Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 11: Carnage

Ultimate Spider-Man (Collected Editions)

by Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Mark Bagley

One of the most ruthless villains in the history of the Marvel Universe, the fan-favorite Carnage, gets the Ultimate treatment! And though young Peter Parker has proven himself time and time again on the field of battle, can even he hope to defeat this heartless killing machine?

Collecting: Ultimate Spider-Man 60-65

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2007

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun to read omg!

So we pick up with Pete as he is fighting some villain and then meets Dr Connors and well tries to get him to heal his wounds and then stuff happens as we see Connors getting interested in Pete's blood and promises him to be different this time but well experiments go awry and what that results in is totally lethal and the effects it will have on Peter, MJ and especially Gwen's life and how that will throw Peter in a spiral of doubt and all like Does he even need to be Spider-man and why..

Its one of those character defining stories where the saying "Good intentions but the end results being bad" is applicable and I love how it challenges Peter in such a great way and by the end of it also answers the questions it raised in this volume and such a massive change to a character arc just wow.. its perfect!!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: there be spoilers below, if you care about that sort of thing.

Curt Conners (aka The Lizard, although his scaly alter-ego doesn't put in an appearance in this one) and his lab assistant Ben Reilly (no, not Peter's clone; this is a totally different Ben Reilly) decide to start messing around with Conners' lizardy DNA, Peter's spidery DNA and the Venom suit technology (Venom isn't an alien in this universe, just the result of a scientific experiment).

In the best tradition of comicbook science, they combination of these elements creates a semi-sentient killing machine that bears a very close resemblance to Carnage, although they never actually refer to it by that name (except in the title of the story).

One of the people this creature kills is somebody very close to Peter. You can have three guesses who it is, but the first two don't count.

The main Carnage story is pretty standard B-movie horror type stuff but the aftermath? Man... the aftermath was pretty powerful.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boldly different take on the titular villain, and also Frank Castle? wild.

Not much else I can say without delving into spoiler territory but I think it was the shake up the dynamic of the book needed, though a sad one.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is kind of dark. Dr. Connor starts messing around and splices Peter's DNA with his DNA, and ends up inadvertently creating Carnage. Unfortunately, when Carnage goes looking for Parker, he finds Gwen Stacy. Peter blames himself for Gwen's death, and decides to give up being Spider-Man.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit more mixed than some of the previous volumes, I admit. Carnage itself... Well, I've said that I'm not huge on main universe Spider-Man, so I honestly have no point of comparison or really any vested interest in how the Ultimate version shows up. That said, I was kind of underwhelmed. And it seemed to be over so fast. That said, the way that Gwen's death was handled was realistic and effective. But like I keep saying, Bendis really excels at the out-of-costume parts of Peter's life.

[Frédéric · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the main supporting cast dies here. I reckon I should feel something but no, I simply don’t. Partly because I never really did appreciate the character to start with but mainly because Mark Bagley’s art sucks so much it drains out any emotion from the plot. It’s so... bland.
Bagley does the tour de force to draw cartoony characters with about as much expression as a photonovel. Any silent closed-up face panel, supposedly meaningful, looks dull and flat and empty. Any supposed emotional scene, teary or scary or whatever, looks like lifeless cartoons with too big eyes, expressing nothing or faked/overplayed emotions.
This total absence of talent just killed the character a second time.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Seriously things happen in this book that should have some pretty huge implications moving forward. Really enjoying this take on these characters!

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter getting to deal with more death...

This time Carnage is born. A creature created by both Peter's blood + his father's research. This thing goes to find its father but in doing so sucks the life out of people around it. So who does it target? Someone very very close to Peter. This whole volume heavily focuses on Peter balancing his life and trying to decide if he even wants to be Spider-man anymore.

I really enjoyed the way Bendis gave us a look into Peter's viewpoints this time. Showing that he's just a KID dealing with SO much. He's just trying his best while also dealing with death again and it seems to rear its head far too many times. On top of that, some great emotional bits and a setup for some great things coming.

