Fanboys Anonymous

It's Carnage Hour once more, featuring the bloody, the macabre, the Carnage-Man! Ah, you gotta love the dark humor of this series. Welcome back to my review series on Marvel AXIS tie-in miniseries, AXIS: Carnage. Today I'll be reviewing the second of three issues, so sit back in your desk chair, turn off the world, and turn on the chaos!

In the last issue, Carnage began his solo career as a hero by saving a hooker from her abusive pimp and opportunistic news anchor Alice Gleeson from the new and supernatural serial killer, the Sin Eater. It's been a tough road for the former symbiotic serial killer known as Cletus Kasady since Doctor Doom and Scarlet Witch's inversion spell changed his morality; he's had to learn restraint and cull his bloodlust in an insane effort to become a superhero to make amends for his multitude of past sins. To help him learn to become the hero he's driven to be, Carnage kidnapped Alice in the last issue, convinced that a reputable news anchor such as herself could help him become good.

In this issue, writer Rick Spears and artists Germán Peralta and Rain Beredo give us a glimpse of an altered version of Cletus' past which shaped him into the serial killer he became while trying to give it a heroic spin to explain Cletus' new motivation. What's interesting to note is that Carnage has subconsciously inserted Alice into his memories as a sort of muse that inspires key moments in his history. The way the creative team works her into his history leads me to believe that Cletus' impression of Alice is beyond inspirational—perhaps he's harboring deeper feelings for his kidnappee? This would be an intriguing development especially when considering that the only other person Carnage has ever been extremely close with was Shriek, his frequent partner-in-crime.

Now, now, Carnage. We don't need a relapse of your Superior days.

Another interesting development that is revealed in this issue is the Sin Eater's connection to Emil Gregg, the serial confessor who was linked to the first Sin Eater and Venom's origin. We find out what Emil has been doing during the Sin Eater's recent inquisition, which creates even more questions regarding the new Sin Eater's identity. As for the rest of the issue, we're given yet another joyride of Carnage attempting and partially failing at being a hero as Alice uses her kidnapping as an opportunity to advance her career.

Spears' writing is just downright fantastic for Carnage and this series. Not many can pull of a true Carnage comic, but he's definitely one of my favorite Carnage writers now—and that's saying something coming from an avid symbiote fan! Both Peralta and Beredo's art synergy is very reminiscent of one of my favorite artistic pairs, Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire (Moon Knight), which gains them bonus points for appealing to my own taste in modern superhero comic art. There isn't much more that can be said that I've already covered in my last review.

That's not how it works! That's not how any of this works!

AXIS: Carnage #2 gets 5 stars out of 5 for the writing and 4.5 stars out of 5 for the art (a half point down because of the same gripes I had with the last issue). What did you think of this issue? Who do you think the new Sin Eater is? Can Carnage really pull off being a hero? Let us know in the comments section below, and continue following Fanboys Anonymous for more comic reviews by yours truly. Also, check out The Venom Site for all of your symbiote news, reviews, and point-of-views, plus its blog, A Dose of Venom, for a chance to win a Marvel Legends Agent Venom action figure during its Symbiotic Holiday Giveaway!