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The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) (Collected Editions)
The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 6: Absolute Carnage
Collects Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #29-31, Red Goblin: Read Death (2019) #1.
Spider-Man’s life has been thrown into upheaval! As Peter deals with the aftershocks from Mary Jane’s recent decision, a super villain rearing their head is not helpful. And nor is - ABSOLUTE CARNAGE! Only Spider-Man stands between Carnage at his scariest and young Dylan Brock. To make matters worse, everyone who has ever worn the Carnage symbiote now has a codex — including Norman Osborn from his time as the Red Goblin! Can Spider-Man save Norman from Carnage? Does he even want to? Plus: The untold stories of the Red Goblin’s rein of madness and mayhem! So grab your greatest goblin gear and rend your raiments red, for the Red Goblin rides again!
Spider-Man’s life has been thrown into upheaval! As Peter deals with the aftershocks from Mary Jane’s recent decision, a super villain rearing their head is not helpful. And nor is - ABSOLUTE CARNAGE! Only Spider-Man stands between Carnage at his scariest and young Dylan Brock. To make matters worse, everyone who has ever worn the Carnage symbiote now has a codex — including Norman Osborn from his time as the Red Goblin! Can Spider-Man save Norman from Carnage? Does he even want to? Plus: The untold stories of the Red Goblin’s rein of madness and mayhem! So grab your greatest goblin gear and rend your raiments red, for the Red Goblin rides again!
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2020
27 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Nick Spencer
997 books346 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics (Existence 2.0/3.0, Forgetless, Shuddertown, Morning Glories), his work at DC Comics (Action Comics, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), and for his current work at Marvel Comics (Iron Man 2.0, Ultimate Comics: X-Men).
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics (Existence 2.0/3.0, Forgetless, Shuddertown, Morning Glories), his work at DC Comics (Action Comics, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), and for his current work at Marvel Comics (Iron Man 2.0, Ultimate Comics: X-Men).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
February 18, 2020
Oof, those Absolute Carnage issues were rough. They make little sense unless you've read the actual crossover and even then it's just two issues of Spencer spinning his wheels in place. I think the Red Goblin: Red Death one-shot was thrown in just to fill this out. It's some little filler stories from the end of Dan Slott's run on Spidey. The only issue worth reading in this collection is issue #29 where Pete invariably gets tied up helping people instead of seeing MJ off. The end of that kind of ticked me off though. All in al, this arc is completely skippable.
September 4, 2020
Another pretty pointless Absolute Carnage tie-in volume, although at least Spencer ties it all in to he ongoing Kindred plot, which makes it that more interesting. There's also a collection of Red Goblin stories that are all kinds of meh. Meh! 5 out of 12.
January 25, 2020
This volume actually collects issues #29-31, and the Red Goblin: Red Death one-shot, rather than #29-34 as the solicits said since that'd make zero sense.
Issue 29 is a bit of a coda to recent events, as Peter tries to meet Mary Jane at the airport and fails miserably because Spider-Man. This is probably a quintessential Spider-Man story, since he has the best of intentions and then they lead him astray. The ending is a little bit of a shock given the way the Spidey office has been over the last 10 years, but if it actually materializes into something later down the line, that'd be nice.
Then there's the two issue Absolute Carnage tie-in, which is fine. It feels a bit like it's spinning its wheels, since Spidey's influence on the main story is felt almost entirely in the main Absolute Carnage series; instead Spencer takes some time to check in with Kindred and reveals some of his relationship with Norman Osborn, but it's all too cryptic to really get a read on him. Ryan Ottley returns for art though, so that's a plus.
The one-shot is the usual tie-in fare. It's all set in the past of course, since it's about the Red Goblin, so it doesn't have a massive timeframe to take place in, but it is also fine.
Fine's the word of the day. This is an odd little collection that's kind of thrown together so that the next volume is collected properly. If you're reading Amazing, you'll be alright here. If you're only reading it for Carnage stuff, go elsewhere.
Issue 29 is a bit of a coda to recent events, as Peter tries to meet Mary Jane at the airport and fails miserably because Spider-Man. This is probably a quintessential Spider-Man story, since he has the best of intentions and then they lead him astray. The ending is a little bit of a shock given the way the Spidey office has been over the last 10 years, but if it actually materializes into something later down the line, that'd be nice.
Then there's the two issue Absolute Carnage tie-in, which is fine. It feels a bit like it's spinning its wheels, since Spidey's influence on the main story is felt almost entirely in the main Absolute Carnage series; instead Spencer takes some time to check in with Kindred and reveals some of his relationship with Norman Osborn, but it's all too cryptic to really get a read on him. Ryan Ottley returns for art though, so that's a plus.
The one-shot is the usual tie-in fare. It's all set in the past of course, since it's about the Red Goblin, so it doesn't have a massive timeframe to take place in, but it is also fine.
Fine's the word of the day. This is an odd little collection that's kind of thrown together so that the next volume is collected properly. If you're reading Amazing, you'll be alright here. If you're only reading it for Carnage stuff, go elsewhere.
April 26, 2024
So I believe this is a a 2-part supplemental tie-in story for the Venom comic "Absolute Carnage" sandwiched between an unrelated Peter & MJ story and a confounding, also unrelated story from the Red Goblin story-arc in 2018. (I'm not a comic book historian, I'm sure something in there was wrong.) Spliced in here are some also-unrelated flashbacks about a young Harry Osborn, to accent the entire thing being bafflingly framed by the yet unconfronted villain Kindred talking to Norman Osborn about Spider-Man having a dream, or something?
