Written by J.J. Abrams and Henry Abrams Art by Sara Pichelli Assisted Inks by Elisabetta D’Amico Colored by Dave Stewart Letters by VC’s Joe Caramagna
From the moment that Marvel teased its big Spider-Man project on Twitter, everyone started paying attention. Turns out that instead of a new Spider-Man movie, we’d be getting something pretty close to that: a Spider-Man comic written by one of the most prolific directors of action, science fiction, and drama films, J.J. Abrams. (Oh yeah, and his 21 year old son, Henry would be cowriting.)
Given his background, you’d think that Abrams would be perfect to write “Spider-Man” #1, given that the genre relies so heavily on the conventions of action, science fiction, and drama genres. You’d be correct.
“Spider-Man” #1 is a coming-of-age story about Peter Parker’s son, Ben — so puberty is bound to factor into that, complicating things even more. The first third of the ‘Bloodline’ story is a flashback, and the last two-thirds of the story are flash forwarded 12 years into the future, to the present day.
Because of this structure, a lot of the characterization in “Spider-Man” #1 happens off-panel — and that is a big part of this story’s mystery. The Parker family dynamics are laid clear across the page with scenes of tense or subtle dialogue, complemented by private character moments, like Ben discovering a box in the attic containing love letters between his parents and photos from his dad’s past.
The new villain, Cadaverous, is somewhat secondary to the story, but I have to care about the characters before I can understand him in contrast. The Abrams duo are introducing him and his plans very carefully in “Spider-Man” #1 ‘Bloodline.’ As they slowly reveal more about Peter’s past, and how Cadaverous factors into that, the art piques your curiosity even more. Every page featuring Cadaverous is dominated by his towering presence and creepy posture. Wherever Cadaverous goes, he is blanketed in an eerie red color palette. Every time he speaks in wobbly, handwritten letters, blanketed in gray balloons, you can hear his calculated depravity.
So even though Cadaverous is mostly a wild card at this point, the artists tell you what you need to know about him.
This creative team works hard to bring comics readership a cinematic story with emotional impact. “Spider-Man” #1 reads like a perfect storyboard. In the scene where we’re introduced to the main character, Pichelli uses overlapping panels to show him quickly getting ready in the morning before school. This reminded me of the fast-paced scene introducing Miles Morales and his family as he was getting ready for school in the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The attention to detail in “Spider-Man” #1 ‘Bloodline’ is remarkable. No space is wasted. Sound effects stretch across panels and are even positioned at the top and bottom of panels to add even more movement to the action. Word bubbles overlap when two characters are arguing in the car, adding to the sense of claustrophobia and how they’re talking over each other. The (many) tears in this book are rendered so beautifully that I wanted to cry!
The dialogue, cinematographic panel layouts, and distinct atmosphere created with the art, colors, and lettering make this comic a standout among this week’s releases.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
With “Spider-Man” #1, J.J. Abrams and his son Henry write the most meticulously paced, emotional, and suspenseful Spider-Man comic I’ve read this year. With the help of Dave Stewart’s neat colors and Joe Caramanga’s innovative lettering, Sara Pichelli’s crisp art moves with such fluidity that this comic might as well be an animated film.
I’m not really sure about the legality or ethics of this, but here we are. I’m about to break down each individual page of the 60-page epic that Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman bestowed unto us yesterday.
I feel compelled to do this.
On Twitter, a lot of people are asking Cates to justify them having to pay $7.99 for this monumental, triple-sized issue. That’s partly why I wrote this, to show how ridiculous it is to demand that from the creators of a book which gives readers so much.
For those of you who have a digital copy of ABSOLUTE CARNAGE, or were unable to get one because of the ridiculous demand for Marvel’s big event book, know this: it feels satisfyingly weighty in your hands. (Yeah, OKAY, “That’s what she said”…but I’m serious.) This is just one of the many indicators that this book is a heavy hitter, and will have a massive impact on comics for years to come.