A 4 out of 5.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What just happened?!" :O

[Doctorjimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Διάβασε όλο το review εδώ

Ένα βασικό πρόβλημα με το Carnage είναι πως το όλο concept δεν αποτελεί τίποτα περισσότερο από μια επανάληψη του Venom. Οκ, αυτό είναι ένα πρόβλημα και της πρώτης εκδοχής του κακού αυτού, αλλά δεν υπάρχει τίποτα που να διαχωρίζει τον κόκκινο από τον μαύρο symbiote: και οι δύο είναι φονικές μηχανές. Και εκεί που ο Venom είχε τουλάχιστον λίγη προσωπικότητα λόγω του Eddie Brock, ο Carnage είναι απλά ένα εφιαλτικό τέρας, ιδανικό για ένα b-movie τρόμου, αλλά εντελώς επίπεδο για μια περιπέτεια Spider-Man. Ποιος νοιάζεται για ένα κοινότυπο «εργαστηριακό πείραμα πήγε στραβά» origin και έναν αντίπαλο που είναι κάτι λιγότερο από zombie; Ένα μικρότερο θέμα είναι πως ο Connors ήταν πρακτικά άφαντος εδώ και 11 arc: σίγουρα θα περίμενα πως ο Bendis, ένας συγγραφέας που θυμίζεται για τα αργά χτισίματα των ιστοριών του, θα τον είχε αναπτύξει περισσότερο σε προηγούμενα τεύχη.

Το arc μπορεί να είναι διάσημο για μια συγκεκριμένη στιγμή που διασκευάζει μια από τις κλασικές σκηνές στην ιστορία του χαρακτήρα, αλλά: α) το πρωτότυπο είναι δέκα φορές καλύτερο, και β) αν το μόνο που μένει από αυτή την ιστορία είναι μια σκηνή που έχουμε ξαναδεί, τότε κάτι πάει στραβά με την ιστορία. Το Carnage είναι ένα μετριότατο arc (παρ’όλο που κανένα από τα επιμέρους τεύχη δεν είναι πραγματικά μέτριο) και, παρ’όλο που «αποχαιρετά» φανταστικά έναν αγαπημένο χαρακτήρα και ρίχνει περαιτέρω βάρος στις πλάτες του Pete, αποτυγχάνει οικτρά στην δημιουργία μιας, ξέρεις, καλής και ενδιαφέρουσας ιστορίας.

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavy and emotional but flawed.

Well this arc was huge. It shook me to the core but it's not perfect the villain...terrible.

World: The art you know how I feel. Not a fan. The world building is strong, not the focus this arc but it's definitely well crafted. Sets the stage for good emotional storytelling.

Story: One part emotional tour DE force and one part terrible boring villain. The Conners story was telegraphed a mile away and nothing of that story was interesting. This version of Carnage is not good it's just not fun. However that being said, as a plot device for what goes down and also what emotionally it represents it's good. However we never get enough of it for this Carnage to be completely well and fully formed. Of course the big thing is the big thing and it is done well and really huge and world changing. Good for Bendis on that part.

Characters: Peter is great, MJ is great and Gwen is great. The quiet moments are wonderful and gave us great drama. The same cannot be said for Conners and Carnage. Conners was a cliche and Carnage never really got a chance to b fully develope. Good and weak.

It was a good arc because of the emotions and the thing. But the main story was fairly meh.

Onward to the next book!

[Stormy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So like every Spider-Man comic this starts with him defeating one of the villains but he gets hurt Spider-Man and he decides to go to doctor corners to ask him to help him stitch him back up he does but he can't help his self Peter has left some samples of his DNA by Blood on Cotton pads and the doctor can't help his self and and checks out his DNA define doubt that his DNA is different obviously because he Spider-Man it's something to be like a normal person's DNA but he's wants Peter's permission to run more tests Peter is also currently very ill with what we can only think is a cold or the flu but maybe it isn't you will just have to read it to find out

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know Carnage's origins in main continuity, I like the character but never know much about him so unsure if this was true to it or not. Ultimately I found it a bit thin and not really that compelling and the collection suffers from a recurring issue with the series which is a lot of effort in the build up and the showdown always feels a little rushed. The fact that the end of the fight was off page and flash backed was even more strange. Add to all that killing off Gwen.....

