Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Ken Lashley
Color Artist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Cover Artist: Cafu
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
Venom and the Brocks have been through a lot. They’ve put each other through a lot, as it seems with Meridius and the other Kings in Black. But now, they have to deal with Carnage of all people but he’s empowered unlike ever before. And he’s targeting both Brocks! He already got Dylan and now the Carnage symbiote is heading to finish the job with Eddie in the far future. Read Venom #32 to see how Eddie and the other Kings in Black confront this new Carnage.
Review:
So, Carnage came, he saw, and he killed Dylan Brock, Eddie’s son. And now the Carnage symbiote is using its new godly powers, after leaving Cletus behind, to essentially jump forward in time to go after Eddie Brock himself. Every version of Eddie Brock, in this case all of those at the Garden of Time. It all sounds like a great recipe for a bloody symbiote brawl. But does it follow through? There will be some SPOILERS in this review.
So, things stat out a little somber as we get the Venom symbiote narrating about recent events involving Cletus Kasady stalking and luring them into a trap that nearly kills Dylan. It’s all a twisted nostalgia as even Dylan’s position while he’s suspended by the Venom symbiote’s tendrils is reminiscent of older stories. But it’s not long before the comic shifts to the far future, where Carnage just took out Meridius, or at least took him down, and now he’s going after the other Eddies. And first up is our Eddie Brock, and it starts out like it’s going to be a bloody slugfest, but Carnage quickly gets to work turning it into a horror show.
There are a lot of positives for this comic, so I will start with the negatives just to get them out of the since they’re pretty few. First is that while Ken Lashley’s art is great, it’s apparent that it’s not that great when depicting an alien location like the Garden of Time. Especially when compared to how Bryan Hitch and Cafu drew it. The other issue is that while Carnage and Eddie Prime look great, some of the Kings in Black lack a little detail unless it’s closeups of their faces. Also, there’s the direction that Al Ewing is taking the Venom symbiote’s story by the end that I’m not really a big fan of, but that’s been the case from the first issue for this reviewer. Now, onto the positives.
Again, Ken Lashley kills it on the art when it comes to the fights with Eddie and of course Carnage. Lashley does not miss a beat with the gory details when those two clash with each other, and this goes double for Carnage since he ends up fighting some of the other Kings in Black too, like Finnegan and Bedlam. Now, admittedly there’s nothing spectacularly violent in this fight that takes advantage of them being symbiotes, but when the moment finally arrives from Carnage, Lashley’s art really goes hard. And speaking of Carnage, he’s definitely the one who rules this comic. Al Ewing definitely channels his Immortal Hulk energy into how Carnage kills some of the Kings in Black here. Especially in his first engagement with Eddie, that just oozes the action-horror the Immortal Hulk series was well known for. As far as the writing and story goes, it plays out how I’d figure. Carnage spewing maniacal banter while Eddie and the others keep trying to shut him up and kill him, but he ends up outwitting them in their fights and overpowering them in the end. Not outstanding, but it’s still enjoyable to read.
Final Thoughts:
Venom #32 brings us the fight between this new version of Carnage and Eddie Brock and the Kings in Black. While we don’t get to see everyone fight him, Carnage fighting Eddie and some of the others was still great with Ken Lashley’s art. And speaking of, Carnage rules this comic as he takes on Eddie and the others in brutal and maniacal fashion the way only symbiotes can. The ending sets up a new direction for the Venom symbiote that may be a little divisive, but there’s potential there for the characters of Dylan, Eddie and the Venom symbiote if it’s handled well.