It's all probably very easy to understand if you've read Absolute Carnage but everything about this volume reminds me why I so rarely read comics from the Big Two anymore. It's a truly inaccessible story without so much as an editor's note or a sentence on the back (that I could uncover) to let the reader know they're reading a tie-in. As a tie-in, it's also awful, with two lengthy, unrelated stories on either end. IDK why anyone would buy this except as a mistake, or to fill out their collection.
The Peter-MJ story was very cute and I like how the author writes their chemistry. You feel for these two. I hope nothing involving Kindred from this volume is significant because it all flew over my head. That final story was a disaster and was completely pointless. I've read Red Goblin (it's over-dramatic and outstays its welcome but a fine story otherwise in my opinion) and didn't need more of it, frankly.
What a confusing, poorly conceived mess. I don't understand who this is for. Carnage fans get an unrelated, domestic MJ story. Fan's of Nick Spencer's run get two completely skippable tie-in stories. Tie-in fans will be left dry by the two tie-ins being for DIFFERENT BOOKS released two years apart! Maybe I'm confused or wrong about something but I sort feel that way anyway tbh. I had a weird, meaningless time with this, and would truly not recommend it for anyone. Go look up the individual stories if they mean anything to you.
It's all probably very easy to understand if you've read Absolute Carnage but everything about this volume reminds me why I so rarely read comics from the Big Two anymore. It's a truly inaccessible story without so much as an editor's note or a sentence on the back (that I could uncover) to let the reader know they're reading a tie-in. As a tie-in, it's also awful, with two lengthy, unrelated stories on either end. IDK why anyone would buy this except as a mistake, or to fill out their collection.
The Peter-MJ story was very cute and I like how the author writes their chemistry. You feel for these two. I hope nothing involving Kindred from this volume is significant because it all flew over my head. That final story was a disaster and was completely pointless. I've read Red Goblin (it's over-dramatic and outstays its welcome but a fine story otherwise in my opinion) and didn't need more of it, frankly.
What a confusing, poorly conceived mess. I don't understand who this is for. Carnage fans get an unrelated, domestic MJ story. Fan's of Nick Spencer's run get two completely skippable tie-in stories. Tie-in fans will be left dry by the two tie-ins being for DIFFERENT BOOKS released two years apart! Maybe I'm confused or wrong about something but I sort feel that way anyway tbh. I had a weird, meaningless time with this, and would truly not recommend it for anyone. Go look up the individual stories if they mean anything to you.
February 12, 2020
Not a whole lot here, but what is isn't so terrible. The Absolute Carnage tie-in issues are about as good as they can be for event tie-in issues. Plus there's a good look at Peter and MJ's relationship and how Spider-Man will always come first (unfortunately). Not sure why the Red Goblin issue is included here, though I guess they had to have something to fill out the page count. The artwork throughout is all right. I wish Ryan Ottley could work a bit faster, though, so they wouldn't have to resort to finding other people to fill in.
June 7, 2020
This collection starts with a truly excellent done-in-one Spidey story that I absolutely loved.
A shame, then, that it then proceeds with two issues that are part of the Absolute Carnage crossover event and pretty inessential chapters at that. Absolute Carnage is Eddie Brock’s story, really, with Spidey as a supporting character. I think it would have been better to keep the crossover out of the core Spider-Man book.
Then there’s a Red Goblin one-shot that doesn’t even feature Spidey tacked on the end. It’s fine, I guess, it just feels a little superfluous.
All-in-all, not a great volume in the current Spidey run. 3.5 stars, rounding down.
A shame, then, that it then proceeds with two issues that are part of the Absolute Carnage crossover event and pretty inessential chapters at that. Absolute Carnage is Eddie Brock’s story, really, with Spidey as a supporting character. I think it would have been better to keep the crossover out of the core Spider-Man book.
Then there’s a Red Goblin one-shot that doesn’t even feature Spidey tacked on the end. It’s fine, I guess, it just feels a little superfluous.
All-in-all, not a great volume in the current Spidey run. 3.5 stars, rounding down.
November 16, 2025
The red goblin is an interesting character but is not really explored here. The story feels like a filler, Carnage is always going to have fans- feels a bit cheap and distant from the actual story being told in the series so far. Norman was going to comeback, even Peter is like this is cyclical just punch - win- argue with/disappoint MJ.
I like this series but this was a downgrade from that story thus far.
I like this series but this was a downgrade from that story thus far.
June 25, 2025
2025 Review - Pretty much exactly agree with my 2021 review. Enjoy!
2021 Review: We're six volumes in, and I'm still enjoying Nick Spencer's run, but I can't help it's missing SOMETHING big.
So this is mostly going to revolve around Absoulte Carnage event. And in doing so we have 3 issues that cater to it. Peter's fight against Norman as a Carnage version of Green Goblin. You got glimpses of it in the event but here you get a far more detailed fight. On top of that you get a Goblin Red Nation issue which I guess sets up Norman's future. Last but not least is the very first issue which shows Peter almost proposing.
The first issue is probably strongest. It's funny, charming, and one step closer to bringing us back to the Peter and MJ relationship we loved prior One More Day horrendous effects. I also enjoyed the issues with Carnage Goblin verse Peter and how he never will give up helping people. Good stuff. The red Nation issue is a dud, boring, and not fun at all.