1:50 variant cover by Nick Bradshaw
If you haven’t read all of Stegman’s and Cates’ VENOM run, and are also unfamiliar with the million crossovers that give context to this story, don’t worry. Marvel’s blogger minions wrote this helpful primer to prepare you: “As Carnage, Cletus’ new goal is to set free Knull, the God of Symbiotes. All he needs to do is track down anyone who has ever worn a symbiote and steal the latent Knull codex from their bodies.” The thing is, a LOT of A-list characters in the Marvel universe have bonded with a Symbiote.
If you don’t make it past this introduction, there are two things I want you to know about this landmark piece of comics literature: Cates’ words and Stegman’s expressions set up really moving moments that tell you exactly who Eddie Brock is. The other thing? This is the coolest Spider-Man since Todd McFarlane, hands down. (And JP Mayer’s substantial inks are a huge part of that success.)
And there’s actually one last thing I want to tell you. This review? FULL OF SPOILERS. But if you’re picking up a book with Carnage in it, can you really be THAT afraid of anything, especially spoilers…?
Chapter One “The Bleeding King”
SUMMARY: Carnage is back, and he is on a mission to communicate directly with Knull, the god of darkness, death, and Symbiotes.Eddie Brock is going to need to become Venom, and ask for Spider-Man’s help, if he wants to survive this.
Act One, Chapter 1: Pages 1 – 5
1: Eddie is talking to Dylan, his nine-year-old “half brother”…who is actually his son. This provides a seamless backstory for Knull’s history and plan to doom all things “living and bright.” This is really just Cates talking to his readers, catching them up on what’s happened, and telling them what’s to come. Knull is the god of Symbiotes and ruler of the abyss. Before the beginning of life, he controlled symbiotes with his mind to kill encroaching life — until the symbiotes rose up against him and imprisoned him.
2-3: When symbiotes bond with their host, they leave behind a little piece of themselves in their host’ DNA. This isthe codex. Symbiotes use it to communicate with each other about their host and reconnect to the hive, which is controlled by Knull. Eddie Brock tells Dylan that whomever controls all the codices can talk to Knull.
As we get all this critical backstory, rain falls from the sky as Eddie and Dylan move through the streets of New York. The way Stegman renders rain is better than life. The disorienting downpour creates reflections in the pavement that establish a hazy, ominous atmosphere.
4-5: Cletus Kasady was the world’s most notorious serial killer who rose from the dead to become Carnage. He was resurrected by Church of the New Darkness, a cult that worships Knull. (The cult name is so metal, SO Cates!) With a new purpose, Carnage is trying to collect all these pieces of Symbiotes.
Act Two, Chapter 1: Pages 6 – 13
6-7: Eddie Brock senses that they’re being followed in Times Square. We see a mysterious figure wearing a hat and coat trailing them. As they descend into the subway, we see the faces of miserable New Yorkers getting rained on. (From experience, I can say the way Stegman conveys this is VERY accurate…)
Page 6 of ABSOLUTE CARNAGE, courtesy of a Marvel preview published on AiPT!
8-9: Disguised and hidden in human form as Cletus Kasady, Carnage pushes Eddie and Dylan onto the tracks.
10-11: We discover that Eddie’s Symbiote was actually the one following them. He saves them by smashing into the train, preventing it from running them over. He also derails and crunches a subway car full of people, which doesn’t really help the already terrible public opinion of Eddie Brock.
Stegman’s pencils show the subway train getting derailed by Venom.
12-13: Eddie is now Venom. His “Other” — which is how Eddie refers to his Symbiote — warns him Cletus/Carnage is here.
Act Three, Chapter 1: Pages 7 – 22
14-15: The first thing Carnage says to Venom: “WELL HELLO, DADDY!” This reveals that Carnage knows about the real relationship between Eddie and Dylan, and will use this knowledge to make Venom weak. Carnage and Venom battle underground. Eddie’s Symbiote knows that Cletus is wearing the Grendel Symbiote — which belonged to the lethal dragon they fought with Rex.
