Venom, Vol. 3: Absolute Carnage

Venom (2018)

by Donny Cates, Iban Coello (Illlustrator), Juan Gedeon (Illlustrator)

Absolute Carnage rocks the world of Venom! With the serial-killer symbiote Carnage on the loose, Venom must protect his son, Dylan- at all costs! But as longtime Venomaniacs know, they aren't the only two symbiotes around...and that only means that the bodies are piling higher than ever before! For weeks, Carnage has been hunting down former symbiote hosts and killing them. And the next name on his list is Andi Benton -formerly the adventurer known as Mania -who's back to living in Philadelphia, and no longer has any symbiote to save her...

COLLECTING: VENOM (2018) 16-19, WEB OF VENOM: FUNERAL PYRE 1

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Fantasy

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2020

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I blew through this entire run in a few days, it was so good!
I'm still catching up on all the old characters, so I was in equal parts excited and confused when I read the Web of Venom: Funeral Pyre issue. Very cool intro (for me) to that character!



It was awesome to see Maker getting his ass kicked and being outsmarted by a couple of kids. The visuals in this are very well-done, too.



Dylan is something else. I'm hoping he sticks around long enough to become a permanent fixture on one of the younger teams because I really like the kid.



I'm completely hooked on all the drama here. Not to give too many spoilers, but it seems as though the symbiote has been tricking Brock for years into thinking he needed the suit with a fake cancer scare. And it looks like it has been tampering with his memories beyond even that.
Add in the fact that Eddie has a son he didn't know about, and this whole crazy space god imprisoned inside a planet of symbiotes, and his dark past...
I'm all in!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a companion piece to Absolute Carnage and should be read in conjunction. Most of these issues focus on Eddie Brock's son, Dylan and Maker. Dylan has some crazy stuff going on with him. I like this kid and hope he sticks around the marvel universe for awhile. Maker is a good edition to the cast as well. Marvel hasn't done much with him since bringing him to the 616 universe and that really needs to change. He's a great foil.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025: still a great companion piece to absolute Carnage. if you haven't read absolute Carnage or aren't reading it at the same time, you'll probably be pretty confused of how many jumps they're on here. But if you are reading absolute garnish then this is a great behind the scenes of what's happening with Dylan at the same time. A four out of 5.

2020 Review: Venom Volume 3 is a great companion piece to Absoulte Carnage (Which you should read) but by itself, I can see why some Venom fans might not enjoy it as much as volume 1-2.

You have Brock starting off the volume trying to make enough money to pay for Dylan's medicine since he's sick. This is mostly him trying to be a reporter again but maybe what he finds isn't so easy to report on. Next up is all the Carnage tie ins. This actually focuses on Dylan and his survival from the deadly Carnage crew.

I liked this volume a lot mostly because I like Dylan. He's fun, courageous, and now something new is happening to him. We also get to see the Maker being a ruthless piece of shit, so that's always fun. It also fills in the blanks from the event which is nice. Though it seemed shorter than usual and went by too quick.

Overall good stuff. Not as good as the last volume but very enjoyable. A 3.5-4 out of 5.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main Venom ongoing series' Absolute Carnage tie-in volume, just scrapes it as the best book of he event, with the likes of Venom, Norman Osborn and... The Maker. This book (and maybe series?) is pretty much a must-read with the developments in Eddie Brock's life and the machinations of the Ultimate Universe's Reed Richards - The Maker! 6.5 out of 12. I am tempted to start collecting this book!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only Absolute Carnage tie-ins you need to read are within these pages. Everything I said in my review of the core book applies as much to this volume.

The only thing I didn’t really like about this one was the involvement of ‘The Maker’ as we’re calling the evil Reed Richards from the now-defunct Ultimate universe. I want him gone; as dead as the rest of his home dimension; the sooner the better. Unfortunately, from the final issue collected in this book, it looks like Marvel are going in the other direction. Sigh... It’s gone guys, it was a good decision to get rid of it, let it rest in peace, damnit!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the grand scheme of Absolute Carnage tie-ins, these issues are basically essential. Fleshing out more of the mystery surrounding Dylan Brock, as well as the surprising role that The Maker continues to play in the book, these stories offer up important insight into what's happening around Venom and Carnage, while they carry on kicking the crap out of each other in the main book.

The art's a mix of Juan Gedeon, who already drew a Web of Venom one-shot, I think (?), and Iban Coello, who I first started taking notice of during Venomized and the sequels. Neither of them are Ryan Stegman, but Stegman's busy drawing Absolute Carnage itself, so they're good replacements. Coello especially gets that slick symbiote visual down really well.

