CTHON (who we all know is really a stand in for Cthulhu) RISES!
Carnage #16 (Marvel Comics)
Observations
- Not sure what’s scarier: Gleeful Carnage/Cletus Kasady or ancient elder god unleashed upon the earth.
- Cthon eats his own followers and doesn’t give a crap about anyone with a mortal soul—including the person who freed him. Sounds about right.
- DEUS EX MACHINA TO THE RESCUE!
- I’m all for attractive people flirting with each other, but now is definitely not the time to start spitting game.
- ☹
- Oh yeah, that’ll work…
The Verdict
Ugh.
I say that with affection, by the way.
Much like Lovecraft’s own work, this fantastically crafted story ends with a bit of a thud. While we do get a cool looking final battle (thanks to Mike Perkins’ dependably awesome pencils), the narrative makes a jarring shift from dark and foreboding to a string of boilerplate, last minute heroics.
Even the death of one of the series’ major characters is diminished by Carnage #16’s bizarrely cheery tone. The issue’s one saving grace is that it gives us a lot of cool looking visuals, particularly the aforementioned deus ex machina. Colorist Andy Troy deserves a lot of credit for making a scene that I didn’t care for at all still look incredibly good.
I really hate giving the final issue of this series a mediocre review, especially since I enjoyed the rest of it so much. Even with this disappointing final chapter taken into account, Carnage was a much better book than I imagined it could be—a wonderful dose of cosmic horror spiked with one of the darkest elements from Marvel’s rogue gallery. I will definitely be digging into the long box to read this epic eldritch tale in the near future…
…except for the last few pages, of course.
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