It wasn't bad but it wasn't what I hoped.

[Shane Stanis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Curt Conners/Peter Parker relationship is one of my favorite parts of ‘60s Spider-Man, so I’m picky about its portrayal. There are some interesting choices here, and even if this one is more complicated than I’d prefer, I think the spirit is intact.
There’s another choice that I’m less on board with…

Read for a very scary looking carnage.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. This book is a nothing burger.
The series had built Gwen up to be an interesting character and a sister to Peter…
Only to kill her off for no reason at all by carnage that isn’t even carnage. It’s just goo and devoid of any personality.
Also the destruction of Doctor Connor’s was for what? Shock value?
I get that this series is highly beloved, but the angst and shock value is too much.

[Bryan Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to give a proper review without going into spoilers. But it was the most violent and emotional book yet. Very good writing in this one

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the regular Marvel Universe, Carnage is mainly a cheap knock-off Venom story that was designed to sell more comics, and it sort of worked, even though there are very few people who have a fondness for the character. Now, those people who do have a fondness, LOVE them some Carnage comics, so I'm glad they exist for that particular cultbase.

I was so impressed with the way that Bendis reimagined Venom for the Ultimate Univese, that I was excited to see what he did with Carnage.

I felt let down.

The difference between the Venom storyline and the Carnage storyline is the difference between The Science Fiction Channel and Syfy. I can see the devolution from one to the other, imagine that there are some people who might enjoy it, but it's so substandard to me that I wish it didn't exist in the same chronology that I'm enjoying.

Even Bagley's art seems deteriorated here. As though both ceators had grown tired at the same time, and were just meeting deadlines on a project that didn't excite them. There's no urgency to the story, and the conceit of Carnage is silly in a different way than the pevious Ultimate Spider-Man conceits were silly.

It's not unreadably bad. It's just the largest disappointment, so far, in Bendis's mostly fantastic Ultimate run.

There's also An Important Plot Character Development in this volume, and it felt unimpactful due to how uninteresting the villain behind it is.

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great chapter of the newly revitalized Spider-Man that was the flagship title for the Ultimate Marvel Universe.

This one gives another very interesting origin story to a fan favorite villain that's wholly different from regular Marvel continuity. That villain is the titular Carnage, a villain that was wildly popular in the regular Marvel U and, as I said, has a really interesting start in the Ultimate Marvel universe in this volume.

The volume also takes other classic Spider-Man turning point events and puts the Ultimate spin on them. (You think I'm gonna tell you which ones? Not a chance! You gotta read these!)

Other than that, it's the awesome series we've come to expect from Bendis, Bagley, and co.

You can get impressions of my thoughts by reading my reviews of earlier volumes of the series.

[Jennavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well my friends, let this be a lesson to you. Never have a favorite character in a superhero comic! They are just going to die. Considering everyone dies in these things I'm trying not to be sensitive about it. That being said, the relationships is my favorite thing about this series. I love watching the characters grow together. A special favorite was getting to see Peter and Doc Conners bond. It was such a bittersweet element but totally worth it. I hope they bring that, or something similar, into the series. It reminds the reader that Peter is just a kid who has to take on responsibilities way bigger then he is.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting volume! I loved the stuff with Dr Connor and so on, and obviously there's going to be more with this monster, Carnage, since there was that bit with the lab assistant...

I'm getting a bit tired of Peter's flip-flopping on the issue of being Spider-man. I'm starting not to really feel it anymore -- I can understand it, but I just feel... some of his boypain is really annoying. "They're portraying me badly in the media"? It's not that I don't get his frustration, but if he was just a bit smarter about some stuff... I don't know. He's still adorable and silly, though.

