This is a good start to what promises to be an unforgiving massacre of an event. Stegman and Cates' opening act to Absolute Carnage feels like both a natural continuation of the Venom book and a proper Marvel event.

Absolute Carnage #2 continues it's campaign with the same quality combination of Cates' writing and dialogue along side Stegman and Frank Martin's darkly imagery. The bleaker this book gets, the more invested I get. Misery is my new drug, and Carnage is the supplier.

Absolute Carnage #4 has Carnage bringing the party to our heroes and draws everything closer to its final hour. This is an event I can recommend with great praise, and it still has one more issue left!

This was a solid installment. It leaves a lot on the table for future stories. If this was a television show, this really feels like the end of season one. As far as the event as a whole, this was a fun read. Even if I couldn't put my gripes aside towards issue 5, there's still too much good writing to have this event's main story feel derailed. So the whole of my review is, Absolute Carnage was a fun ride and I would strongly recommend this entire five-parter as a buy.

This comic serves to bridge the Shadow Base/Gamma Door arc from Ewing's Immortal Hulk book and Cates' Absolute Carnage event while explaining both when these two ongoing stories take place and how the Hulk gets involved in the latter. It doesn't serve a lot of Absolute Carnage fare, yet I still found this to be a very enjoyable comic to read. This one may cater more to the Ewing/Hulk fans out there.

Exposition heavy at the start, popcorn-flick action towards the end, Absolute Carnage: Weapon Plus is an unnecessary recap of events prior to the event its branching from (it takes place before Absolute Carnage #1), and whatever hidden secrets its plot unfolds for our protagonist have little impact on said event. A filler story for the Absolute Carnage crowd, and a mere seed planted for a future Weapon Plus story.

You don't need to be invested in Absolute Carnage to read this. If you just want to read a comic book thriller with horror aesthetics in spades, look no further. You'll have a good time.

Again, this is not too important for those keeping track of Absolute Carnage, but if you just want extra content, this issue was one of the better tie-ins. By the book's conclusion this issue serves a little more as a lead-in for the upcoming Ghost Riders title, so if you are a fan of Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, etc., you can treat this as a teaser.

So here I am in a rare instance of admitting, yes, this isn't too essential of a read for your Absolute Carnage reading, buuuut it doesn't get in the way of the bigger picture, it doesn't jumble up the sequence of events or drops the ball on any continuity. It's extra, and"I liked it. If you have the time and you're wallet isn't starved, I'll just say its one of the safer, better, non-disruptive tie-ins this event has spawned.

Deadpool interrupts the doom and gloom of Carnage's masterplan with his trademark shenanigans and becomes the next target of the dark symbiote. You got your humor in my horror, and I just so happened to like it! Don't worry about how much weight this will have on the event at large, treat yourself to some fun.

Its a shame how much fun I got out of the first chapter to Deadpool's Absolute Carnage tie-in, because here, it didn't really capture me at all. The humor wasn't as strong as in its preceding issue, and the villains don't offer any oomph. Deadpool is definitely at his most Deadpool here, so if you're coming in here just for his brand, you might enjoy this more than I did.

This tie-in ties up some past Carnage-related stories and brings back an old player from Maximum Carnage in a new way. A serviceable installment, but with the event spawning so many books this month, this one feels kind of in the middle: better than some of them have been, not as good as the others.

Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors #2 actually gets around to bringing in the heroes we were teased to see on issues 1's cover. This book is an extra chapter for those who want to see some of the lesser Maximum Carnage heroes get enrolled in its spiritual sequel event, but it continues to be middle-of-the-road in the overall expansive Absolute Carnage tapestry.

This one is purely a popcorn action issue. Not really a necessary addition to those of you reading Absolute Carnage, but maybe serviceable for those nostalgic for a little Maximum Carnage Lite.

Easily the weakest of the Absolute Carnage bunch. The high-point of this issue happens in the main event book, so just read that.

Miles Morales continues to be the weakest of the Absolute Carnage tie-ins. Its all an Absolute Nothing.