Overall, another solid collection but I really hope Nick's run eventually gets to "great" status down the line. A 3 out of 5.
2021 Review: We're six volumes in, and I'm still enjoying Nick Spencer's run, but I can't help it's missing SOMETHING big.
So this is mostly going to revolve around Absoulte Carnage event. And in doing so we have 3 issues that cater to it. Peter's fight against Norman as a Carnage version of Green Goblin. You got glimpses of it in the event but here you get a far more detailed fight. On top of that you get a Goblin Red Nation issue which I guess sets up Norman's future. Last but not least is the very first issue which shows Peter almost proposing.
The first issue is probably strongest. It's funny, charming, and one step closer to bringing us back to the Peter and MJ relationship we loved prior One More Day horrendous effects. I also enjoyed the issues with Carnage Goblin verse Peter and how he never will give up helping people. Good stuff. The red Nation issue is a dud, boring, and not fun at all.
Overall, another solid collection but I really hope Nick's run eventually gets to "great" status down the line. A 3 out of 5.
November 23, 2019
Half tying into the Absolute Carnage event, half setting up 2099(?) event. So it came as a bit of surprise to me that this was a pretty good volume. Helped a lot by the introduction of Patrick Gleason to Marvel and Spider-man!
March 29, 2021
This was good there just wasn’t a whole lot in here, I really liked the first issue it really delves into who Peter is as a character. He always chooses to do the right thing even at the cost of his own personal happiness. The absolute carnage stuff was decent, I liked the flashbacks where we get to see Pater, Gwen, and MJ back together again.
July 2, 2022
It was ok.
Nice artwork. Plotwise, it's.. well.. you liked the Absolute Carnage event? Then this one is just a tie-in that's neither good or bad. It just goes on with what Parker's doing to help Venom and with the whole event.
You DON'T have to read it to read the event, and it's an ok addition to the event I guess.
Nice artwork. Plotwise, it's.. well.. you liked the Absolute Carnage event? Then this one is just a tie-in that's neither good or bad. It just goes on with what Parker's doing to help Venom and with the whole event.
You DON'T have to read it to read the event, and it's an ok addition to the event I guess.
March 20, 2020
We're six volumes in, and I'm still enjoying Nick Spencer's run, but I can't help it's missing SOMETHING big.
So this is mostly going to revolve around Absoulte Carnage event. And in doing so we have 3 issues that cater to it. Peter's fight against Norman as a Carnage version of Green Goblin. You got glimpses of it in the event but here you get a far more detailed fight. On top of that you get a Goblin Red Nation issue which I guess sets up Norman's future. Last but not least is the very first issue which shows Peter almost proposing.
The first issue is probably strongest. It's funny, charming, and one step closer to bringing us back to the Peter and MJ relationship we loved prior One More Day horrendous effects. I also enjoyed the issues with Carnage Goblin verse Peter and how he never will give up helping people. Good stuff. The red Nation issue is a dud, boring, and not fun at all.
Overall, another solid collection but I really hope Nick's run eventually gets to "great" status down the line. A 3 out of 5.
So this is mostly going to revolve around Absoulte Carnage event. And in doing so we have 3 issues that cater to it. Peter's fight against Norman as a Carnage version of Green Goblin. You got glimpses of it in the event but here you get a far more detailed fight. On top of that you get a Goblin Red Nation issue which I guess sets up Norman's future. Last but not least is the very first issue which shows Peter almost proposing.
The first issue is probably strongest. It's funny, charming, and one step closer to bringing us back to the Peter and MJ relationship we loved prior One More Day horrendous effects. I also enjoyed the issues with Carnage Goblin verse Peter and how he never will give up helping people. Good stuff. The red Nation issue is a dud, boring, and not fun at all.
Overall, another solid collection but I really hope Nick's run eventually gets to "great" status down the line. A 3 out of 5.
July 17, 2020
Yet *another* Marvel comic ruined by crossovers.
The opening issue (#29) focusing on MJ and Peter's relationship is great.
But then we get a two-issue Absolute Carnage crossover that turns into a semi-comprehensible montage as Spencer fights to make sure nothing happens, and then we get a one-issue special on the Red Goblin, which is a boring and semi-comprehensible murderfest.
Bleh. What a waste. You could skip it if not for #29.
The opening issue (#29) focusing on MJ and Peter's relationship is great.
But then we get a two-issue Absolute Carnage crossover that turns into a semi-comprehensible montage as Spencer fights to make sure nothing happens, and then we get a one-issue special on the Red Goblin, which is a boring and semi-comprehensible murderfest.
Bleh. What a waste. You could skip it if not for #29.
June 13, 2023
Not really the best of the Spencer Amazing-Spider Man run. Part of this is because Spencer does well with morally ambiguous funny villains while Carnage is absolutely not. I also feel like the symbiotes have been overexposed in recent years. It also interrupts Mary Jane and Spider-Man reconciling after so many years of being a part due to One More Day.
October 7, 2021
Boring as hell when is frozen by the most boring frozen beer.
July 30, 2020
Reading the previous volume feels more like a placeholder as it does tie up loose ends from the first year of Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man run, whilst setting up new stories, such as Mary Jane departing for Los Angeles after being cast in a lead role for a movie. The first issue of this volume showcases Peter's preparation for his girlfriend's departure, but before the two say their farewells to each other, Peter has one last errand, which is to help his beloved aunt.