[Graham Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read as a kid, review from 2024)

Unlike Venom I never quite was into Carnage as a character. Nor was I too curious about how they would make Ultimate Carnage different than regular Carnage. Definitely appreciated how it was meant to be a different type of character than Ultimate Venom and they found a way to work it into the Ultimate version of the Night Gwen Stacy died. It was good enough I suppose.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what Spider-Man should be...
just a great read.

[Sam Whale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to start this review with one complaint as it's probably the only complaint I have with the whole book. Having Dr Curt Connors first meet Spider-Man in a completely different comic book years prior to this story was silly. The character is vital to this story and fantastically written. The Lizards first appearance should have been in an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man or at the very least been included in this volume as an extra.

That said Volume 11 is possibly my favourite so far. Peter's relationship with Connors, the trust he gives him and the responsibility he gives to himself all felt like a natural continuation of the things we've learnt about Peter, his father and his father's research. The Carnage monster created from all these elements is scary and violent in a way that was pretty interesting to me, especially as someone who rarely digs the OG carnage.

The really high point of this book however is Gwen. I adore her friendship with both Partner and MJ and Ice loved having her as Peter's housemate for the past 6 volumes of this run. The short scene of her reacting to Peter being unwell is sweet and the longer dialogue between her and MJ in the mall is just too notch character writing and I loved every panel of it.

And then she dies.

Killed by Carnage so suddenly and randomly that it honestly takes you by surprise. Gwen had gone in such a different direction to her original counterpart that it was honestly feasible that 'The Night Gwen Stacy Died' wouldn't be adapted into Ultimate. But it did and it was written and drawn perfectly.

Peter's grief and self destructive feeling of responsibility. MJ's rage at Flash Thompson for finding her death funny, Mays anger and shame that Gwen's mother doesn't even bother to respond to the news of her death; it's all moving and powerful stuff which feels so earned after the last 50 odd issues of knowing Gwen and loving her as both a character and as their friend. My personal highlight has to be MJ and Peter clearing out her locker and finding a photo of the three of them, that scene broke my heart a little.

65 issues in and Ultimate Spider-Man has yet to miss but issue 65 might be the very best in the run so far.

[Sebastian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like ultimate Spider-Man up until this arc. They kill off gwen stacy for no reason other than oh “random things happen” and they couldn’t think of anything better to do with her so why not turn her into a guilt trip? Freaking lame considering the character had a lot of potential and I almost just don’t see the point in all the development and time she’d been given before to be thrown away like so much rubbish.

Carnage is one of my favorite characters and he’s not even kassady in this, he’s just a generic symboite that curt connors accidentally made fucking around with peter’s dna. I remember reading this as a kid and being disappointed with what they did with the carnage character and even re reading it now years later it still sucks and just comes across as lazy. I guess in the time period this came out people weren’t as into carnage or maybe comic fans were burnt out because of over exposure from the 90s so it’s kind of understandable but for anyone looking for a good carnage story this isn’t it.

The most sympathetic person in this whole arc is connors who is being cucked by his wife because idek i guess because he turned into a lizard? Remember og Spider-Man when his wife was still loyal to him the whole time and wanted to make sure he was ok? There’s a lot of weird cucking themes in the ultimate universe (see Betty brant and hulk, dr octopus and his wife) which is kind of weird considering it’s a “kids comic” but whatever. Anyway pretty disappointing arc and the first genuinely bad one bendis had done in this series at that point.

[Jack Herbert Christal Gattanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Peter goes to Dr Connors to get stitched up after a bad scrape, he happens to unintentionally give that one armed doofus a sample of his blood. Peter (somewhat reluctantly) gives his permission so Connors can do an experiment...which leads to a mutant WTF hybrid also called (the cover tells me) Carnage - a biant blob with (yeah) some of the facial features of Venom, who sucks people dry because he looks like a crazy ass combo of Peter, Connors, but most of all Peter's dad.