Miles turns things around for himself in the conclusion of his Absolute Carnage tie-in limited, and the story as whole finishes with an issue that is a step up from the quality I've seen from the first and second issue. If you've made it this far, you probably have decided to see this through to the end. Incidentally, for the rest of you, this one teeters between a "wait and read as a trade", to a "pass completely".

I'm happy to have Scream back, but this was not an interesting read. I can imagine how other readers who have no inclination towards a semi-obscure character (two characters if you count Scream and Patricia Robertson separately) might feel reading this. Maybe we'll actually get deeper into Patricia's head with the following two issues, but as of right now, Bunn brought back two forgotten characters in a forgettable fashion.

Absolute Carnage: Scream #2 is progress, not only story wise for the characters within, but also quality-wise. What qualms I had with issue one are mostly resolved in this installment. I liked this issue more than its previous chapter, and while its nothing of a spectacular read, it has made me optimistically eager to finish it to its end.

I'm one of the very few people out there that has always been a legit fan of Scream, wishing that she as a character had gotten a stronger push long before now, and while I may have been down on this arc at the beginning, it has successfully won me over by the end. With Absolute Carnage having only one more issue left, I doubt Scream will manage to have much (if any) presence in the finale of the event, so I'll just wait and look forward to seeing more of her in her next (confirmed) limited series. Cullen Bunn and Gerardo Sandoval did a good job reviving the daughter of Venom.

Overall, I didn't like this issue. I came out the end of this book with zero inclination to ever read this again. The fanatic in me had issues with how Venom was written, how he looked, and overall what role the symbiote and Eddie played in this book. I'm not excusing the fact that its a "one-and-done" story because I've read better one-and-done Venom stories before (we just had a great one in the previous Venom #16). What a waste.

Final ThoughtsNick Spencer digs into some threads from as far back as the 90s to connect Mysterio and his newly christened Kindred and return my interest and attention to a book that took a dive for an arc. I hope we wont have to wait too much longer to return to this plot, because in what should feel like a nothing issue, I've become seriously reinvested in this mysterious Machiavellian menace.

Long story short, the only story that mattered was the main story, and it wasn't up to par"story (there, I used that word four times in one sentence). Last issue set a standard where I was happy to jump on board as the Weird Science Marvel reviewer for this book, and this issue's follow-up, I thought, dropped that ball so quickly. The extra stories felt inconsequential, and I would say if it meant a lower cover price, we could all do without them. Twenty-five issues into a twice-a-month run is not much of a milestone accomplishment, and Amazing Spider-Man 25 wasn't much of a milestone issue.

An improvement over last issue, although Spencer just can't seem to help himself but to give the spotlight to his toys, as this arc still feels like its being carried by Boomerang and the Syndicate (effectively the “new” Superior Foes). But Spider-Man isn't side-lined for most of this issue, and actually gets to be involved in his own book, thankfully, making up for the previous installment. A fun little issue, but Boomerang upstaging Spider-Man in his own book as of late might be off-putting to some.

Personally, I'm always invested in the more grounded world around Peter. Seeing Peter and Mary Jane together, discussing how they can continue to move forward with their lives, even when life as Spider-Man tests them constantly. I think Nick Spencer does a great service when he gets to write moments like these.

Nick Spencer keeps his creepy, mysterious Kindred in our purview, and brings the events of Absolute Carnage down to just Peter and Norman, taking things back away from symbiote gods, Venom, Dark Carnage, etc. to remind fans of the long-lasting animosity between Spider-Man and the original Green Goblin himself, despite who Norman may think he is.

You don't have to have any interest in the current happenings over at Donny Cates Venom and Absolute Carnage books, and I still highly recommend you pick up Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man #30 and #31.

Nick Spencer's juggling act of storylines may promise to bring things together, eventually, but I'm starting to lose both patience and interest. If comic books could have ADD, this would be textbook.