Following a great sequence where Peter gets a lecture from Aunt May, particularly the fractured nature of relationships from her relationship with her husband Ben to Peter's own relationship with MJ, the rest of the issue reintroduces Peter's super-spy of a sister, Teresa, who seeks the help of her brother. Despite an action set-piece (well-drawn by Francesco Manna) involving A.I.M. and the Chameleon, leading to a conclusion that just stops and lacks an emotional note that it tries to achieve, I was more interested in the central romance where there is still love, even if the issue ends on a sad note where Peter never got the chance to pop the question to MJ.
Big things have happened to Spider-Man over the years, but most of the best stories featuring the web-slinger is about the domesticity. Spidey has been through a number of crossover events, not least with the recent Absolute Carnage, which is that rare case of a terrific crossover event that feels grand and yet intimate. The majority of this volume is two issues that tie-in with the aforementioned event, as Spidey is determined to protect his godson Normie Osborn, as well as Eddie Brock's son Dylan, from his arch-nemesis Norman Osborn, who reclaims the Carnage symbiote.
Obviously, I would recommend reading Absolute Carnage by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman (and for that matter, Venom by the same two creators) prior to reading these issues. Contrasting the ongoing fight between Spidey and Carnage is two other timelines; one featuring the mysterious Kindred visiting Norman Osborn in Ravencroft, the other is Peter and his friends trying to help a sick Harry Osborn, much to the reluctance of his father. I was surprised how Spencer is able to weave the three timelines together, all of which blend superhero action and soap opera characterisation that feels right in Spidey's world.
Much like his arch-nemesis, Osborn has always been interesting whether he's in Goblin mode or not, as each of the timelines show a different side to him, not just one shade of evil. This doesn't negate our hero as Spencer encompasses many of the tropes we come expect from Spidey, who also show his tenderness in caring two scared boys with a wonderful character beat where he briefly takes off his mask in front of his godson. As for Kindred, he may deliver a great monologue over the course of two issues, whilst giving some new details about himself, Spencer still plays the waiting game with Kindred remains a constant mystery, which is still frustrating.
Drawing the Absolute Carnage tie-in issues is artist Ryan Ottley, someone who has proven himself to exceptionally draw Spider-Man since the debut issue of Spencer's run. With an emphasis on large panels, Ottley is a master at drawing expressive figure work and dynamic fight scenes, and although his art lacks the horror-based intensity of Ryan Stegman's art-style, Ottley makes good use of the blood spattering and symbiote tendrils.
Concluding this volume is an odd one-off. Red Goblin: Red Death #1 is told via three stories, each with its own creative team. It's not entirely a bad issue, although the quality can differ in terms of writing and artwork, and gives you some insight about Osborn's relationship with the Carnage symbiote, it's not essential to Spidey's current situation as it took place during the climax of Dan Slott's extensive run on Amazing Spider-Man.
Although it is an enjoyable read, this volume doesn't advance Peter Parker's narrative and feels more like a mishmash of random issues stapled together.
Following a great sequence where Peter gets a lecture from Aunt May, particularly the fractured nature of relationships from her relationship with her husband Ben to Peter's own relationship with MJ, the rest of the issue reintroduces Peter's super-spy of a sister, Teresa, who seeks the help of her brother. Despite an action set-piece (well-drawn by Francesco Manna) involving A.I.M. and the Chameleon, leading to a conclusion that just stops and lacks an emotional note that it tries to achieve, I was more interested in the central romance where there is still love, even if the issue ends on a sad note where Peter never got the chance to pop the question to MJ.
Big things have happened to Spider-Man over the years, but most of the best stories featuring the web-slinger is about the domesticity. Spidey has been through a number of crossover events, not least with the recent Absolute Carnage, which is that rare case of a terrific crossover event that feels grand and yet intimate. The majority of this volume is two issues that tie-in with the aforementioned event, as Spidey is determined to protect his godson Normie Osborn, as well as Eddie Brock's son Dylan, from his arch-nemesis Norman Osborn, who reclaims the Carnage symbiote.
Obviously, I would recommend reading Absolute Carnage by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman (and for that matter, Venom by the same two creators) prior to reading these issues. Contrasting the ongoing fight between Spidey and Carnage is two other timelines; one featuring the mysterious Kindred visiting Norman Osborn in Ravencroft, the other is Peter and his friends trying to help a sick Harry Osborn, much to the reluctance of his father. I was surprised how Spencer is able to weave the three timelines together, all of which blend superhero action and soap opera characterisation that feels right in Spidey's world.
Much like his arch-nemesis, Osborn has always been interesting whether he's in Goblin mode or not, as each of the timelines show a different side to him, not just one shade of evil. This doesn't negate our hero as Spencer encompasses many of the tropes we come expect from Spidey, who also show his tenderness in caring two scared boys with a wonderful character beat where he briefly takes off his mask in front of his godson. As for Kindred, he may deliver a great monologue over the course of two issues, whilst giving some new details about himself, Spencer still plays the waiting game with Kindred remains a constant mystery, which is still frustrating.
Drawing the Absolute Carnage tie-in issues is artist Ryan Ottley, someone who has proven himself to exceptionally draw Spider-Man since the debut issue of Spencer's run. With an emphasis on large panels, Ottley is a master at drawing expressive figure work and dynamic fight scenes, and although his art lacks the horror-based intensity of Ryan Stegman's art-style, Ottley makes good use of the blood spattering and symbiote tendrils.
