Readers of the Lost Arcs #1 - MAXIMUM CARNAGE
In the first of a new series of mini-editorials I am planning, I take a look back at one of my favorite Spider-Man crossovers of all time - Maximum Carnage!
Readers of the Lost Arcs #1 - Maximum Carnage
OK, so sometime ago I got myself a 'generic' tablet and shortly afterwards downloaded the Marvel app allowing me to purchase comics via comixology. I'll admit it's not quite as romantic as owning the physical copies of the books but being the dad of a 3 yr old and living in a small terraced house means we've not exactly got tons of space for stacks of comics and so it's more convenient, even though not desirable!
Anyway, after getting up to speed on the latest titles – Chris Yost's now finished Scarlet Spider run and Jason Aaron's God of Thunder amongst some of my recent favourites, I decided to track back through the store for some of the comics and story arcs I owned as a kid. Whilst some of them hadn't quite made it on to the store yet I was pleased to find one of my all-time favourite Spidey arcs on there – Maximum Carnage!
This 14 part 1993 crossover series featured our favourite web-slinger teaming up with the likes of The Black Cat, Firestar, Captain America, Iron Fist, Morbius and the 'classic' Eddie Brock Venom to take on Carnage and his own band of misfits including Shriek, Doppelgänger, Carrion and Demogoblin as they embark on a killing spree across New York. At the time the series was a pretty big deal and even spawned a video game for the Sega Mega Drive and SNES (Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage). Naturally being a fan of the comic, I had this as well and it all adds to the nostalgia with which I remember this arc and yet however somehow it seems to have vanished into the abyss of stories long forgotten.
There are of course many other arcs like this and that's why I thought I'd create this feature – reminiscing about a few of those great stories we've had over the years that have kind of dropped off the radar. I'm sure many contributors have posted similar features so if you want to stop reading at this point then I don't blame you, however for those of you who are intrigued or have in fact never picked up this story then here's a brief overview of the plot and a couple of reasons why I still think it's an awesome read over 20 years on!
The story starts off with Cletus Kasady in Ravencroft – he's tied to a stretcher and on his way for some tests, it is believed that the Carnage symbiote has been completely purged from him, however as soon as they try and take some blood it is revealed it was lurking beneath the surface all along and before you know it Carnage is back and slaughtering guards and doctors alike before making his escape.
On his way he frees Shriek and then soon after the two of them recruit Doppelgänger, Carrion and Demogoblin to make a 'family' with Carnage as the dad, Shriek as the mother, Carrion and Demo as children and Doppelgänger as the family pet.
Meanwhile, Spidey having just buried a close friend with whom you will be familiar with, Peter is again weighing up the cost of his great power and responsibility and decides that he and Mj need some downtime to focus on what's really important. However, on his way to collect Chinese food he becomes aware that Carnage is free and it's not long before his runs into them realising that with his 'family' it's going to be too much for him to tackle on his own.
Carnage's jailbreak has also caught the attention of none other than Eddie Brock / Venom who has been in San Francisco protecting the innocents and trying to start a new life having finally made a truce of sorts with Spidey. He returns to New York and after a brush with the airport security tracks Carnage down by following the trail of bodies and confronts him. Again with the others in tow, Carnage and his gang prove too much for Venom and seriously hurt him, prompting him to go and lie low at the only place he feels he won't get turned in to the police – Peter and Mj's apartment.
After a significant amount of soul searching Spidey and Venom decide to team up and with the help of the Black Cat, who is as ever at her flirtatious best assemble their own family of heroes to take down Carnage's crew. Names to mention include Captain America, Iron Fist, Morbius, Nightwatch, Cloak and Dagger, Firestar and Deathlok, though don't let put you off; The bulk of the story centres around Spidey & Venom and their struggle to get along, whilst chasing down the villains.
There's plenty of twists and turns throughout the 14 issues – including the heroes breaking into the Baxter Building to gain position of a sonic gun, which Venom is insistent he takes charge of and also the kidnap and torture of a major character at the hands of Carnage. You get Shriek turning the populace of New York into a bunch of crazed lunatics and a piece of Stark tech that counteracts this. We also learn a fair bit about Cletus Kasady's formative years pre-symbiote and some of the abuse he suffered which made him the twisted psychopath that made him such a perfect match for his 'other'.
Eventually, when the heroes gain the upper hand it's not without cost and before the final showdown before Spidey, Venom and Carnage there are one or two cliffhangers to enjoy. Even over the final pages your left wondering whether they have finally put a stop to Carnage's rampage or whether it's just another ploy but then it wouldn't be a classic Spider-Man arc without the threat of further tragedy looming for future issues.
Maximum Carnage is available as a complete series via Comixology or can be collected through Spider-Man: Unlimited #1-2 (Parts 1 and 14), Web of Spider-Man #101-103 (Parts 2,6 and 10), The Amazing Spider-Man #378-380 (Parts 3,7 and 11), Spider-Man #35 (Part 4) and Spectacular Spider-Man #201-203 (Parts 5,9 and 13).
So there you have it – Maximum Carnage! All in all, I love this storyline and read it over and over as a kid – it has so much going for it in my book; You get a truly menacing Carnage who's nothing like what was almost an afterthought in the Ultimate Spider-Man (or at least that's how I felt about it) and you get what is the 'real' Venom in my book – not some Oscorp cast off or childhood friend gone bad but the over-muscled, bitter and cynical Eddie Brock who doesn't shy away from killing those who get in his way. As well as all that in my view this was a crossover that works by not overusing the supporting cast or have too many side plots and best of all you have a Spider-Man that really is at his web-slingling, wise-cracking best and supervillain stopping best.
If you've never read it, I would say it's a great read for any Spider-Man or Venom fan and if you have...why not read it again and share in the nostalgia!
Thanks for reading
Andy
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