Nick Spencer's Chameleon/Doom/2099 arc reaches its forth chapter, and it may be the worst of the arc. This issue slowly drags us towards an indiscernible solution thought up by Spider-Man, until it just ends. How on earth does one make a Spider-Man/Dr. Doom story so boring is beyond me…

One of the better issues in the whole Doom/2099 arc, but it doesn't save the arc as a whole. This whole arc became an exhaustive read for me, and I'm honestly glad it's over. At least with this issue I found myself enjoying it a little bit more than some of the last chapters.

This issue feels like the obligatory cool-down story after one extended arc ends and before we move on to the next series of stories, but it just didn't give me any reason to be excited for what's in store next for Peter.

While most likely just the beginnings of a whole new arc, this issue felt like it could have been a one-and-done standalone issue, but it was an enjoyable read, complimented with bright, fantastic art.

Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson's new dynamic has been a big asset to both characters, especially for JJ, whenever its worked into a story, something I'd argue doesn't happen enough. Here, its been the crux of this arc so far and its proven to be the best parts of the story. This was quite an fun issue of ASM!

Nick Spencer's finishes his latest arc with a solid issue that benefits greatly from a fantastic art team.

Boomerang has been an asset to this book, but somehow this Spidey/Boomer story doesn't feel as if its playing with its strengths as much as Spencer's previous Boomerang-centric issues. The issue itself is mostly recaps and montages to explain the full extent of the Kingp–I mean Mayor Fisk's involvement with the book. It's just an alright issue that didn't bore me, but didn't excite me either.

Spider-Man takes a serious step away from the focus here to explore the obscure canon and untold history of one of the most underused faces in the Marvel Universe. Nick Spencer is no stranger to not only playing around with some fantastically under-utilized characters, but he's showing a knack for bringing them into stories that may pull at your emotions.

There's fun to be had in this one, but don't expect anything that really helps move this volume of ASM along. It still feels like absolutely nothing in Nick Spencer's grand scheme of heavier, weightier stories have moved forward at all. Still, enjoyable filler with amazing art.

Spencer continues to bait Kindred like a carrot on a stick. The well for hyping his villain is running dry, and we can only hope the days of teasing us with his cryptic appearances are coming to a close. Beyond Kindred, we are treated to the Sin-Eater arc we've been seeing brewing in previous issues as back-up material. It's not a bad issue, just a non-special beginning of another arc.

Amazing Spider-Man #45 is a decent enough start of the new Sins Rising arc, but not quite as engaging as its prelude special.

I really have no idea how any of this is going to tie into Spencer's Kindred story anymore. This issue really cements the idea that this is just its own story, independent of whatever Spider-Man's bigger mystery villain has in store. I'm not seeing what it is that connects the two, besides Kindred being the one to revive Stan Carter and supercharge him with his supernatural enhancements. Even with that said, this issue has a lot going for it. Whether its a bigger piece of an unfinished/still-ongoing work of art or maybe it's its own tapestry, it's shaping to be a fine design.

Sins Rising is still going on strong. This has been a story I've enjoyed since the beginning, and I haven't a reason to assume it won't finish on a high note.

A giant package of a comic, it's the main story that carries this whole issue, as it should. The additional content is purely filler, and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you're wondering if that $10 USD price tag is worth it...(yeah, comics can be pricey...)...I'll say the ongoing Sins Rising arc has yet to disappoint.

The story arc we've all been waiting for. It delivers one big answer while putting into perspective more pressing questions. Incredible art flows through this one. I found this to be a good issue.

Last Remains is coming in hot, with Vincentini's art giving this narrative heavy issue a lot of amazing imagery.

The writing continues to stay strong and the art is pure icing. Spencer seems to be pulling out his best material for the arc we've all been waiting for.

Last Remains continues to entertain this reviewer, where both the main issues and the "point" LR issues feel substantial and equally act as necessary reads. This arc is proving to be some of Spencer's best and strongest since he's been given this title, and I'm happy to ask for more.