Concluding this volume is an odd one-off. Red Goblin: Red Death #1 is told via three stories, each with its own creative team. It's not entirely a bad issue, although the quality can differ in terms of writing and artwork, and gives you some insight about Osborn's relationship with the Carnage symbiote, it's not essential to Spidey's current situation as it took place during the climax of Dan Slott's extensive run on Amazing Spider-Man.
Although it is an enjoyable read, this volume doesn't advance Peter Parker's narrative and feels more like a mishmash of random issues stapled together.
September 24, 2020
I loved Spider-Man comics growing up. I still do, but I'm not quite devoted enough to keep up with the comics on a regular basis. Hence, I love the opportunity to check in on my favorite superhero when my library gets the latest collect editions of The Amazing Spider-Man.
Recently, I picked up three new collections featuring Nick Spencer as the head Spidey writer and featuring cover blurbs about how great his work was on Marvel's flagship title. And after reading "Hunted," I could see what the positive buzz was about.
Then there came the next two collections.
It's not that they're necessarily bad. I did enjoy Volume 5's look at Mysterio a bit and seeing him in counseling was a nice touch. But, I can't help but feel like Spencer is making this all up as he goes and has no definitive end-game in sight. There's a lot of treading water across these two collections -- whether it's waiting for the Chamelion's nefarious plan to unfold or revealing who is behind the new villain who seems to spend a lot of time with Spidey's enemies pontificating about some agenda he has in mind. At one point, I wanted to scream at the page, "Set your plan in motion already!"
Of course, it doesn't help that collection six is just a tie-in to a longer arc of stories -- without any indication of this on the cover, mind you -- so nothing much happens in the storyline. Which all leads to my overall dissatisfaction with the flagship title for the Marvel Universe. Stan Lee always said that writers should treat comic books like every issue is someone's first issue. And if you go back and read much of Lee's best stuff, he does just that, making sure that readers are welcome to play in the sandbox of the character(s) you've picked up. Sure, they'd joke with readers about missing an issue at times, but it never felt like they were trying to exclude you because you didn't read every issue or you couldn't recall every nuance and detail from an issue three years ago.
Not the case here with Spencer who seems to be actively excluding readership by having labyrinth-like stories that are pulling on obscure references from past issues or not bothering to catch you up on what's currently going on enough to fully enjoy it if you haven't read all the previous installments plus the latest tie-in storyline. (Again, a quick note on the cover indicating this would REALLY help!). It's no wonder comic books are in trouble these days -- they're just not welcoming in new fans. And given how huge those Marvel movies are, you'd think Marvel would be ready to welcome readers with open arms not turn them away.
Sadly, I will say I'm invested enough to want to find out who this new villain really is and to see what, if anything, the Chamelion has in mind for our hero. So, I will keep going and pick up a new collection the next time my library has one on the shelf. And I'll hope that eventually it will all be worth it....
Recently, I picked up three new collections featuring Nick Spencer as the head Spidey writer and featuring cover blurbs about how great his work was on Marvel's flagship title. And after reading "Hunted," I could see what the positive buzz was about.
Then there came the next two collections.
It's not that they're necessarily bad. I did enjoy Volume 5's look at Mysterio a bit and seeing him in counseling was a nice touch. But, I can't help but feel like Spencer is making this all up as he goes and has no definitive end-game in sight. There's a lot of treading water across these two collections -- whether it's waiting for the Chamelion's nefarious plan to unfold or revealing who is behind the new villain who seems to spend a lot of time with Spidey's enemies pontificating about some agenda he has in mind. At one point, I wanted to scream at the page, "Set your plan in motion already!"
Of course, it doesn't help that collection six is just a tie-in to a longer arc of stories -- without any indication of this on the cover, mind you -- so nothing much happens in the storyline. Which all leads to my overall dissatisfaction with the flagship title for the Marvel Universe. Stan Lee always said that writers should treat comic books like every issue is someone's first issue. And if you go back and read much of Lee's best stuff, he does just that, making sure that readers are welcome to play in the sandbox of the character(s) you've picked up. Sure, they'd joke with readers about missing an issue at times, but it never felt like they were trying to exclude you because you didn't read every issue or you couldn't recall every nuance and detail from an issue three years ago.
Not the case here with Spencer who seems to be actively excluding readership by having labyrinth-like stories that are pulling on obscure references from past issues or not bothering to catch you up on what's currently going on enough to fully enjoy it if you haven't read all the previous installments plus the latest tie-in storyline. (Again, a quick note on the cover indicating this would REALLY help!). It's no wonder comic books are in trouble these days -- they're just not welcoming in new fans. And given how huge those Marvel movies are, you'd think Marvel would be ready to welcome readers with open arms not turn them away.
Sadly, I will say I'm invested enough to want to find out who this new villain really is and to see what, if anything, the Chamelion has in mind for our hero. So, I will keep going and pick up a new collection the next time my library has one on the shelf. And I'll hope that eventually it will all be worth it....