[Tiag⊗ the Mutant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the volume where Eddie Brock becomes one of my favorite Marvel characters, his new role as father adds a lot of depth to his character, and I'm loving what Donny Cates is doing with the new symbiote lore, how cool is that new symbiote?

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been really enjoying the Cates's Venom run. This ones falls victim to tie-in slump when a story is sort of derailed to fit in with a large crossover event. But it is Cates's event, so...that counts for something. And it did move some Venom story-arc plot points along. But the story itself felt a bit more hollow than usual. 3.5 stars

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to excite me. Donny Cates has written Venom so much better than any one else and I can’t wait for his King in Black series!!!

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a step back from Cates' previous collections in this series as it has to tie in to the Absolute Carnage storyline, which is, ultimately, kind of a non-event. The artwork is quite variable this time around as a rotating list of artists take the reins. About the only thing of interest here is the re-emergence of The Maker, the evil alternate version of Reed Richards...

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good.

Lots of things happening and I like it.

Great artwork.

You like Venom? You'll like him even more after this one.

(of course you're gonna have to read Absolute Carnage if you wanna read this)

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

É muito raro, mas algumas vezes os tie-ins de um evento são melhores do que o evento em si. Claro, não é o caso de Carnificina Absoluta, em que 75% dos tie-ins são deveras descartáveis. Contudo, preciso dar o braço à torce para as histórias do evento que foram publicadas na revista-solo do venom. Ela foca na tentativa de Eddie Briock de proteger seu recem descoberto filho, Dylan Brock, que parece ter poderes fora do comum por ser filho de duas pessoas que já usaram o simbionte Venom. Nesse sentido vemos o belo trabalho de resgate cronológico que Donny Cates fez no universo do Venom, ao relembrar que a "Noiva de Venom" já foi possuída pelo simbionte. Os desenhos de Iban Coello têm melhorado a olhos vistos, assim como sua narrativa visual para os quadrinhos. A história gira em torno do Criador, o Reed Richards do Universo Ultimate, cuidando de Dylan e Normie Osborn enquanto busca uma cura para os dois. Ao mesmo tempo, o alienígena Protetor, também pertencente à cronologia venomística, vem para proteger os dois garotos antes que o maligno Criador complete seus experimentos nos garotos em benefício próprio. O desenvovimento do arco na revista de Venom fica mais redondinho e mais interessante que o evento principla, lançando sementes para histórias futuras. Muito bom!

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and all but I wish I'd known it was a tie-in to another series instead of a continuation of the main Venom run. I enjoyed it, but I missed those missing pieces a lot. (I've since ordered the Absolute Carnage TPB)

So as book 3 in the Cates run, it had some holes, but if we ignore that it was still a pretty fun story. There is definitely plenty of Carnage, and some great artwork of various symbiotes.

I enjoyed it, and it progressed the story okay I guess but I'd definitely recommend reading this alongside the Absolute Carnage story, unless you don't mind some missing continuity and big moments.

[Oneirosophos · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS WHEN A WRITER KILLS OFF EVEN THE AVERAGE CROSSOVER WITH THE MOST KILLER TIE-IN, THAT MAKES THE CROSSOVER OBSOLETE.

DONNY KEEPS WRECKING!!!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid

A tie-in to an anti-climactic event, and the tie-in hit me better than the event. Nice way to play our expectations, Cates!

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I miss Venom the symboyote... This was decent, with pretty good art and an interesting plot twist for sure. Volume four is on deck!

[Rolando Marono · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leí el evento principal de absolute carnage hace 5 meses más o menos, y aunque no es mucho tiempo, algunos de los detalles no los recordaba bien. Este tomo son tie ins de ese evento y aunque realmente no es necesario para entender los sucesos principales, creo que ayudará a la trama de lo que sigue ver el importante papel que juega el hijo de Venom en ésta serie.
Lo mejor del tomo son los detalles que se revelan sobre la condición de Dylan. Podemos tener algunas pistas de lo que se viene y de lo importante que será el niño a la hora de enfrentar a Knull. De todos modos no nos dan todas las respuestas y parece que Cates seguirá construyendo sobre eso.
La emotividad, el dolor y la crudeza de las emociones que narra Cates no las encontré en este tomo, eso fue algo que me hizo ponerle calificación baja porque normalmente los cómics de este autor se sienten muy auténticos y aquí lo sentí un poco vacío. Veamos que tal el siguiente tomo.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grading this one on a curve. Reading by the volume means that big crossover events make pacing issues are unavoidable. On that note, I'll be reading Absolute Carnage now.