Each installment of Last Remains has secured this arc as being one of the most memorable stories to ever be told in the Spidey books. This issue even brings legendary Mark Bagley into the fold, adding his iconic visuals to the unwinding tale of Kindred. While this arc has been nothing short of incredible, this is the issue that demands your attention most of all. And if you've been reading Spider-Man since at least after Civil War's conclusion, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

This issue may look like a tie-in for the events happening around Peter and Kindred, but it really serves as the true conclusion to the previous story arc “Sins Rising” as the Sin-Eater plot is given its proper resolution. That said, its a solid issue that continues to give the Spider-Family (sans Peter himself) the spotlight.

This issue continues the trend of being a solid issue to this heavy arc we've been waiting to get to for the longest. Funnily, now that we're finally here, there's no end in sight. There's so much left still to unpack and we've cleared a total of eleven issues, and this late in the game we're about to get two big A-list enemies to crash the Spider-Man/Kindred party. This issue delivers enough to keep me entertained, still I'm anxious and hoping the endgame of the arc as a whole will be worth it.

The writing and the pacing of this story is now wearing on my patience, as Nick Spencer has shockingly gone back to his frustrating habit of drawing things out much longer than they should be. It's a shame that what was a really engaging story is now being halted with an issue more interested in teasing upcoming stories and bringing in more ancillary characters with nothing to do with what we've been following in Last Remains. If you add up both the main issues and the point issues of Last Remains, this is effectively Last Remains Chapter 12, and its still…going…on…with no new answers or revelations.

Amazing Spider-Man #57 doesn't waste pages teasing new and unrelated stories. This time, we have an issue that keeps its focus on the “finale” of Last Remains. Action takes a backseat in favor of drama while giving us…answers? Well…The last remains of Last Remains wrap up in a way that may not satisfy some readers.

Although I left the previous arc somewhat unsatisfied in the end, I have to admit I was about ready for a break away into either new or different ground. This new arc begins with the typical “set-up” issue but it's paced very well and has great art. I've always felt Mister Negative was just one great story shy of becoming one of my favorite Spidey rogues. I'm eager to see what Spencer can do with this character.

Nick Spencer delivers a great read while Mark Bagley pulls his weight with fantastic art. Spencer continues to carry on the Kindred saga by peppering in these stories around other arcs, and while he's done this before throughout the early half of his run, this Kindred-related intermission is one of the more engaging ones. If Spencer is going to draw out the Kindred saga even longer, I welcome more stories like this one.

Amazing Spider-Man has been in top form for a long time. Nick Spencer is now tying up several past plots into a really entertaining series of events, and as always, he has the privilege of getting some excellent art talent to come along for the ride.

Simply put, its a straightforward conclusion to our Randy/Janice arc. Whenever I found the dialogue to be lacking, the art and the action made up for it. It's not the most exceptional conclusion, but this arc was just a distraction set up by our bigger villain (Wilson Fisk) to prepare for (I'm hoping) an even bigger problem.

A worthy addition to one of the best Spider-Man stories (1985's “The Death of Jean DeWolff”), and if you're following the bigger story that has already started in Nick Spencer's run of The Amazing Spider-Man, check this one out.

More an adventure book than a standard superhero/super-villain comic book, Agents of Wakanda will draw you in on the premise of seeing Black Panther lead a mishmash team of who's who(s) into an assortment of missions, but so far nothing I've read suggests this book should be taken too seriously.

Overall, there was nothing here I could see a non-Carnage fan being interested in. I am a Carnage fan, and I doubt I'll ever think of these stories again.

Despite being a trilogy of whole new stories, my takeaway was pretty much the same here as it was from the last issue. I didn't really love or hate these stories. These are just bit-sized filler tales where your mileage will vary.

The Venom story alone is all the reason you need to pick this (free) comic up, while the Spider-Man(s) story does no harm to the overall package.

An enjoyable Spider-Man and Black Cat romp, and a Venom tale to remind us of what's to come, for the price of nothing. The Venom story might not be as essential due to Venom #26 being released before this, but the Spidey story handles itself as its own self-contained story. Even with the release of this being delayed, both stories are worth reading, and with “King in Black” being months away still, you can at least get your Ryan Stegman now while the long wait to Knull continues.