January 30, 2020
Norman Osborne has started to run the way of the Joker where he is nearly omniscient and a baddie on a level just super unbelievable. Norman has not gone as far as the Joker but this book really turned me off. Not super excited to continue this series but I probably will
April 21, 2020
Not bad but not spectacular. It looks like the Nick Spencer run on spider-man has lost a bit of its steam since the stellarAmazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer, Vol. 4: Hunted. This a okay Spiderman volume with okay art. This volume is not hurt as much by the Absolute Carnage crossover but if you are a completest you may want to read the mention Spider-man event before jumping into this book. I think Ryan Ottley's art was ok but I just did not the colors in this book. Spencer does a good job with the first issues in this collection its just that I found the story a bit boring. Don't get me wrong this volume was a bit better than the previous entry. It just feels like Marvel has lost interest in telling great Spider-man tales. Peter just comes across whiny and helpless in this book. I just miss the more loner version of the character. I can't help but feel like the MCU take on Spidey is starting to influence the comic book Spidey who has a much more developed history. If you are looking just for a normal Spider-man story this book is okay but it still felt like a filler arc as we get closer to the story Spencer is building towards with the new villain Kindred. Until than this series is just not as exciting as it used to be.
October 3, 2021
This is what it's like to be a comics fan:
You're reading a series like Amazing Spider-man (AMS), you've just read Volume 5 and you pick up Volume 6. Then you find out that two of the issues in Volume 6 take place as part of the Absolute Carnage event, which is a 5-issue mini-series. So, you think: I'll just quickly zip over to the Marvel App, read Absolute Carnage, then zip back and read those 2 issues of AMS Volume 6. Easy, right?
But then you try and read the first issue of Absolute Carnage, and you find out that it won't make a lick of sense unless you have read Donny Cates's Venom run, of which there are already 16 issues done. Also, the Absolute Carnage arc has a series of one-shots and short arcs that take place during it, so for that to all hold together, you have to read an additional 10 issues or so.
So. In order for the 2 issues in AMS Volume 6 to make sense, you have to read 26 issues (about 5 books) worth of comics from other titles.
Of course, you could read a wiki page or something, but that feels like studying, and studying for leisure reading kind of sucks the joy out of the experience.
The alternative? To simply read the 2 issues in AMS Volume 6 without reading any Venom or Absolute Carnage, like I did, and rely on the helpful exposition to guide you though and not worry about spoilers for other titles. It's not perfect, but it gets you by, much like Volume 6 itself.
Welcome to comics.
You're reading a series like Amazing Spider-man (AMS), you've just read Volume 5 and you pick up Volume 6. Then you find out that two of the issues in Volume 6 take place as part of the Absolute Carnage event, which is a 5-issue mini-series. So, you think: I'll just quickly zip over to the Marvel App, read Absolute Carnage, then zip back and read those 2 issues of AMS Volume 6. Easy, right?
But then you try and read the first issue of Absolute Carnage, and you find out that it won't make a lick of sense unless you have read Donny Cates's Venom run, of which there are already 16 issues done. Also, the Absolute Carnage arc has a series of one-shots and short arcs that take place during it, so for that to all hold together, you have to read an additional 10 issues or so.
So. In order for the 2 issues in AMS Volume 6 to make sense, you have to read 26 issues (about 5 books) worth of comics from other titles.
Of course, you could read a wiki page or something, but that feels like studying, and studying for leisure reading kind of sucks the joy out of the experience.
The alternative? To simply read the 2 issues in AMS Volume 6 without reading any Venom or Absolute Carnage, like I did, and rely on the helpful exposition to guide you though and not worry about spoilers for other titles. It's not perfect, but it gets you by, much like Volume 6 itself.
Welcome to comics.
February 15, 2020
It can be difficult to keep up on comics these days. If you miss a lot of backstory, don’t read the blogs, stay out of the chatrooms, don’t have informative nerdy friends and don’t blow your cash on every single comic book that comes out, an occasional dip into the story pool leaves you frustrated and baffled.
That’s how it was for me upon reading this. There are a lot of old characters in these stories but I don’t always get the dynamics between them. When did Gwen Stacey become friends with Flash Thompson? What’s the Red Goblin and when did he pop into the picture? Who or what the hell is Kindred and what’s his connection to Norman Osborne?
I initially wanted to read this book because I thought it was a continuation of a comic that I picked up, part of the Free Comic Day. That gratis comic featured an insane Eddie Brock raving about a Cletus Kasady (?) who was the budding incarnation of an elder god called Knull (??) that had invented the symbiotes and was going to be resurrected by Cletus (?????!??!).
I thought Eddie Brock was a container for the Venom symbiote but this comic short showed him willingly stealing someone else’s and becoming Carnage, a character with which I had only a passing knowledge. The snippet showed a more-or-less coherent story about Brock escaping prison and deciding to go after his nemesis, Spider-Man. The tale was supposed to be continued in “Absolute Carnage”.
But this anthology doesn’t feature Brock at all! Instead, the Carnage symbiote is somehow being sported by Norman Osborne, who enters the story from an unknown angle. Suddenly, there’s a ton of exposition, Spider-Man is fighting the Norman-Carnage symbiote in between reminiscences about a welcome-back party for Harry Osborne and the aforementioned Kindred holding a creepy, rambling, nonsensical talk with a lunatic Norman stuck in a straitjacket.
Sheesh.
The rest of the anthology features the Red Goblin symbiote killing random strangers (hard to get concerned about them), questioning people about Spider-Man’s whereabouts and infecting children, et al. It’s red-smeared, incoherent stuff for the most part. I did find myself smirking about a character called Ned Tobolowski (a cute reference that will be lost on anybody who isn’t a fan of the Groundhog Day movie featuring Bill Murray). But that was it in terms of entertainment value for me.
The action and pacing are good, but the illustrations are too covered in gore for the most part. There are tender scenes between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson and his aunt May. But they’re not enough for me to recommend this book to anyone. I can’t imagine that die-hard Spider-Man fans will like this much either; there’s just not enough of him in it to make this worthwhile.
