This is a good done in one tale that tells a heartfelt and very real story. It's about an average Joe's life and how a little bad luck can send everything crashing down. Read Full Review

Add this one to the growing list of impressive tie-ins for the event. Read Full Review

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE: SYMBIOTE SPIDER-MAN is perhaps the most surprising entry in the ABSOLUTE CARNAGE event thus far. Dark in tone and packing a powerful emotional punch, this is definitely a must-read chapter. Read Full Review

More filler than killer,Absolute Carnage: Symbiote Spider-Man #1 addresses a question no one was asking: "What happened to the guy who had the symbiote for a cool minute that one time?" It's a squarely mediocre read for what it is, but is for hardcore continuity cops and event completists only. Read Full Review

What about That Tourist Guy that the symbiote hitched a ride on for a few pages in the original alien costume saga? His life went to poo for entirely unrelated, but richly Marvel-esque (i.e. a random, destructive encounter with the White Rabbit), reasons. It has a shaggy dog ending, but exquisite storytelling makes the story meaningful prior to that. Gorgeous art, too. Essential? No. Satisfying? Yes!

Prelude:
Many of the tie-ins for Absolute Carnage have been failing for me so I'm hoping that changes for this issue.

The Good:
The main hook in this is the exploration of what happened to Leonard Elkhart due to the Venom symbiote. It's really interesting to see how one event can completely change your life.

It's much more of a personal story as well and I love character focused stories.
The Bad:
Doesn't feel like it's much of a tie-in for Absolute Carnage.

Some character decisions feel too extreme and instead serve to move the story forward but feel clunky as a result.

Conclusion:
An interesting story in of itself but I question it as a tie-in for Absolute Carnage. Though it's still one of the better tie-ins for the event. more

This was pretty good, but also needless.

"Because it's turn out we're not so différent, you and me ! Ciao !"

Don't let the title fool you as this thing contains little Absolute Carnage and even less Symbiote Spider-Man. Instead it answers the question EVERYONE was asking: "What ever happened to that plot device guy who wore the Venom Symbiote 30 years ago to move it from point A to Point B?" Answer: His life fell apart for reasons completely unrelated to anything symbiotey. It actually fell apart because of a G-list Spider-Man Villain. Oh wait this is supposed to tie-in to AC? Well then just shoehorn him in at the end. The only reason this doesn't get a lower score is because content-wise it's not bad. However, if I knew how little it relates to anything before hand, I never would have picked this up.

Uh, alright. I liked some of it.

Peter David rips off Killing Joke and thinks nobody will notice. Other than the shameful lifting, the old man character was decently written and Dodson freaking out about her breakfast burrito was the most accurate depiction of America I have ever seen in a comic.