This book explodes with chaos, and the art does not disappoint to sell on the catastrophe Knull's arrival brings to Earth. We're finally free to see Knull in action, and Cates writes him with all the menace and calamity a world-ending villain needs to deliver, especially after years of building towards his arrival. This event needs to be a blockbuster, and Cates's is bringing out nukes.

Ryan Stegman's visuals are at their peak in this second chapter of the newest Cates event. Cates himself writes a story that works surprisingly well even with the the most important characters almost completely missing or out of commission through the whole issue.

Its so weird to say an event book shouldn't try to get by on only action, but I do wish there was more actual story taking place. Still, if you're looking for a montage of epic moments one after the other, this issue is king.

I've enjoyed enough of Donny Cates run on Venom, especially his Absolute Carnage event, but for the long three year Knull saga that the Venom book quite honestly was, it wasn't worth this. A swift and easy win from a hero who has had almost no presence in this event book, hosting the ultimate MacGuffin power, our big bad, fearsome, God-intimidating Knull is rendered void in the most undeserved conclusion. All things considered, Knull has left me knumb.

I'm about to risk a hot take here: King in Black: Scream reads more like an Andi Benton/Scream book than it does a King in Black tie-in, and I say it's better for it! A continuation of the previous Scream title, it serves to tie up that run's last story arc while transitioning into the current Knull-Coming crisis that has been wrecking the Marvel Universe. But it's not it's connections to the Knull event that this issue prides itself; it's the combined writing and art of Chapman and Brown that brings out this book's titular character in high form. Scream, Andi or otherwise, has come exceeding far from her origins as that obscure nameless “female Venom character”, and has become a character that deserves another series of books!

Great art! Check. Good writing and handling of the characters? Check. This is a solid enough book, but like a majority of the King in Black side-stories, tie-ins and one-shots, it doesn't do anything for the event its supposed to be connected to. Oddly, it DOES serve as a decent Ghost Rider story all on its on, but even then it spends most of its time catching you up on what has already happened in the Ghost Rider title before becoming a free-for-all between Ghost Rider and friends and the symbiote-demon horde that show up.

The first story is very much a standalone tale while the second story teases a future threat, courtesy of Knull. Despite the very different writers and artists on each story, I enjoyed both stories pretty much equally. King in Black could definitely use more content like this.

Planet of the Symbiotes is a serviceable collection of filler stories. Here we have two B-list acts that feature B-list characters who just happen to be around when the Knull invasion kicks off. There's really nothing here that anyone following King in Black needs to pay attention to. If you like American Kaiju or Hobie Brown, you'll get a lot more out of this anthology. Its perfectly okay, and perfectly skippable, as your mileage will vary.

We have a by-the-numbers Cloak & Dagger tale, and fun pilot to a Toxin ongoing which may not happen, but that potential is there. Steve Orlando does a good job selling the premise of a Toxin book featuring a new host. Between these three Planet of the Symbiote/King in Black anthologies, this one has the absolute least to do with King in Black. If any of the featured characters interest you, you'll be fine reading these. For the uninitiated, you might get something at least from the Toxin story.

This new take on Venom, 2099 or otherwise, was pretty lackluster. I really wish they found a way to simply keep and revamp the original Venom 2099. There was more material to work with, having the original Venom 2099/Kron Stone being the son of Alchemax's CEO and half-brother of Spider-Man 2099. This new Alea/Venom has nothing interesting about her, and I'm left wondering by the end of the book why she even wants to go forward with being the new Venom"

Absolute Carnage has ended, but the damage has been done, and we're seeing a handful of books (Venom, Scream, Ruins of Ravencroft) experiencing the reverb of Carnage's action. Its a great post-Absolute Carnage story, and I wonder if the following issues will reveal an even greater effect the histories and mysteries of Ravencroft might have on other areas of the Marvel Universe, beyond just Carnage and Knull.