That’s how it was for me upon reading this. There are a lot of old characters in these stories but I don’t always get the dynamics between them. When did Gwen Stacey become friends with Flash Thompson? What’s the Red Goblin and when did he pop into the picture? Who or what the hell is Kindred and what’s his connection to Norman Osborne?
I initially wanted to read this book because I thought it was a continuation of a comic that I picked up, part of the Free Comic Day. That gratis comic featured an insane Eddie Brock raving about a Cletus Kasady (?) who was the budding incarnation of an elder god called Knull (??) that had invented the symbiotes and was going to be resurrected by Cletus (?????!??!).
I thought Eddie Brock was a container for the Venom symbiote but this comic short showed him willingly stealing someone else’s and becoming Carnage, a character with which I had only a passing knowledge. The snippet showed a more-or-less coherent story about Brock escaping prison and deciding to go after his nemesis, Spider-Man. The tale was supposed to be continued in “Absolute Carnage”.
But this anthology doesn’t feature Brock at all! Instead, the Carnage symbiote is somehow being sported by Norman Osborne, who enters the story from an unknown angle. Suddenly, there’s a ton of exposition, Spider-Man is fighting the Norman-Carnage symbiote in between reminiscences about a welcome-back party for Harry Osborne and the aforementioned Kindred holding a creepy, rambling, nonsensical talk with a lunatic Norman stuck in a straitjacket.
Sheesh.
The rest of the anthology features the Red Goblin symbiote killing random strangers (hard to get concerned about them), questioning people about Spider-Man’s whereabouts and infecting children, et al. It’s red-smeared, incoherent stuff for the most part. I did find myself smirking about a character called Ned Tobolowski (a cute reference that will be lost on anybody who isn’t a fan of the Groundhog Day movie featuring Bill Murray). But that was it in terms of entertainment value for me.
The action and pacing are good, but the illustrations are too covered in gore for the most part. There are tender scenes between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson and his aunt May. But they’re not enough for me to recommend this book to anyone. I can’t imagine that die-hard Spider-Man fans will like this much either; there’s just not enough of him in it to make this worthwhile.
November 7, 2021
Ummm...can this get to the point soon?
We get it. MJ and Peter are still dealing with the ups and downs of super hero dating. We've seen it before. It's the ONE thing they didn't reboot. Wait...what? He has a sister and she's a super spy? Of course she is. Way to just casually throw that in. WTF?
This also takes place during the Absolute Carnage Super crossover, so we get a quick Carnage cameo. You'd think they'd do more, but maybe they wanted to keep Nick Spencer's slow ass run away from the Carnage story. As it stands, Kindred cameos over in Norman's mind and monologues about his long term plans for Spider-Man.
Newsflash: Its been 2 years with the 'big bad' just popping up to harass the hero in their dreams. No fights. No revelations. You have to really love Spider-Man (or Nick Spencer) to keep reading this run. This isn't an epic Donny Cates run with stuff happening along with lore being added.
We get it. MJ and Peter are still dealing with the ups and downs of super hero dating. We've seen it before. It's the ONE thing they didn't reboot. Wait...what? He has a sister and she's a super spy? Of course she is. Way to just casually throw that in. WTF?
This also takes place during the Absolute Carnage Super crossover, so we get a quick Carnage cameo. You'd think they'd do more, but maybe they wanted to keep Nick Spencer's slow ass run away from the Carnage story. As it stands, Kindred cameos over in Norman's mind and monologues about his long term plans for Spider-Man.
Newsflash: Its been 2 years with the 'big bad' just popping up to harass the hero in their dreams. No fights. No revelations. You have to really love Spider-Man (or Nick Spencer) to keep reading this run. This isn't an epic Donny Cates run with stuff happening along with lore being added.
September 10, 2021
I’ve really been enjoying Spencer’s run on this title, but this volume felt… really pointless and messy, yet another awkward “event” tie-in. If you’re reading your way through Spencer’s Spider-Man, this one is entirely skippable.
December 8, 2020
Spider-man is always out-classed by symbiotes physically so he has to figure out a way to win psychologically. I'm not sure that I like the merger of Norman and Carnage.
October 20, 2021
I love Ottley's art. Wish he drew more then half of this...
November 15, 2023
Another filler book, this is carnage and spiderman techincally.
February 14, 2020
Taunts the reader.
First, you think there's an exciting action sequence but it turns out to be I have no idea.
Then the book heavily implies that Kindred is
That doesn't work. If that's who he is, then the reveal is ruined. If he's not, then you're wasting my time.
First, you think there's an exciting action sequence but it turns out to be I have no idea.
Then the book heavily implies that Kindred is
That doesn't work. If that's who he is, then the reveal is ruined. If he's not, then you're wasting my time.
June 14, 2023
Fair warning, this won't really be a review, as so much a rant about how Marvel chooses to collect its comics.
This volume shouldn't exist.
There is exactly one (1) issue here that actually continues the plot of the ongoing comic. The rest are tie-in for an event happening primarily over in Venom, or something completely separate. If you're not following the event, the two issues included here are utterly incomprehensible. If you are a Venom fan following the event, then this is yet another book you'll have to buy in order to collect the whole story.
This is labeled as Volume 6 of The Amazing Spider-Man, when it's really not. It's a piece of a completely different story carved out and put in an unrelated series. Putting these issues here makes no goddamn sense.