There are a few potentially big moments in this volume. Big personal moments and big MARVEL moments. I'm so out of touch with things, I didn't realize that Absolute Carnage was a crossover event until I was already reading this. So, I needed to shift my brain into "be ready to skip time" mode. And even with that, it was easy enough to follow and it gives us some quality time with Dylan.

I can't help but hope to see Dylan and Gabby (Honeybadger) interact some day.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential story to pair with Absolute Carnage, and damn good comic book reading as well.

This mostly follows Dylan and Maker, and ties very closely to the events of the main AC title.

Coello handles the art very well, for the most part (although it’s a jarring change from Stegman’s style.)

If you aren’t reading this Venom run, you’re definitely missing out big time.

[Matty Dub · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

The book takes a step back as Cates shifts over to Absolute Carnage. AC is very good because of the build-up in this series, I wish it would’ve been serialized in Venom as the arc didn’t warrant a full blown Marvel event but such is the Marvel way.

[:( · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY FAVOURITE ONE EVER!! I live for the interactions between Dylan and Normie!! Also Sleeper is amazing, and everything with him in it is the best. Also the writing and art was amazing, This comic may have gotten me over my reading stamp.

[Bryan Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit of a slow start and end to the book, but really ramped up in the middle. Definitely essential reading for the main event book. Art was decent, there were some cool reveals and twists, writing was well done.

[mil · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCUSE ME WHILE I SCREAM ABOUT HOW GOOD THIS IS HOLY COW WOWOWOWOWOWOW THIS ONE THIS IS IT THIS IS

[Petergiaquinta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my god oh my god oh my god!
The Council of Reeds!!!

[Gray O’Leary · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s always really disappointing when you have to read 5 other series of comics to understand the current series you’re reading. Marvel you will pay for your crimes.

[Angelika Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun learning more about symbiotes!

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tie in to the main event and fills the gaps nicely, like how they contact the maker, what he does to protect normie and dylan and whatever is going on with them, the threat of Life foundation symbiotes and then Hybrid, the rescue by Sleeper and focusing on what Dylan is exactly and like his powers which changes the series a lot and then we have the threat that is Carnage horde tearing them apart, there is a great moment where Peter is protecting them from Carnage-Norman and then the big revelations with Maker and the Ultimate V-252 Symbiote and the council of reeds! This book is becoming epic and the fallout issue didn't disappoint and the tie ins were crucial and raises the stakes for the things to come forward in this series! And the art was really cool and well done!

[Xroldx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donny Cates on fire! Well that is if you also read the Absolute Carnage trade. This volume of Venom is tied to that event and reading it without knowing what's going on in Absolute Carnage is pointless.
However this book is action packed and full of clues to what will come next for Eddie and his son.

[Ant Tellez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9/5.0

A grimy and violent follow-up to the previous volume in this series.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
Both containing story around "Absolute Carnage" and before and after, I knew this Volume wouldn't be the best, but it turned out pretty good. Highlights:
- The Volume starts out with Eddie not having Venom, yet still wanting to do good. A job to earn money puts him in the middle of a rescue of kids who were taken by Carnage-controlled humans. He definitely proves that he doesn't need the symbiote to be dangerous.
- Now picking up during the event, Maker has been left to guard Dylan (Eddie's son) and Normie (Norman Osborn's son) while he also works on a machine to extract the Codex from previous symbiote wearers without killing them. Just as he is succeeding...
- ... The 4 Life Foundation Symbiotes show up, looking to take the Codex from Normie. As a defense is mounted, they take over the body of the Maker and Dylan has to fight back on his own, getting help from ...
- ... Sleeper! Sleeper (another of Venom's children, arrives to help fight against the symbiotes. He attempts to bond with Dylan, but discovers a power hidden inside the child that Dylan himself didn't know about. Using Sleeper as a companion, and with the help of Spider-Man, Captain America and Wolverine, the 4 Life Foundation symbiotes are defeated and destroyed.
- As Eddie comes back from the fight against Carnage, he and Dylan begin to bond and try to better understand each other. Maker, now free again, speaks with The Council of Reeds, a multiversal group made up of only Reed Richards. He claims that he now has two missions: one, find out the real power of Dylan (why he seems to be a Codex of his own, and possibly the offspring of a symbiote and a human fetus) AND two, finding a way back to the Ultimate Universe where he came from.

As I understand it, Volume 4 leads in a new direction and is pretty good. On to Volume 4!
Cates' run on Venom has been great. Hope it continues as we head towards the arrival of Knull on Earth in the story "King in Black", coming soon.

Strong recommend, though this Volume should have been bundled with the "War of the Realms" Venom volume.