A cool-down issue that gives us some insight on the man that would become Kulan Gath. Though lacking on the epic battles and Cimmerian action of its previous issues, its a necessary step away to get our good Doctor (Strange) a better idea on exactly what he's been pulled into.

I hope the semi-obscurity of the title character doesn't scare anyone away, because right out the gate, this book is proving it has merits to give both Andi Benton and Scream every right to be leading character(s) in this new title. Even if you aren't a Venom/symbiote fan, give this a try. It deserves a read! Don't know who the hell Scream is? Get to know her here!

This may be the most interested I've ever been in Andi Benton. Chapman provides us with just enough answers and twists to keep me interested while still guessing at the same time.

Scream: Curse of Carnage is both an entertaining follow-up to Absolute Carnage and addendum for Venom. It manages to tell its own story while still staying within the circle of stories, developments, and twists that the two aforementioned books have set up. This issue suggests that Andi's past life and familial longing are going to continue to get put into play as this story rolls on. At least I hope so. Between little teases of Andi's life before becoming Scream (or Mania or Hell-powered…) and her changing relationship with the Scream symbiote, and the menace of Mother and her kin, this reader is still singing this book's praises!

Scream has been a consistently good book, never failing to keep me engaged. The series has been a great amalgam of eldritch, street-level grit, and now with issue #4, we can add medieval lore to the mix.

Excellent writing, moody art, and the perfect balance of action and story-telling…while I am anxious to see this book's protagonist have a (hopefully inevitable) run-in with Venom, this book really isn't suffering by being its own beast. Honestly, my favorite issue of the run so far.

Scream: Curse of Carnage remains a favorite of mine I always look forward to. It's getting harder to find new ways to praise this book, but if it continues to be this good, I'll live up to that challenge.

This book easily serves its purpose if you just want to find an age-appropriate comic for a young reader, or if you're hoping to introduce a little newbie into the world of comics, specifically Spider-Man.

Spider-Man & Venom's body switch comic continues with #2, providing a fun little alternative to their standard comicbook fare. Honestly not a bad pick for those looking for a sillier distraction.

While this book isn't focused solely on just Spider-Man, don't take that as a con. Its called "Symbiote Spider-Man", but the symbiote as of this issue doesn't play any role in the book. Maybe there's something planned for the next issues, but if you're okay with the alien costume having no significant role in this title (at least this first issue), you may enjoy this solid first installment. This was a good start to a limited series I'm looking forward to following, and a fun visit back to a great era of Spider-Man books.7.3/10

This standalone story can stand proud as a great exercise in a fun, final What If? story. Keeping up with what's being thrown at you might at first feel taxing, but it's well worth it. Every time I re-read this issue, I had fun! This issue offers a look at the finality of Venom, fighting to save all bio-life in the universe, and with a task that big, this little book offers some big payoff.

Donny Cates, you are seriously winning me over. Not since the Rex arc (issues one through six) have I enjoyed this book so much.

If you've been enjoying Cates run so far, you wont change your opinion after reading issue 12. I'm staying patient, but I am more than ready for Cates to get back to the tempo he had during the first six issue, the Rex arc.

Final ThoughtsCoello and Bunn deliver their first chapter of a three part War of the Realms companion story that cranks up the pace of the ongoing, but leaves the most recent life-changing reveals and new questions Cates dropped on readers untouched. You'll have to wait until Cates returns if you're hoping for more in the way of the status quo his last arc left Eddie in, and its anyone's guess just how deep this three parter will weigh-in on the core event Jason Aaron has unleashed unto Midgar, but with what Bunn and Coello gave us, it was visually refreshing seeing Eddie do what he hasn't in so long…be Venom (well…a mock “Asgard” Venom…)

Final ThoughtsThis arc puts the breaks on the big Knull (Absolute Carnage) storyline prior to issue 13 and places Eddie on his own in a corner of the War of the Realms event to play out his own personal God of War fantasies. Treat this loose event tie-in purely as a filler, but take away the fantastic art and treat yourself to some long overdue action. Yes, this arc may be spinning it's wheels until Cates returns, but I had fun with this issue.