“WE’RE A GOD NOW!”
– Carnage
16-17: Eddie’s Other seems more self-aware than Eddie himself amid all the chaos. It recognizes that Carnage is too powerful, and that Eddie needs to put Dylan first. As Carnage towers over Eddie, he snarls: “There is no fighting this. This is the end of the light. He is coming! God is —” To shut Carnage up, Eddie grabs the third subway rail — the one charged with electricity.
18-19: In an imaginatively drawn, dynamic splash page shot from bird’s eye view, Eddie shocks Carnage (and himself). We see the hyper-sensitive Symbiotes briefly split from their hosts, becoming wispy, etherial tendrils. Carnage is reduced to nothing more than a splatter of blood and guts — and yet he’s not dead. The electric shock separated Eddie from his Other. The Symbiote now looks like a lost, vulnerable child. It reattaches to Eddie.
20-21: As Dylan and Eddie flee the scene, Venom places Eddie in a brief coma as he heals. The Symbiote autopilots them to their destination so they can ask for help in this crisis. Peter Parker’s roommate answers the door.
22: *clap* COMICS *clap* ARE *clap* BUILT *clap* ON *clap* CLIFFHANGERS. Cates sticks to this golden rule with a full-page reveal of the SEXIEST and MOST JACKED Spider-Man ever. Seriously, ya’ll, this man is the pinnacle of masculinity.
Stegman’s pencils for page 22.
Chapter Two: “The God Son”
Yes, the title sounds metal as hell, but it’s actually a pun (and potentially, some foreshadowing). In this issue, we meet Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s godson, who — like Eddie Brock — has the latent codex inside him.
SUMMARY: Spidey, Eddie, and Dylan meet in a diner to discuss the situation at hand, and how they’ll handle it. They’ll find a potential solution to Eddie’s Carnage/Symbiote problem at the end of the chapter— but is it worth it??
Act One, Chapter 2: Pages 23 – 27
23: As the heroes sit in a diner, casually mulling over the situation, I just couldn’t help but relish in the fact that Spidey is in public wearing his costume, classically deflecting the gravity of the situation with humor.
24-25: There is clearly some awkwardness between Eddie, Spiderman, and Dylan. The boy leaves the table so that Eddie and Spider-Man can speak in private — about Dylan.
26-27: The emotionally intelligent and vulnerable Spidey implores Eddie to tell Dylan the truth about their relationship. He knows a thing or two about growing up without knowing who your father was, which is a hard reality for boys in need of a role model who looks like them.
Just as Spider-Man is at his most persuasive, and Eddie is about to seriously consider telling Dylan the truth, the mission at hand comes back into play. (Of course.) Eddie notices something interesting on the news, and stops listening to Spider-Man. This is a GREAT STORYTELLING AND CHARACTERIZATION MOMENT DONE BY CATES. It underscores how Eddie uses the crisis at hand as an excuse to protect Dylan from knowing about his real identity as Brock’s son.
Act Two, Chapter 2: Pages 28 – 34
28-29: The news broadcast shows a mass grave of bodies piled high, all without spines, found in Jersey. (As if we needed any more evidence that Jersey sucks…) **TAKE NOTE THAT THE BODIES ARE ARRANGED AT THE CENTER OF THE FAMILIAR SYMBOL THAT CARNAGE MADE IN THE EARTH.
30: We learn that the grave is full of people who’ve worn Symbiotes and died. This is a message to Brock from Carnage. As Eddie fights for control of the TV remote so that the cafe manager doesn’t change the channel, we see how unlikable Eddie can be on first impression.
31: This is “A message that says it doesn’t matter if you’re dead. You’re still a target.” As Eddie emphasizes this, Spider-Man’s spider-sense goes off. And let me just lay this on the table: STEGMAN DRAWS THIS BETTER THAN ANY OTHER ARTIST IN SPIDER-MAN’S HISTORY.
