Death of the Venomverse #1 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Cullen Bunn, art by Gerardo Sandoval, colors by Jim Campbell and letters by Clayton Cowles. The Carnage symbiote is planning to face Eddie Brock, the King in Black. But to gain power, it must rid the Multiverse of all the other Venoms.
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The title of this series is incredibly accurate. There is a huge amount of death as Carnage begins his slaughter across the universes. They rarely happen off-panel either, exhibited in all their brutal glory. The pace is quick but the action is not sacrificed in order to achieve that. The massacre just happens so rapidly that it can get more of them in. The structure is awesome, operating in multiple points in time for the majority of the issue.
The plot alternates between Carnage eliminating Venoms and a small strike force working to find him. Each Venom is given a chance to fight back, turning each death into a tragedy. Each world is a glimpse at something bigger, suddenly cut short. The stakes seem impossible to beat and are only getting more dramatic. What’s incredible is that the biggest clash of the issue, an extended fight that is the most emotionally investing, isn’t even the final death of the issue. Instead, an even bigger one is started.
The characters are fascinating in this issue. There are many Venoms, and several of them meet a grizzly fate. But before they do, they are shown signs of their personality. Almost all of them speak. They get to demonstrate their arrogance before coming up against the most powerful being they have ever faced. In the team hunting, the Carnage Symbiote is even more Venoms, some of which have been seen before. They are organized, powerful, and have numbers on their side. But what becomes instantly unnerving is how little they know about Carnage, making the build-up to when they face each other especially nervewracking.
The real star of Death of the Venomverse #1 isn’t even a Venom, but Carnage. Lacking a host, the monster can change dimension at will, has access to weaponry and abilities beyond imagination, and is still as murderous as ever. He longs for more power and different abilities to add to his monumental arsenal. I have noticed that this Carnage doesn’t have the pure insanity of Cletus Kasady. Still bloodthirsty, but there aren’t the crazy ramblings. The dialogue is, therefore, different but still brilliant. Carnage’s rise to power leads to him belittling and mocking his opponents before they become victims, sending shivers down my spine.
The art is delectably violent. All of the Venoms are based on existing characters, and so it is fantastic to see Sandoval’s attempt to merge them with the Venom Symbiote. Every single one of them looks amazing. I particularly like Venom based on War Machine because of the sheer amount of detail on the armor and the weapons. Each fight is terrific, showing examples of what the representative from each Earth can do before they are struck down in a gruesome fashion. The sheer strength and ferociousness of Carnage is terrifying. His appearance in this issue is awesome, Not just his size and the addition of weapons he has collected on his travels across the cosmos, but every little detail on him increases the terror he emits. Black lines, looking like streaks of lightning, run along every part of his being. It raises the creepiness that starts with that iconic, demonic face.
The colors can be simplistic, but that just makes them greater. Most of the panels contain red and black, the dominant colors for both forms of the Symbiotes. It maintains the idea that this is a constant across the Multiverse of Venom vs Carnage if the same set of colors come up against one another time and time again. The lettering is almost all custom word balloons, which might become tiresome over time, but it helps differentiate between the Symbiotes and emphasizes the voices of the characters.
Death of the Venomverse #1 is unbridled brutality. A bloodbath that stretches across the Multiverse, this issue takes the hardcore nature of the Symbiotes to worlds that definitely don’t want it. The Venoms hunting something that is actively hunting Venoms makes the whole comic terrifying, as you can see the devastation coming before it happens. Bunn is an experienced master of symbiotic shenanigans, and that is solidified here. The concept is simple, and the plot is repetitive, but the darkness, terrific art, and brilliant characters make it impossible to hate. The whole issue is action-led but also an emotionally exhausting book filled with tragedy and menace.
Death of the Venomverse #1 is available where comics are sold.
