AXIS: CARNAGE #1 was really funny. Watching Carnage -- one of the most heartless and violent villains in the Marvel
Universe -- fight his desire to slaughter innocents and instead force
himself to do the right thing -- or at least try to -- was consistently
entertaining and hilarious. But can that same joke still deliver laughs
in the second chapter? Thankfully, the answer is a very clear yes. AXIS: CARNAGE #2 is just as fun as the debut issue and had me cracking up a handful of times.
There's
so much goofiness to enjoy and a few gags made me burst into laughter.
From reworking his origin story so it's more fitting for a hero to the
way he interacts with others, observing this new Carnage is such a
twisted and good time. Two bits that gave me especially big laughs were
Carnage's handling of a bank robbery ("Taking a victory lap, babe!") and
the clever handling of the cliffhanger. Carnage as a villain tends to
be hit or miss, but Carnage attempting to be a hero? It's such a good
time when Rick Spears is writing.
The Bad
When
a scene revolves around Carnage, it's great stuff. But if the focus
isn't on Carnage, it's just not as engaging or interesting. The plot
with this new Sin-Eater
is slowly unraveling and it just isn't as gripping or entertaining as
the rest of the issue. Obviously it doesn't need to be all comedy all
the time, but the terrific writing with Cletus just makes the rest of
the material feel way less interesting and will leave you anxious to
return to the psychotic symbiote. As for the plot, you shouldn't really
go in expecting anything other than pure fun. The insight into Cletus is
cool, but there isn't really anything compelling -- the focus is
clearly just on keeping readers smiling.
Minor gripe: He couldn't use a tendril to grab onto the car in the final scene.
The Verdict
AXIS: CARNAGE is
legitimately hilarious and so much fun. Yes, the plot isn't anything
special and the time away from Carnage makes you wish you never left the
maniacal symbiote's side, but when we are observing Carnage,
it's such a good time and full of amazing silliness. This may not have
the level of the blood and darkness you'd expect from a Carnage story,
but it more than makes up for that with some excellent comedy as we
watch Carnage put in one very awkward situation after another. When all
is said and done, you know Carnage will eventually go back to
his old ways, but this limited series sure is making me wish that won't
happen any time soon.
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The Good
This new spin on the Cletus Kasady may not be all that original (we've seen heroes become villains and villains become heroes time and time again), but writer Rick Spears is making this story an absurd amount of fun! Whenever Carnage is on the page, the dialogue and interactions kept me laughing and wanting to see more. In his struggle to be a hero, Carnage has become legitimately likable and we want to see him put his own crazy twist on crime fighting. For the fist time in God knows how long, Cletus has a conscious and wants to do the right thing. But being a hero isn't easy and we watch him learn that by trial and error.
The Bad
Sin-Eater's new direction is interesting enough (it takes his name quite literally...), but the bits with Cletus are so fun that you can't help but feel like these Sin-Eater sequences are the weak points of the issue. I understand the need to open and close with him, but seeing as the Carnage scenes are so engrossing, you can't help but wish the Sin-Eater scenes were trimmed so we could have more space dedicated to Cletus' journey.
The Verdict
I'll be totally honest with you, Carnage has never been one of my favorite Spider-Man villains. Am I interested in the red symbiote? Sure, but he's never ranked up there with the likes of Eddie Brock or Kraven the Hunter. This first issue though? It made me fall in love with the character and kept me entertained. Yes, many of us have event fatigue, but AXIS is exactly what this Spider-Man foe needed. Watching him try to be a hero is priceless and it kept me smiling whenever he was on the page. I'm really looking forward to more of this because AXIS: CARNAGE is a twisted delight.
Get the full review from Comic Vine here.