32: His spider-sense was triggered by average crooks trying to rob the diner. Compared to the end-times implications of Carnage’s return, this trivial robbery REALLY puts things into perspective.
Ryan Stegman’s iconic pencils for an action panel in Chapter Two of ABSOLUTE CARNAGE
33-34: After Spider-Man squashes these petty thieves in a stylized action sequence from Stegman the pencil god, Eddie seems jealous of Spidey’s relationship to the public, how they cheer for him. The scene changes to Rex Strickland’s safe house. We learn that Maker (a creepy/morally suspect Reed Richards from another dimension) has already created the machine that will extract the Knull codex without killing the hosts.
It seems that Maker and Eddie Brock have an aligned interest.
Act Three, Chapter 2: Pages 35 – 38
35-36: These panels are all the proof you need if you were ever wondering why you see Clayton Cowel‘s name all over your favorite comics. His letters are another important tool of characterization. You can hear how cold and technical Maker speaks by how orderly and stiff the font is when compared to the mildly italicized/all caps bold font of Eddie and Spider-Man.
Spidey’s gestures are another reason why Stegman’s Spider-Man is the coolest thing since Todd Farlane’s innovation with his character design. Preserving the thick musculature and expressive eyes of McFarlane’s Spider-Man, Stegman evolves the character design with a more flexible body, agile musculature, beefy neck, strong jaw, and attention to detail — you can see the outline of Peter Parker’s ears protruding from the mask. No one gets anatomy quite like Stegman these days.
37-38: The involvement of Parker’s godson and Eddie’s son, Dylan, connect the story to a younger audience, the next generation of comics-makers. This is a huge reason behind Marvel’s success. They don’t make any mature content — like DC with their Black Label (formerly Vertigo) — because their content effortlessly engages all ages. Younger readers are generally pulled in by the humor, imagination, and simple morality of the story while older readers are attracted to the intricate plots, choreographed violence, character wisdom, and tone/symbolism of the story.
Now that we’re done with that tangent on why Marvel consistently holds the dominant market share in the comics world, the Maker offers for Eddie to test the machine. This is a win-win-win, for Maker, Spidey’s godson , and Eddie.
Chapter Three “The Long Red Dark”
Summary: Spider-Man and Venom head to the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane to free “Red Goblin” Norman Osborn before Carnage can get to him first and taps into his codex.
Act One, Chapter 3: Pages 39 – 45
39: Norman Osborn sings a chilling song about squashing a spider that shows the state of his mental derangement. Stegman’s consistently moody rain continues to set the tone in an eerie establishing shot of the institute.
40-41: Bloody carnage drips down the pages, framing each panel. At the bottom of the page, we see the bloodshot, criminally insane eyes of Norman Osborn. Frank Martin’s colors really sell the intensity behind those eyes, as they bulge from Norman’s twisted visage. He also executes believable lighting in an upshot of the guard, John Jameson, discovering Spider-Man and Venom sneaking on the wall.
Stegman’s pencils for the best panel on page 41.
42-43: It’s established — for those who don’t know — that John also has powers as a werewolf. As they’re talking to each other about how to sedate Osborn before opening his containment cell, John is suddenly taken over by Carnage.
The final panel on page 43 is easily the most disturbing panel in the entire comic. It conveys the pain that Carnage can inflict on others. It shows how Cates has mastered the vocabulary of insane people — and shows how deep the author can go into the minds of his characters.
Act Two, Chapter 3: Pages 44 – 48
44-45: As Carnage enters, the color of the panels becomes decidedly evil, reds and blacks dominating the pages, Symbiote tendrils oozing from John’s eyes. Completely devoid of control over his own body, John shoots Osborn’s cell, triggering the alarm. “God is coming.” Venom is hypersensitive to loud sounds, and is briefly incapacitated.
46: Leaking his Symbiote into the prison cells, Carnage adds to his army. These Symbiote hosts break free form their prison cells and march behind Carnage.