The concluding issue offers more of the same as its two preceding chapters; a story that relies on heavy action and brilliant visuals. This three-part arc may be nothing more than a filler from this book's actual ongoing saga, but I got my fun out of it (and I'll be forever grateful for Barbarian Eddie with a badass battleaxe). But the vacation is now over; its time to get back to work, Cates.

Donny Cates returns, but there's no Ryan Stegman to be found. Juan Gedeon gets the art duties, and he doesn't drop the ball. This issue feels like one final stall before everything kicks off with the next issues. Its nice to have a gritty street-level, down-to-Earth Eddie Brock story, neatly tucked between one chaotic War and an upcoming symbiote slaughter.

Don't expect a lot of Eddie in this one, folks. Or any type of Venom, Spider-Man, or even Carnage. It may sound like a tall order, but this is 100% a Venom/Carnage tie-in without virtually no Venom or Carnage. Its decisively a Dylan Brock/Maker installment of Absolute Carnage, but I dare say its worth a read. The art alone deserves to be seen, and this issue pairs well with the Absolute Carnage: Separation Anxiety issue. That said, it doesn't move the overall story as much as I had hoped.

Its no contest that the ongoing Venom book is the best companion book to the Absolute Carnage main issues.

Visually exceptional with its bright colors and fun expressive art, which only strengthens the writing. This issue not only gives us a different angle of the events of Absolute Carnage from another's point of view, it also teases some cryptic points that will surely be important come the rest of the Venom on-going even after this event is done.

This Absolute Carnage tie-in (the last of them) is actual deceiving. It has less to do with the events of Dark Carnage and the coming of Knull and more to do with shedding some serious light on the Maker and his true motives, which may prove to be worth even more investing than the upcoming threat of Knull's arrival. This issue feels like the beginnings of the next phase in the Venom ongoing.

The next phase in the Venom title revisits a very old location from Amazing Spider-Man #347. Venom Island looks to be a lot of fun, especially now that the set-up seems to be out of the way. Hopefully, things only intensifies from here.

Donny Cates Venom title has had an absence of actual Venom (i.e. Eddie AS Venom, wearing the Venom symbiote) for a while now, but he manages to tell us fun action story nonetheless with just a powerless, resourceful Eddie going up against some crazy odds. We may be stranded on this island for a while, but if things continue to escalate like this, this story can only get wilder and wilder!

Venom Island's latest issue ends with a big shocker of an ending, suggesting that things might be winding down, but with two more issues left, don't lower your guard; something's up Donny Cates's sleeves. This story hasn't yet been able to reach the same highs as the Absolute Carnage event it follows, but I've been enjoying this arc a little more with each issue.

Everything I liked in this issue is being hyped up now to really take off in the next installment. Again, its not a bad book by any means, but I'm just ready for the next arc to begin already.

This issue does two things very well; it recounts everything that has happened in this title's run so far, and it teases what's to come. Meanwhile as far as the events taking place on the deserted island, with one Eddie Brock and his ongoing battle with the Carnage symbiote, I felt the conclusion was pretty underwhelming.

Cates returns to his Project: Oversight arc that had been stirring in the background behind the bigger Knull plot with Iban Coello returning on the visuals. The premier of a new villain promises more questions as Eddie and Dylan get engulfed in newer problems.

Two issues in and I already feel like this has more than made up for the lackluster “Venom Island” arc preceding it. This book's pros outweighed whatever personal cons I had with it, and even given those cons, they're more pet peeves than out-right detriments (well, I do feel like the art wasn't very polished, so I'll argue that as a genuine criticism). Venom Beyond has me excited again for Cates' Venom.

Venom #28 is great! I haven't had as much fun reading a Venom arc as I've been getting out of Cates' newest story, and three issues in it hasn't disappointed me.