Over at DC, when collecting an ongoing series that gets interrupted by an event, they just skip those issues, put them in a collected edition of that event, and just continue the volumes numbering uninterrupted. And while there is a collected volume of Absolute Carnage, it's marketed as a collectors thing, and they still split the event among a bunch of different collections.
I suspect the sole reason there is only one non-event comic in here is to make sure nobody skips it. Because if it wasn't for that first issue about Mary Jane leaving town, there would be no reason to read this.
...I suppose I should actually review this book at some point.
The single issue that actually relevant to the on going series is... fine. It's a nice character piece showing of some of the troubles of Peter and Mary Janes relationship and it's about on part with the rest of Nick Spencers Spider-Man. It's basically the reason I gave this an extra star.
The Absolute Carnage issues are unintelligible. We're just dropped into the middle of a story is minimal explanation and no real resolution because the actually important stuff happens over in Venom. I suppose I could read the rest of the event to properly judge it, but that would require me to actually have to give a shit about Carnage. And I'm more likely to lay an egg than for that to ever happen.
The Red Goblin issue is just terrible. Red Goblin is just a terrible "mwa ha ha I'm scary and crazy so I kill people" villain. They're boring enough when they're the villains of a story, much more so when they're the main character. He just lack the charisma to make this kind of character work. You know, like the Green Goblin did. And they're supposed to be the same guy! Well, that's what happens when Carnage is involved.
This volume shouldn't exist.
There is exactly one (1) issue here that actually continues the plot of the ongoing comic. The rest are tie-in for an event happening primarily over in Venom, or something completely separate. If you're not following the event, the two issues included here are utterly incomprehensible. If you are a Venom fan following the event, then this is yet another book you'll have to buy in order to collect the whole story.
This is labeled as Volume 6 of The Amazing Spider-Man, when it's really not. It's a piece of a completely different story carved out and put in an unrelated series. Putting these issues here makes no goddamn sense.
Over at DC, when collecting an ongoing series that gets interrupted by an event, they just skip those issues, put them in a collected edition of that event, and just continue the volumes numbering uninterrupted. And while there is a collected volume of Absolute Carnage, it's marketed as a collectors thing, and they still split the event among a bunch of different collections.
I suspect the sole reason there is only one non-event comic in here is to make sure nobody skips it. Because if it wasn't for that first issue about Mary Jane leaving town, there would be no reason to read this.
...I suppose I should actually review this book at some point.
The single issue that actually relevant to the on going series is... fine. It's a nice character piece showing of some of the troubles of Peter and Mary Janes relationship and it's about on part with the rest of Nick Spencers Spider-Man. It's basically the reason I gave this an extra star.
The Absolute Carnage issues are unintelligible. We're just dropped into the middle of a story is minimal explanation and no real resolution because the actually important stuff happens over in Venom. I suppose I could read the rest of the event to properly judge it, but that would require me to actually have to give a shit about Carnage. And I'm more likely to lay an egg than for that to ever happen.
The Red Goblin issue is just terrible. Red Goblin is just a terrible "mwa ha ha I'm scary and crazy so I kill people" villain. They're boring enough when they're the villains of a story, much more so when they're the main character. He just lack the charisma to make this kind of character work. You know, like the Green Goblin did. And they're supposed to be the same guy! Well, that's what happens when Carnage is involved.
February 9, 2020
Collects Amazing Spider-Man (2018) issues #29-31 and Red Goblin: Red Death (2019) #1
I haven't read the event "Absolute Carnage" yet, and two of the issues in this collection were tie-ins to that story. The final page of the first issue in this collection floored me, and the Red Goblin story seemed like a waste of time (unless it is setting something up in the future that I don't understand yet).
SPOILERS/PREDICTIONS:
Is it possible that the true identity of Kindred is actually Gwen Stacy? This would probably be a bridge too far, but I wouldn't be shocked if Kindred ends up being one of the twins that resulted from the Norman Osborn/Gwen Stacy affair. The name "Kindred" indicates family of some sort, and this collection revealed more than previous Kindred appearances that this character has some connection to both Peter and Norman. Kindred knows things that are far from common knowledge. Maybe Kindred is Harry Osborn.
I haven't read the event "Absolute Carnage" yet, and two of the issues in this collection were tie-ins to that story. The final page of the first issue in this collection floored me, and the Red Goblin story seemed like a waste of time (unless it is setting something up in the future that I don't understand yet).
SPOILERS/PREDICTIONS:
Is it possible that the true identity of Kindred is actually Gwen Stacy? This would probably be a bridge too far, but I wouldn't be shocked if Kindred ends up being one of the twins that resulted from the Norman Osborn/Gwen Stacy affair. The name "Kindred" indicates family of some sort, and this collection revealed more than previous Kindred appearances that this character has some connection to both Peter and Norman. Kindred knows things that are far from common knowledge. Maybe Kindred is Harry Osborn.
November 21, 2019
I hate Marvel tie-ins so much. They're just cash grabs, and usually not that great. I refuse to pick up the tons of carnage issues, but luckily I was able to fill in the gaps enough for the story to make sense. Now we're jumping straight into 2099, plus Fantastic Four storylines? Ugh. Just let Spencer write about Spider-Man, bring in a few caped friends occasionally, and call it a day. Instead we jump from event to event with little time to actually build naturally on the events of previous issues. This one isn't Spencer's fault, it's on whatever Marvel execs keep thinking these are good ideas.
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