Comic Book Review: ‘Venom’ #26

Don’t be lost going into ‘Venom’ #26. This issue doesn’t continue from the pages of ‘Venom’ #25 but instead from ‘Scarlet Spider’ #10 where the ‘Minimum Carnage’ crossover event is fully underway. The serial killer Carnage is on the loose in the newly discovered Microverse. Some of the denizens of this tiny world have brought Carnage in to murder someone called the Redeemer. In ‘Scarlet Spider’#10, both Scarlet Spider and Venom followed Carnage into the Microverse but landed in totally different spots. Scarlet Spider lands near the Redeemer himself while Venom lands elsewhere and runs into a group of Microverse heroes(?) called the Enigma Force.

As this issue begins, the Enigma Force conveniently recaps the plot of ‘Minimum Carnage’ for both Venom and readers who may not be following ‘Scarlet Spider’. In the middle of their explanation, the Enigma Force base is attacked by spaceships from some rival faction.

Meanwhile, Scarlet Spider and the Redeemer are battling some giant green alien lobsters that seem bent on doing the job that Carnage was brought in for. Speaking of Carnage, he’s back with the group of Microverse villains (Or are they heroes? I’m not sure who’s on the good side here.) who explain to him that they need him to kill the Redeemer. They also make mention of a strange factory-like area called the “body banks” where the Microversians grown armies by cloning beings. I see where this one is going (especially considering the already-released cover to the upcoming ‘Minimum Carnage Omega’).

I said it with ‘Scarlet Spider’ #10 and I’ll say it again. I wish ‘Scarlet Spider’ and ‘Venom’ would just go back to some good ol’ fashioned crime-fighting stories. Venom’s series keeps pulling him into the supernatural corners of the Marvel Universe and now, with this arc, Scarlet Spider is pulled into another weird tale with him and, in doing so, tosses out the character building that I love with these guys.

We have two more issues of ‘Venom’ and one of ‘Scarlet Spider’ to go before ‘Minimum Carnage’ is over… and boy will I be glad when it is!

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