Venom #254-255 - "Death Spiral, Part 3"

[laughing_tree]

There was a video game for Maximum Carnage way back in the day, and I was a Production Assistant on the commercial for it. My job was to drive the truck full of camera equipment from Long Island to Manhattan, pick up my producer, get breakfast and bring it all to set… but I didn’t realize that I left the key to the lock on the truck at home until we got the breakfast. My producer sat on giant coffee urns and held bagels in his lap as I drove to set – but I was so frazzled that I drove the wrong way down the West Side Highway and was pulled over by a cop!!! -- Joe Kelly

Maximum Carnage! I have to say, it’s been a minute, and I was a Clone Saga do-or-die back around when it landed – but I remember a whole pile of villains infighting and yelling at each other and hating each other as much as (or more than) they hated the comics. Can’t beat that! -- Charles Soule

During the 90s, I was off reading Proper Comics like Hate, Eightball, and Love & Rockets, so Maximum Carnage passed me by a little bit – I hear Carnage is pretty Maximum in it, but that’s about all I know. -- Al Ewing

(https://aiptcomics.com/2026/03/05/venom-unleashed-17/)










Issue 255 -

Comments

[blues32]

...seriously? She's copying Otto's look more and more. Goggles, the haircut, the outfit... Try being original, Trainer!

[numeronone]

It's one of those branding things. Esp. because if you have dyed purple hair in this day and age the cops just assume you're a protestor.

[blues32]

Cripes, I forgot that her hair used to be purple. I was just referring to the bowl cut. Wonder if she still has the force field?

[numeronone]

Considering that a lack of it is the whole reason "Superior Spider-Man" happened (she gave Otto one of his own the minite he was resurrected, so Spider-Man couldn't resort to just hitting him, but somehow this never came up again)...safe to say that no, she doesn't have the force-field.

[super_fly]

Not original sure but the question is: who's wearing it better?

[blues32]

Fair play. Otto always did look better in his white suit.

[huntleyhaverstock]

This feels like Good Spider-Man to me. Fun, funny, character-driven, with heroes and villains portrayed as complicated human beings with messy relationships, and firing on all cylinders.

Bless Ewing for being unable to resist bringing back HIMBO FRANKENSTEIN.

[tcampbell1000]

Hard agree. Both issues were just chock full of enjoyable moments, but I think my favorite part was the bar scene. We so often see Spidey's altruism and acceptance of blame working against him, it's a jolt to see them repackaged as strengths, the kind that command respect even in the Bar With No Name. The character chemistry has been so solid, I don't even care that this is selling itself as Maximum Carnage redux.

[numeronone]

Back when, the Thor/Venom crossover felt like Ewing soft-pitching his run on "Immortal Thor". If this is him soft-pitching an eventual Spider-Man run one of these days...well...Homer Drooling Noises

[blues32]

Oh, I don't think we need to worry about it reaching Maximum Carnage levels. Besides, Torment doesn't seem like the type to amass a huge following. If he IS Kassidy, as I suspect, MAYBE he can convince Shriek to join him...but that's about it.

[shakalooloo]

How does Madame Masque's belt stay on?

[cainofdreaming]

The paint that makes up her costume is very sticky?

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Awful!

...wait, sorry. Can we try that again?

[numeronone]

The pouches are just sewn into the suit and the buckle is there for flair.

[super_fly]

It's just really stiff and being held up by her hips

[cygnia]

Still pissed they killed Herman.

[blues32]

Same. Glad that Spider-Man had the same opinion of Shocker that I have. He was a breath of fresh air in Spider-Man's rogue gallery. Didn't go around killing, never really tried to form a criminal enterprise of his own, he was just trying to make money the dishonest way.

He also wasn't mentally ill or wildly incompetent like, say, the Looter who thought the rock that gave him powers was talking to him for a while or the Big Wheel who literally drove himself into the Hudson River and drowned...until he was suddenly brought back for reasons. Shocker's biggest flaw was the yellow costume and it looking far too much like a it was made of cushions...which it sort of was.

[scorntx]

He'll probably be back eventually, though.

(or maybe it'll turn out Torment just killed some other guy with the exact same name and likeness.)

[cainofdreaming]

Of course it'd turn into a monkey's paw situation, with Torment actually being Herman.

[super_fly]

He researches his victims using 23andMe and Ancestry.com
He's lucky half the people he kills are even related.

[zachbeacon]

Same. Easily one of the best Spider-Man villains.

[starwolf_oakley]

Shocker never quite topped the A-list. of villains, possibly because he wasn't really *that* crazy. And no connection to Peter Parker. Herman was more of a High-B, and maybe because he debuted in the Romita era.

[zylly]

Given they specifically reference Herman bringing Fred back to life, that feels like foreshadowing that we’ll see Herman back by arc’s end. Especially with his tech being important.