REVIEW: Scarlet Spider #10

Minimum Carnage continues this month in Scarlet Spider #10.  Does this issue set out to do something new, or does it follow in the footsteps of its ‘90s counter part?  More after the jump!

SCARLET SPIDER #10
Writer: Chris Yost
Artists: Khoi Pham, Reilly Brown
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Delgado & Soto
Editor: Tom Brennan
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99

Previously in Minimum Carnage:  Carnage escaped his cell with the help of some miniature accomplices and fled to Houston where the Prometheus pit is located.  The Scarlet Spider attempted to stop Carnage but was unable to as Carnage jumped into the pit, traveling to the Microverse.  Now Venom has shown up on the scene, and Scarlet Spider is not happy.

LITTLE MOVEMENT FORWARD

The issue consists of a fight between Scarlet Spider and Agent Venom as Venom loses control of his symbiote. After getting his suit under control, Venom and Scarlet Spider discuss what to do about Carnage. They decide to jump into the Prometheus pit and go after Carnage to stop his plans in the Microverse. We get a short glimpse of both Venom and Scarlet Spider in the Microverse and are introduced to more micro sized characters. And that’s really all there is.

I found that this issue didn’t move the plot forward all that much. We are subjected to the required fight between the two heroes before they decide to team up and stop the villain. It was neat to see Venom lose control and become his monstrous self, but the fight was predictable and felt like filler. We know neither one of the heroes is going to die, especially this early in the story, which takes away any sense of danger or threat. We’re subjected to a few pages of Venom and Scarlet Spider arguing over whether or not to leave Carnage in the Microverse. I thought that Scarlet Spider certainly changed his mind fast, one minute deciding he wants nothing to do with Carnage then three pages later agrees to go after him. Fans of Carnage will be disappointed as the character is only in the book for two pages. Luckily his dialogue is nowhere near as bad as it was in Minimum Carnage: Alpha. Seeing more of the Microverse was cool and the strangeness really appealed to me. Monsters and creatures run wild which adds a nice new flavor to the story and separates it from Maximum Carnage. This helped keep me interested in the story and where it’s headed, but I just wished there was more forward momentum as not much was accomplished in this issue.

LONG TONGUES, LITTLE BACKGROUNDS

Khoi Pham and Reilly Brown’s art is good, not great, but saves the book from the staleness that the story possesses. I’ve always enjoyed when artists draw Venom with freakishly long tongues and that’s done here. Strange thing to point out, I know. When Venom’s symbiote goes out of control, he isn’t drawn insanely large as some artists have done in the past and that was appreciated. And Carnage is portrayed as the skinny murderer that he should be. One problem that persisted in the book was backgrounds and lack there of. What backgrounds we do get are very basic with little detail. The only time we do get some nice backgrounds is in the Microverse where detail is strong and colors are vivid (helping portray Venom’s thought of not knowing what some of the colors are). I enjoyed the art though, and felt it helped bring this book to a new level.

BOTTOM LINE: TOO MUCH SPACE, TOO LITTLE CONTENT

This issue was only average and really felt like filler to me. I fear that Minimum Carnage may turn out to be a story that is told in six parts but could be whittled down to four. Plot is barely moved forward this issue and we still aren’t presented with Carnage and his accomplice’s plans. Carnage fans will be quite disappointed as he is barely in this issue. Hopefully things will pick up in the next few issues of this event and we’ll get a little more meat on the bone. Scarlet Spider #10 gets 2.5 out of 5 stars.