Scans_Daily

This is the second part of 'Carnage', with issues #63 to #65.


So Aunt May returns home to find no one there. She realizes something is off and discovers...








The backyard is being swarmed with police. Peter and May are questioned about what went on, and another cop mentions similar things that have gone on at Empire State University and Manhattan. 'Vampiric' and 'mutant' are being tossed around.



There's a bit more dealing with grief; Mary Jane talks to Peter, who assures him that he was still a good friend to Gwen. Peter wonders what's the point of being Spider-Mani if he can't save the ones closest to him.

Later, Peter is considering all the possible people behind Gwen's death, when he remembers Empire State University. He sees Curt Connors standing outside his house (right now Peter is at Mary Jane's) and runs out and attacks him. Peter assumes that Connors had done something as the Lizard, but Connors explains there was an accident at the lab.







Next issue...



Yeah, Carnage was a lot more intimidating when he was silent and wasn't yelling "Beh!"





Peter says to himself how he has failed at keeping Uncle Ben's mantra of "with great power comes great responsibility". Carnage flees and kills two cops, before turning into a naked version of Peter.

Later, Connors is back in his lab when he finds Peter there. Peter tells him "It's done". Connors asks what happened, and Peter explains via flashback:





Peter tells Connors how the creature wasn't a person...it was an spore, an airborne virus. It didn't have a brain or a soul, and it didn't belong here. Peter lures it to a smoke stack.



Connors apologizes to Peter, who almost attacks him in response for his responsibility in Carnage and Gwen's death, but he restrains himself.

Later, Connors turns himself in.



Connor is taken into custody, his lab is closed but at the end of the issue, his lab assistant is seen pocketing Peter's blood samples.

So basically...in contrast to Venom, who I think in some ways works better than the standard 616 version, I think Bendis dropped the ball with Carnage. With the exception of Gwen's death, I don't think Ultimate Carnage would really have been a memorable villain and the whole thing comes off as a bad horror film at times. I do think the backstory of Carnage being an experiment was interesting, but Venom had that too.

One of the funniest things is how much contempt Bendis has for 616 Carnage, saying stuff like "I don't think it's impossible to tell a good story with Carnage, it just hasn't been done yet" and how this would be an improvement. Say what you want about Cletus, but at least he's fun to read sometimes with his crazy antics. Personally, given Bendis's tenure as a crime writer (especially Torso) I think a serial killer in an an alien suit would have been up his alley and he could have made it work.

Next issue was an 'epilogue' of sorts with Peter and friends in detention (long story). It had this opening scene:





One more 'interlude' post left before I can post the return of Venom.