47-48: Eddie fires John’s gun at the alarms to stop the noise. This is the most innovative display of motion I’ve ever seen in comics. With the gun in the foreground, we see the speed-lines, kickback, and smoke. Spider-Man webs John so they can prepare to meet Carnage.
Act Two, Chapter 3: Pages 49 – 60
49-50: This all-consuming double-page splash of Carnage and his converts charging toward Spider-Man and Venom would make the perfect T-shirt print. Hear that, Marvel? Yet another opportunity to make money!
51: It’s pretty clear that Carnage is here for Osborn’s codex, always watching and waiting to strike at the right time. Spider-Man and Venom must try to save Norman Osborn from being entirely consumed by Carnage. Spider-Man establishes the mood perfectly when he says, “UGH…” in the final moments before Carnage.
52-53: This is another important characterization moment for Venom. Eddie defines his relationship with the Symbiote and their long, complicated journey. His alien Other gives him pain, and pain is important part of growth.
54-55: As they battle Carnage and his army, Carnage grabs Spider-Man by his throat one of the most compellingly illustrated double-page panels in the history of comics.
Stegman’s original art for ABSOLUTE CARNAGE is being sold, and you better believe this will go for a lot of money.
56-57: Spider-Man and Venom need to break Venom out from his cell, while simultaneously holding back Carnage and his army of obedient Symbiotes. Venom poignantly says, “Don’t be clever, be strong!”
58-59: The layout of panels for page 58 is yet another demonstration of how expansive Stegman’s imagination is. Spiderman’s fist repeatedly hits into the steel door with blazing speed, as we get frontal perspective of him and Venom fighting to get the hell out of Ravencroft. Venom can’t hold the door much longer, and we see Carnage about to devour Norman Osborne.
60: At last, Carnage claims Osborn. Cates closes out this legendary issue with a playful, yet haunting quote from Carnage: “I came here to make friends“.
Norman is Carnage’s puppet.
Anyone who Carnage controls is his puppet, and it will be a terrifying journey to see how he abuses that power in the issues to come.
Ahoy Comics (Wr) Mark Russell (A) Richard Pace (CA) Amanda Connor After DC dropped this title for being too “controversial,” it was picked up by Ahoy Comics. This makes me wonder if the series is considered controversial simply because Jesus is involved? Whatever the reasoning is, I want to read this issue just to see why DC thought it unfit to print.
Earth’s most famous super-hero, Sunstar, is asked to accept Jesus as a roommate and teach him to use his powers. Jesus finds out how people have been misconstruing his teaching and vows to set the stories straight.
Black Hammer Justice League #1 (of 5) Cover A
Dark Horse Comics (Wr) Jeff Lemire (A/CA) Michael Walsh This first issue of the crossover between Image’s Black Hammer with DC’s Justice League does not look it will disappoint. I have loved everything that I have read from Jeff Lemire, so I am really excited to pick this issue up — especially to see how he depicts the Justice League being thrust into the world of Black Hammer.
Reaver #1
Image Comics (Wr) Justin Jordan (A) Rebekah Isaacs, Alex Guimaraes (CA) Becky Cloonan This story reminds me of a high-fantasy Suicide Squad, and is promised to keep us satiated in a post-Game of Thrones world. A team of six of the “most despicable prisoners” must band together to prevent the end of the new world.
Invisible Woman #1 (of 5)
Marvel Comics (Wr) Mark Waid (A) Mattia De Iulis (CA) Adam Hughes Susan Storm, or Invisible Woman, worked years ago for S.H.I.E.L.D. Years later, this story picks up when she has to save her former partner from death after being captured by international terrorists. Being that this is Invisible Woman’s first solo-series, I am absolutely going to pick this up and show support for this incredible female character, brought to life by a stellar creative team!
Amazing Spider-Man #25
Marvel Comics Nick Spencer (A) Ryan Ottley & Various (CA) Ryan Ottley Classic “CAN SPIDEY SAVE MJ” from Mysterio story…I’m not terribly interested in the story since we have so often seen Spidey saving MJ, but the possibility that MJ saves Spidey in this story piques my interest. This oversized issue marks the two-year run of this story by powerhouse team Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley.