The penultimate chapter to Beyond left me lukewarm. Even with the fanservice, I didn't have fun with this issue. I could have gotten behind an issue where as we got answers newer questions are brought up, but any questions I had left felt like they came up for the wrong reasons.

You'll have to weigh some serious plotholes against the otherwise fine quality of this conclusive issue of Cate's Beyond arc. Read as a whole arc in one sitting, this story in its entirety is a blast! The most satisfying moments of issue 30 probably makes this my favorite issue of the five-act arc.

By the way, this issue is called “Thirty-Two Seconds”. It took twice as long to read the whole thing.

One of the few tie-ins of King in Black I actually liked, yet still it just doesn't really take us anywhere in the overall grand story. We get to see what our “dead” hero is experiencing out-of-body, and several pages of amazing art later, our hero may have a plan. A much better tie-in than the previous Venom issue, but still not enough “oomph” for what should be the most important book orbiting the Knull event.

Iban's art combined with all the screen time Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson share together are the highlights of this chapter in the King in Black saga. This issue co-exists perfectly with the happenings take have unfolded over in the main King in Black book, giving this issue a lot of merit as an essential tie-in. However, expect quite a bit of inaction from our main heroes for most of the book before they finally take the fight to Knull.

Once I stopped asking questions, I found myself having fun reading this. Iban Coello will always be a plus on anything he draws, and I'm always happiest to have him on any Venom story. Donny Cates wanted to play with a lot of different ideas here, and while getting to these ideas was messy, the actual result was fun. It was a bombastic ride that I enjoyed more than the actual event's finale.

This end for Eddie is a series of new beginnings for several others, as we see Donny Cates's ongoing 35 issue (plus extras) Knull comic reach the epilogue. Eddie Brock see's himself transitioning into a brand new role, and the character of Venom will go forward in a radically different direction. While this issue left this Venom fanatic feeling melancholy, I'm sure your average Venom reader, one who has been following and loving this run since its inception, will will come out of this with quite the experience. Who knows what's in store next"

Guiu and Chapman combine their talents to craft a tension filled terror of a on-shot, leaving behind the events of Empyre to herald the Coming of Knull.

Final ThoughtsI walked away from this issue in an polarized way. On the one hand, it is a continuation of the seeds that have been planted, and are sprouting into the inevitable “Absolute Carnage” event that's going to spiral into the life of Venom in an expected big way. This feels like a necessary read if you've been following Venom and Web of Venom so far. On the other hand, at the same time it also left me feeling like I just read a filler issue; even with the “big bads” showing their faces and showing us just how grim things are about to get, it didn't get me any more fired up for the event. Its an all right issue and does its job of moving the plot along, but it just failed to create the sensation of hype I thought I'd get looking forward to the event its moving towards.

The doomsday clock ticks a little closer to the coming Carnage, and worse, there's little time left as it is. One of many former symbiote hosts, Andi Benton fights a one-sided battle against a lunatic grasping at Godhood in one of the final preludes to “Absolute Carnage”. The full extent of Andi's hell powers doesn't come even close to a sampling of Carnage's new enhancements. If everything here is just a warm-up act for the full Carnage story, I'm ready for show to begin.

Overall, this package as a whole was okay. Outside of Funeral Pyre, these Web of Venoms haven't really been grasping me, and this newest one is just…fine. Seeing Dylan be a negative influence character archetype was different and took a minute for me to roll with, but I can't say I really hated it. If its a condition of being under Knull's influence, there's not much the kid can do, and it saves the character from being a sudden heel-turn from out of nowhere. Still, it's an issue that shows the two boys sneaking out and causing some trouble, before ultimately coming to blows themselves. The most important take away is the revelation of Dylan being far from a Good Son like we thought. All in all, its just an okay story, with okay art.

One of the better Web of Venom issues that serves more as a continuation of the titular character Wraith. If you've been following the Knull storylines in Donny Cates' main Venom book, this won't really move the needle on any gauges, but if you're invested in Wraith, you'll get a hefty return.