THE DEAD END! These past several months, a cavalcade of creators have lent the most sinister of their sensibilities to the symbiote corner of the Marvel Universe, and the final epic installment of CARNAGE: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD is no exception! THIS ISSUE sees the return of two superstars who are no strangers to symbiote business — DECLAN SHALVEY AND RYAN STEGMAN!
- "Carnage Beyond" by Ryan Stegman & Joe Bennett - A Venom vs. Carnage story, where Dylan Brock is the one steering the symbiote against the rampaging psychopath. It has some touching moments that really only make sense if you've read the Cates/Stegman era of Venom, otherwise it's all about appreciating the spectacular fight sequence drawn by Joe Bennett.
- "Skin Deep" by Declan Shalvey & Stephan Mooney - Set up as a cerebral psychological thriller where Cletus Kasady is a stalking killer on the streets, we get a first-hand perspective of the psychopath's mind as he plans to murder a woman in an alley. But things go haywire quick for our slasher, and he's now dealing with an alien presence within his bloodstream. Or is it all in his mind? I like the idea, but a short story like this can't really explore this concept all that well.
- "The End of Humanity" by Ed Brisson, Scott Hepburn & Andres Mossa - The world has ended, but Carnage still roams the Earth for prey. It's a slight tale that doesn't really do anything all that interesting, and I was not a fan of the ink washes that gave the artwork a murky look to it. The reds really felt too muted in this story.
First story suffers from experimental paneling and necessity that you've read other series. What follows is more of the bloody anthology you'd be expecting if you've been reading these so far. The future story is the clear standout for memorability.