Cletus Kasady is back in the suit in Carnage #1 from Torunn Grønbekk and Pere Peréz, and things are bound to get bloody.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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Carnage #1 Review:
In the new issue of Marvel‘s most violent book, the Carnage symbiote figures out a way to get the deceased Kasady back in the costume. Naturally, things get very violent very quickly as Carnage calls Flash Thompson out to play.
“This is very dark,” said host Pete Lepage. He added that he loves the setup for the new book that finds Carnage posing as a semi-religious figure. “It’s crazy and interesting to see this take on this character… I thought it did a great job in the first issue.”
Justin Tyler agreed, shouting out Grønbekk’s clear love of the subject matter in the book. He also dug the pacing of the book. Tyler noted “this story introduces horrifying elements a page before, then we see it and it’s horrible… It’s a nice trap to fall into.”
Alex Zalben noted that he is always trepidatious about a Carnage book given it’s hard to identify with an unrepentant murderer. That said, he enjoyed this book, finding the riffs on the religious iconography that Donny Cates embraced in his work on the symbiote side of the Marvel Universe interesting. By contrast, this felt “more grounded” when it came to the religious aspects.
He also really liked pitting Carnage directly against Flash Thompson. “That’s a great way of positioning,” the conflict, so it doesn’t just focus on Cletus Kasady.
Added Tyler, “It’s pulling it back from the godlike powers of the previous incarnations, and getting us more into the serial killer, cat and mouse game that I think we’re going to get into this series.”
Wrapping up, Zalben shouted our Peréz’s art. “[It] doesn’t shy away from the disgusting gory horror throughout the book,” Zalben said. “Very gross stuff that happens in here. This is 100% for adults, don’t give it to a kid in your life.”
Carnage #1 Official Synopsis:
Every symbiote needs a host. And for CARNAGE, there has only ever been one host who has made it feel whole, and it’s time for a reunion… DON’T MISS this shocking and unexpected start to the next chapter of CARNAGE’s story – one which lays the groundwork for the next VENOM epic!
