A new terror has risen on the fringes of the Marvel Universe, stirring in the depths of space. But evil is also rising on Earth, claiming one victim at a time in the name of the killer called CARNAGE!

I’ve never been much of a fan of Carnage. When he was introduced, I wasn’t reading Spider-Man and he seemed like that extreme derivative character that was a popular concept at the time. I’ve read some stories since then featuring him and generally have enjoyed them, though can’t say I’ve been blown away. Web of Venom: Cult of Carnage #1 is the type of comic I’d normally skip over but it’s clear that something is brewing in the Marvel Universe when it comes to Venom and the new concepts introduced around that character. Carnage will obviously be a player in what’s coming due to his history.

The comic, is actually pretty solid whether you’re interested in the meta or not.

Written by Frank Tieri, the issue focuses on Misty Knight who’s on a case trying to find her partner, John Jameson, who has gone missing. The issue weaves through some Carnage history (and ironically one of the few Carnage stories I’ve read) as she, and eventually her partner, discuss what happened.

What Tieri does well is build the suspense as things progress and we get to the end which is somewhat predictable. The comic isn’t original and there’s a lot there that’s easy to guess, but it’s done in a way that builds on what has come before and ups the terror. It’s a smart bridge to what has come before and what will be and intelligently uses a past story to build a greater story when there really wasn’t an obvious one.

The art by Danilo S. Beyruth, with color by Andres Mossa and lettering by Clayton Cowles, is good. It doesn’t quite fit the horror genre but something about it works as it first plays off the humor present in the story but eventually gets to the creepy horror part of it all.

The issue is a good one and actually has me wanting to go back and read about the return of Carnage and of course what comes next. It also has me excited to see what is coming when it comes to Venom as this miniseries builds off the new concepts introduced there. This is one that may fly under the radar but it’s one that may wind up being an important piece of the bigger puzzle.

Story: Frank Tieri Art: Danilo S. Beyruth
Color: Andres Mossa Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.85 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review