REVIEW: Venom #26

Carnage is on the loose in the Microverse and he’s taking no prisoners. There’s more Minimum Carnage in the latest issue of Venom and Major Spoilers has your review.

VENOM #26
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artists: Declan Shalvey
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Editor: Tom Brennan
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99

Previously in Minimum Carnage: After having a little tussle, Venom and Scarlet Spider hop into the Prometheus Pit to go after Carnage. They are separated as Venom meets the Enigma Force and Scarlet Spider meets the Redeemer, and a giant sized problem.

NOW WE’RE GETTING SOMEWHERE

We learn that Carnage’s allies have plans to clone an army of Carnage soldiers in the Body Banks to take down the Redeemer. Carnage has other plans as he turns on his allies killing all but one of them. Venom is introduced to the Enigma Force who will bring him to meet the Redeemer, but Marquis Radu’s armada attacks their space ship. Meanwhile, Scarlet Spider fights a huge bug.

My one complaint with this story has been that the plot doesn’t move fast enough. In this issue, we finally learn character’s motivations and get an idea of where the story is heading. It was nice to see more of Carnage and learn what his allies had planned for him. Of course, Carnage being the character he is, things don’t end well for them. This twist fit nicely because, after all, Carnage works best alone. The story is definitely different and I find that I don’t have a clue where it’s going next. This is good, as it keeps me interested and what I thought was going to be a typical Carnage kills everyone story (and there’s some of that) is turning into a strange sci-fi tale that is growing on me. Not everything works though. The fight Scarlet Spider has with the giant bug is kind of pointless and new elements in the story are introduced with little explanation. This could all change, as there are still three more issues to go in this event. The more I read, the more I like the story and think this is an event that could surprise readers.

DID WE TAKE OUR TIME?

I did not care for Declan Shalvey’s art in this issue at all. It seemed rushed and distracted me from what was taking place in the story. Save for Carnage, there is very little detail in the characters and panels. Shading is almost non-existent in some scenes and when there is, it’s done by the colors. Some characters look like outlines and facial features are strange and sometimes uneven. In the scene where Venom and the Enigma Force must fend off an attack on their ship, figures appear to be floating and it’s not clear whether this was intentional. In the same panel, Princess Marionette is making a pose that shows no movement, as she just appears hunched over with her sword sticking out. There are some things to like, such as Carnage’s appearance and the panel with Venom’s symbiote losing control with teeth and tendrils flying everywhere. Overall, very disappointing artwork that really brought the quality of the issue down.

BOTTOM LINE: GOOD ISSUE, EXCEPT FOR THE ART

I’m enjoying Minimum Carnage more and more as the story goes on. Bunn and Yost are creating something fun and unique here, weaving an unusual sci-fi tale. It’s the last place you’d think to find these characters but it works. This issue unfortunately is brought down half a star for poor art that could have, and should have been better. Venom #26 gets 2.5 out of 5 stars.