Eddie Brock is on the hunt for serial killers to keep Carnage at bay, and the next one on his list is Muse. It’s all he can do to ensure Carnage won’t kill him and start slaughtering innocent people, but Eddie also can’t trust the symbiote. Carnage has somehow hidden a flight of people from Eddie, and thus, a push and pull is in order. In Eddie Brock: Carnage #4, a statement is made by Eddie while Misty Knight gets closer to the truth.
Something you’ll notice right off the bat is the art by Jaunan Ramirez, which is messier than Jesus Saiz’s art, but suits the darker tone of the series. The inks are harsher and darker, which makes the gore all the more real and disturbing when it crops up.
Eddie Brock: Carnage #4 opens in Chicago with Eddie telling the symbiote they’re looking for Muse. There are signs of him through Muse’s graffiti, which gets them closer to their target.
On the hunt.
Credit: Marvel
While they seek Muse, Misty Knight confronts Eddie’s boss, a podcaster who is charting his serial killer spree. She’s not exactly clear on who Eddie is, and Misty aims to fill her in.
Ramirez gets to draw some gnarly symbiote action with cool blur effects and framing throughout. A highlight is a scene where Eddie gets a snack, which happens to be street rats. The tendrils of the symbiote are creepy and quite alive.
Soule does something interesting in this issue with the Eddie/Carnage bond, particularly in how Carnage seems concerned for Eddie. It’s likely that he needs Eddie to survive, but the fact that he questions his health is a new development. Maybe Carnage is already growing a conscience being with Eddie for a few weeks?
Unfortunately, that’s about as compelling as this issue goes, as the Misty scenes and the Carnage scenes are one-note. The Misty scene feels far too long for how little is conveyed, while Eddie enacts a plan to its end, but it also requires that he dupe the reader into thinking he’s up to something else entirely. The art can only do so much before you realize much of the plot progression could have fit into half an issue, not a full one. It ends up feeling like a padded-out issue.
Eddie Brock: Carnage #4 delivers some gnarly symbiote visuals and intriguing character beats, but it struggles to justify its page count with a sluggish plot and repetitive storytelling.
You must be logged in to post a comment.