Web of Carnage #1 Comic Review

With the Summer of Symbiotes well underway, it’s time that Carnage — the volatile Symbiote once hosted by the serial killer Cletus Kasady — would get to shine, with some character development and soul-searching. Now rid of Cletus, busy terrorizing a woefully unprepared city with varying degrees of success, Carnage has thirsted for power, rebirth, and a chance to prove itself in the eyes of its fellow Symbiotes.

Written by Ram V and Christos Gage, illustrated by Francesco Manna and Zé Carlos, with colors by Erick Arciniega and letters by VC’s Joe Sabino, Web of Carnage #1 has Carnage taking hold of a new reluctant host — Jon Shayde — seeking out the throne as the new King in Black. But Jon isn’t the most cooperative host, and an encounter with Morlun the Inheritor and a look into another place in the multiverse calls into question Carnage’s grand ambitions–setting the stage for a new era for the Symbiote. REVIEW: Carnage: Marvel’s New Hybrid Symbiote is Even More Powerful Than the Original

Web of Carnage #1 has a straightforward storyline, in which not too much happens. While enough for a thirty-page story, with plenty to spare. However, there’s a lot of telling and not a lot of showing in this issue. Granted, it can be difficult to “show” when it comes to the complex nature of Symbiotes and their hosts. Sometimes, a copious amount of telling is necessary to get across the inner motivations of host and Symbiote, how they overlap, where they diverge, and so forth. However, Web of Carnage #1 is so dependent on the narration to convey the story; which is based entirely around exploring the motives, conflicts, morals and latent humanity of the cast, especially Carnage, Morlun and Jon, that it ironically bogs down what is otherwise a strong character study. It doesn’t help that the visuals, emotionally expressive and explosively dynamic as they don’t make things any clearer. Web of Carnage #1 depends almost entirely on its dialogue to get the story across, with the visuals playing support, at least in most scenes.

That said, Web of Carnage #1 still has a lot going for it. Writers Ram V and Christos Gage show adept talent at differentiating each characters’ distinct speech and thought, helped by Sabino’s color and font-coded lettering. Carnage and Morlun, both established villains, are given depth and vulnerability not normally depicted with Morlun’s addictive tendencies serving as a soul-searching epiphany to Carnage. Likewise, the Earth-31 version of Cletus Kasady, the host of the Venom Symbiote, is similarly used as a catalyst, with some depth of his own. Carnage’s temporary host, the fearful and insecure cop Jon Shayde, steals the show with very little. While his backstory and motives are mostly told through heavy exposition and narrative, the reader does see him get to act on his own accord, to satisfying degrees at the issue’s closing. Throughout the narration, his grounded, earthy dialogue, made appealingly un-flashy thanks to Sabino’s lettering, is a reminder of the character’s strength and a counterbalance to Carnage’s growing godlike-power and ego.

Web of Carnage #1 boast visuals that are both sparce yet dazzling, with artists Francesco Manna and Zé Carlos deploying all the splatters, mess and mineralic grime so symbolic of Carnage’s character, set against a backdrop of empty, cosmic space, nightmare realms and decaying skylines. Veteran colorist Erick Arciniega’s palette reflects all things Carnage traditionally Symbiote-inspired. Hosting a stark combination of heavy black placement, dark, foreboding colors such as moody greys, blues and greens, the occasional flash of unnatural light, and of course, red. Red dominates Web of Carnage #1, present on every page to varying degrees. The red serves to highlight Carnage’s presence and influence on the other characters, and the worlds he traverses. Its rage, its burning desire and ambition, the way it ultimately influences is enemies and hosts. Even with a limited palette, Arciniega makes the most of the few colors, utilizing contrast, hue, tint and saturation to give environments — and each varying shade of red — a degree of depth and even personality.

Web of Carnage #1 is a good study of a morally ambiguous character, however its otherwise strong character analysis and continuity-relevant plot progression is weakened by its excessive exposition and monologuing–and its dependence on both.