Eddie Brock: Carnage came out swinging with its first issue, pairing two enemies who now must get along. Or at least, that’s what Eddie wants, as Carnage couldn’t care less. All Carnage wants is fresh bodies to kill. They’ve got a pact going to only to kill killers, and it’s going okay so far. The ante is upped in Eddie Brock: Carnage #2 as a supervillain is their next target.
Eddie Brock: Carnage #2 is like the first issue in many ways. It establishes an authority group and a hero on the trail of Carnage, recaps Eddie’s relationship with Carnage, and reminds us that collateral damage will always happen even if Eddie thinks he can keep things in control. This is a good thing if you’re new to the series, but it means it’s filled with information we already know.
New information gives us a complete background on why Eddie joined Carnage, adding to the tragic element of this new relationship. As far as the missing time, when Carnage takes over and Eddie forgets, that’s still a big question mark. It’s referred to, but that’ll remain an ongoing mystery.
How good is this page, right?
Credit: Marvel
While this issue features a lot of dialogue scenes, there’s also some action. Eddie’s next target is a supervillain, and he puts up a fight. Jesús Saíz pushes the action to the max with well-rendered double-page splashes. It opens up the cramped police office, mainly when policemen are murdered.
The showstopper visual is another haunting full-page splash of Carnage, complete with all the murders it has committed lately. The expression on Carnage suggests Eddie is tortured in the suit, but he’s doing what he thinks is right—or at least saving his innocence.
An ongoing element that works is the back-and-forth between Carnage and Eddie. Writer Charles Soule does a good job making Carnage poke and prod at Eddie. Carnage is the devil on his shoulder.
By my count, four pages are devoted to cops or agents confused and trying to figure out what they’re seeing. From the plane crash to cops looking at the manifest, it’s frustrating since the reader knows what happened. Even when Misty Knight shows up, there’s a page of back and forth that simply confirms she knows who was on the plane. We know, making this and the other pages read like filler.
Eddie Brock: Carnage #2 continues to explore Eddie’s uneasy alliance with Carnage with strong character work and striking visuals. However, its tendency to rehash established details and overuse procedural scenes drags down the momentum, making it feel like it’s stalling rather than pushing the story forward.
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