REVIEW: ‘Carnage,’ Issue #5

Carnage #5 is written by Ram V, illustrated by Francesco Manna, colored by Erick Arciniega, and lettered by VC’s Joe Sabino. It’s published by Marvel Comics. Part 2 of “A Wild Hunt” finds Dark Elves attempting to hunt down Carnage in Svartálfarheim, only for the sinister symbiote to start turning the tables on them. Meanwhile, Carnage’s disciple Kenneth Neely is abducted by one of the Dark Elves, and Detective Jonathan Shayde finds himself on a crucial mission to halt Carnage’s ascension to godhood.

This issue starts to delve a little deeper into Carnage’s killing spree and how his seemingly random kills have been anything but. A purpose can make a villain terrifying; unlike a heroic character, a villainous one is willing to go to any lengths to get what they want. And Carnage is no different. Freed from his bond with Cletus Kasady, he’s attempting to be a far greater killer than his host ever was. Though this series is only five issues in, it’s safe to say that V is doing for Carnage what Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman did for Venom and writing a journey for the character that elevates him. Which is great. I’ve always felt that Carnage is a character that could stand up there with Apocalypse and Thanos in terms of terror.

To get to his goal, Carnage has to face an army of Dark Elves, and that’s where Manna steps in to provide the other half of what’s made this comic such an engrossing read. The battle between Carnage and the Dark Elves is just as intense and gory as one would expect. Characters are cut in half, repeatedly impaled, and have their throats slit. And through it all, Carnage looms large, his face permanently locked in a sadistic grin. Manna, and by extension, V, also understand the beauty of having different characters in the Marvel Universe interact. Sure it’s fun to watch Carnage and Spider-Man tussle, but pitting Carnage up against characters from Thor’s world opens up whole new story possibilities.

The art team gains a new member, as Arciniega steps in for the late, great Dijjo Lima. His color palette is mostly dark hues of blue and green due to the overall atmosphere of Svartálfarheim, but soon turns a bright bloody red as Carnage begins his murder spree. The difference between characters’ speech patterns is also noticeable thanks to Sabino. The Dark Elves speak in the same Norse-inspired script that all characters connected to the Thor mythos use, while Carnage’s word bubbles are just as disjointed and jagged as his body.

Carnage #5 has the sinister symbiote continuing his intergalactic murder spree, which takes on a beautiful yet disturbing dimension as he encounters characters from the Thor mythos. The next issue looks to get even bigger as Carnage is hunting down one of Thor’s biggest villains, and judging from the cover he may get an upgrade that will make him even more terrifying. After all, the last time Carnage tasted godlike power, things didn’t turn out so well.

Carnage #5 is available wherever comics are sold.