Chapter By Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.
It’s the last two chapters of the book, so I think we can assume the fight ends here and the epilogue comes next chapter. When we last left the book a very angry Carnage was lunging at Spider-Man. Let’s see how it all turns out.
How much you want to bet we just got a spoiler here? Also, something something shocking yada yada.
Yep, spoiler. It is nicely described in the book though. The whole fight is pretty good for one we can’t see. They also sneak in a few reactions from the crowd, from Spidey, and from Carnage about the whole spectacle being on TV but considering at the moment Carnage is still super mad about Spidey taking the vial it seems like a brief distraction to go into his perspective on being on TV. The fight also highlights for Spider-Fans how different Carnage is from Venom (non-fans probably wouldn’t even know to make such a connection but it’s not necessary to enjoy the fight) in how they fight. Venom pretty much replicates Spider-Man’s moves, while the symbiote at times becomes Eddie Brock’s (or whomever has it this month) clothing. Whether that’s from Eddie or just the symbiote first imprinting on Peter I wouldn’t know. However Carnage uses what appears to be the full extent of his symbiote’s abilities. He’s creating projectiles and weapons out of the symbiote “costume”, something we rarely see out of Venom, who at best forms a variation on Peter’s webbing.
In the end Spidey defeats Carnage as we see in the chapter image and learns what time it is, long past the time the bank and mortgage company have closed. He’s sure this whole thing cost Aunt May her home, the home he grew up in, but the drama is a bit lessened for the readers when we see Mary Jane has already come up with the money and saved the day. Again, it’s a good bit of character for MJ but highlights how little Aunt May brings to the story anymore.
Next time it’s the final chapter as all the loose ends are tied up. Join me then.
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