Cletus Kasady himself. Outside of the superhero action, he had very few moments to steal the spotlight. Furthermore, it would've been much more impactful to see through Carnage's eyes what the connection with Knull was like. After all, it was the only instance in this series in which the two of them met, but readers couldn't be there to witness it.

Verdict: symbiotes at their best

In conclusion, Absolute Carnage is the perfect way to start the spooky season. It features a horrifying antagonist and the stakes are higher than ever, both on a cosmic scale and in terms of personal relationships. Eddie's drive to keep his son safe is heartwarming to see, which is a nice contrast to all the violence, action, and scary moments of the saga. The one downside is the story could feel incomplete and "chopped" without reading a few tie-ins. But, believe me, they're also worth your time.

On the build-up towards Venom: The Last Dance, we'll also review the Venom (2018) series, so be sure to stick around with Whatever A Spider Can for everything Spider-Man-related.