Eddie Brock has been missing since Venom War wrapped up, with a new Venom tramping about, but he returns this week in Eddie Brock: Carnage. It’s a shocking turn for Eddie for a few different reasons. A big one is that Carnage has targeted Venom Eddie and his loved ones, so why would Eddie ever join forces with Carnage? Heck, the fact that Carnage is technically a child of Eddie’s symbiote also throws a wrench into things, and in Eddie Brock: Carnage #1, a strong sense of what this series is revealed.
Eddie Brock: Carnage #1 is a strong start, throwing readers into the deep end of Eddie’s new approach to vanquishing bad guys. The issue opens with Eddie on a commercial flight, thinking about how he must kill someone on the plane, but he doesn’t know who. Meanwhile, Carnage’s narration comes through via captions reiterating what Eddie must do. It’s kind of like a devil on his shoulder.
One might wonder how Eddie can kill since he gave up on killing people a while ago, but it makes sense now that he must to keep Carnage at bay. It seems the two have made a deal: Eddie feeds Carnage the lives of those who deserve to die, and Carnage will avoid killing innocents. In a way, writer Charles Soule has taken Eddie back to his roots since he has killed before.
Eddie is on a mission to kill.
Credit: Marvel
Jesus Saiz is a mainstay at Marvel Comics, always dazzling with dynamic art that’s detailed and larger than life, and he continues that trend here. There are multiple moments that will take your breath away. In one, a person is ripped to shreds in a full-page splash that might make you gag. In another, Carnage’s tendrils probe every head on the plane via a double-page layout to see their thoughts. They’re epic ways of showing the power of the symbiote, with another scene stealer later on I won’t spoil.
It’s in the second half of the issue we gain a better sense of what Eddie is facing. This story isn’t just Eddie keeping the Carnage symbiote fed; something nefarious is happening. Carnage isn’t a god any longer, but he’s up to something, which puts Eddie on his toes. A closing scene between Carnage and Eddie in his mind reveals Eddie isn’t in a simpatico relationship, and he’s fighting to gain some kind of upper hand.
If there was a weakness to the issue, it’s a lack of context as far as Eddie’s end game and his thoughts on Dylan. I suppose he’s on the run with Carnage to keep it in control, but why not ask for help? Does he miss Dylan? He can’t think killing killers can last forever. The issue is excellent at dropping us into his life, but where we go from here beyond killing supervillains is anyone’s guess.
Eddie Brock: Carnage #1 is a thrilling, blood-soaked exploration of Eddie Brock’s dark alliance with Carnage. Jesus Saiz’s jaw-dropping art elevates the issue, though the issue’s ambiguity about Eddie’s endgame leaves readers craving more clarity. This is symbiote storytelling at its most visceral.
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