Batman Universe #1 (of 6)
DC Comics (Wr) Brian Michael Bendis (A/CA) Nick Derington Slim-pickings for DC Comics that are releasing this week. That’s because many DC comics this week are Year of the Villain tie-ins. This is the only comic that is a first issue, and looks like it will be an interesting story of cat and mouse between Batman and Riddler. Batman will be tracking down a Faberge egg and bringing it back to its rightful owner: Jinny Hex, descendant of Jonah Hex!
The introduction of a brand new series about a NGO on a mission to kill a man believed to be the modern day Jesus — at any cost.
FAITHLESS #3 (of 5) Cover B Erotica Strips Variant
BOOM! Studios (Wr) Brian Azzarello (A) Maria Llovet (CA) Dani Strips
Polybagged erotic cover art & the continuation of a truly amazing mini-series. Check out Reece’s review of FAITHLESS #1 here!
LAB RAIDER #1 (of 4) (MR)
Black Mask Studios (Wr) Matt Miner (A/CA) Creees Lee
Young vigilantes break into a lab to free animals from being experimented on, and they discover that top-secret experiments are being performed on these animals to turn them into monstrous weapons. The rescuers quickly become the prey in the introduction of this highly anticipated mini-series.
AQUAMAN #49 Variant
DC COMICS (Wr) Kelly Sue DeConnick (A) Viktor Bogdanovic, Jonathan Glapion (CA) Joshua Middleton
I will definitely be picking this comic up, simply because Joshua Middleton’s cover is just THAT stunning.
SUPERMAN YEAR ONE #1 (of 3)
DC Comics (Wr) Frank Miller (A/CA) Danny Miki, John Romita Jr
DC’s premiere issue of Black Label, BATMAN DAMNED #1, shook comics fans across the world. This next phase of their Black Label retells Superman’s origin, putting fans in an absolute tizzy. I’m not particularly thrilled about either cover, but I will definitely be picking up a copy to read Frank Miller and John Romita Jr’s rendition of Superman’s origin.
MARVELS ANNOTATED #4 (of 4)
Marvel Comics Kurt Busiek (A/CA) Alex Ross
The final issue of the 25th Anniversary reprint of MARVELS, which changed the way we view super-heroes. These issues have been chalk-full of commentary from the creators and are an amazing addition to any comic collector’s vault.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #6
Marvel Comics Donny Cates (A) Geoff Shaw (CA) David Marquez
This issue is promised to be action packed with Guardians vs Dark Guardians vs Hela and Black Order. It’s also been teased that Thanos will be resurrected.
Written by Tom Taylor, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN takes the “Neighborhood” part of his nickname and plays within that world.
The first issue of the currently ongoing series opens up with a great sequence where Spidey saves a father and daughter from a potentially fatal car accident by backflipping through the window and pulling them out to safety. After saving them, he offers some advice on how to more effectively navigate rush hour in Queens, reinforcing the idea that this Spider-Man is just being the most perfect ambassador of his neighborhood.
Right after that heroic act, he helps an elderly woman named Marnie bring groceries up to her apartment. (He’s such a good kid.) Peter continues to just be generally helpful and nice to all those whom he encounters.
One of Peter’s neighbors asks him to contact Spider-Man to assist her with a problem that can’t be solved through the police. Peter says he will pass the message along, then goes out for some hot dogs. On his way back, he sees two strange cars double parked outside the apartment building and it triggers his Spidey senses. He rushes to help, and gets knocked out instead.
Overall, this issue does a great job of world-building an intimate community and making every person Peter comes across seem like a potentially important character. I know I was a bit late in diving into this series, but I hope to be caught up soon because it looks to be a wonderfully endearing tale of Peter Parker — and, I mean, who doesn’t love that?
Nick Spencer (A) Ryan Ottley & Various (CA) Ryan Ottley
Secret Society Comics 