And then there's a thing with Gwen Stacy too... Subverting expectations? Guess ill have to keep reading to find out what happens next.

What one comes to expect from this series, the intense and impactful soap opera turns (plus a good down to earth convo between MJ and Gwen, their first since the latter found out about the best/worst kept secret in Queens), but it also works because it ends on a glorious monologue about bullies and what they do to the world (re: Flash Thompson being the future, uh, lets see, Supreme Court Justice, ah, got it... Also, s**t). It elevates quick moving melodrama pulp into something of substance, a real gift Bendis has.

Kind of. 4.25 to 4.5 out of 5, since these things are important to distinguish.

[Joel Rosario · Rating 4 out of 5]

saved by the last issue

I was disappointed in this one. Because I’m a basic millennial bro I guess. I love Carnage. I love him because in a medium filled with sympathetic villains with relatable motivations, it’s nice to see someone who’s just an evil psychopath. Because there are those people in this world. Often true evil has no reasonable motivation.

And Carnage is such a convincing psychopath. At least in Maximum Carnage. I also loved how in Maximum Carnage he got this band of villains together and I loved just how convinced I was as a kid that Peter was in some serious danger when confronting him. I know it’s nostalgia. But none of that was really present here. It felt like all of the weight and gravity was lost on this incarnation (pun intended) of Carnage. He was just a monster. And as quickly as he came he was gone. Underwhelming.

Still, the last issue (#65) got to me. I’ve always loved the introspective Peter moments even more than the action packed Spider-Man moments. And issue 65 did a great job of efficiently and realistically taking a look at the psyche of flash, MJ, and Peter in the aftermath of Carnage. Great character building and really made me think about this world and my own. And their motivations and my own. This is Bendis at his best.

[Fellipe Moscardini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review has a BIG spoiler!



Before reading issue 60-65 I was expecting to get a new version of Cletus Kasady as Carnage wrecking havoc in New York and messing with Spidey’s life.
Well, I was so wrong...There is no Cletus Kasady here, folks. And don’t expect to find Carnage here, too. There a lot of carnage, but no Carnage (What a horrible joke... I’m ashamed of myself).
This is one of the strongest arcs so far. It has a big twist on the Carnage character. As I mentioned, there is no Cletus Kasady, so instead we get a sentient symbiote creature that goes around murdering people by draining the lives out of them. It just happens that one of these people is... Gwen Stacey.
Look, I know people aren’t very fond of Gwen’s depiction in the Ultimate universe, but I thought she was cool. Didn’t love the character, but didn’t hate her as well. Her death, though, was a shock to me. That totally came out of left field.
Ah, and Issue 65, in particular, is truly amazing.
I am so anxious to find out what’s happening next. I just hope that Gwen stays dead and that they don’t find a way to bring her back, otherwise her death is pointless. Crossing my fingers!
4.5/5 stars

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This arc throws a lot at you. Some of it cool! Some of it confusing! It blends so many stories together it's too jam-packed and confusing. Carnage as a sort of living blood monster science experiment? Cool! All the deaths? Make Carnage more threatening, but the arc is so not focused on who Carnage is that his presence ends up meaning nothing. We have a Clone Saga similarity with "Ben Reilly" making an appearance as a side character. We're fridging characters more! There's some big 'reveals' for characters like Flash Thompson that is awkward and spontaneous. It's so busy!

But... Carnage is cool! And the consequences are big! This series has had a lot of personal stakes for Peter where he nearly dies multiple times per arc, for once people actually get hurt! Sure Harry lost his dad in volume 1, and Captain Stacy died early on, but mostly it's been repetitive in scale. Now we've got something big happen that will change the dynamics of our cast substantially- even if it's not executed particularly well.

[Aaron Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first rodeo in Marvel so discovering all these villians and characters has been wonderful. I am aware of Venom and Carnage from my youth so it was great to finally read about Carnage.

This storyline left me numb as I had to stop reading for a bit to process what I read. I just could not believe it! and It shows great writing and parts to all of these characters as humans trying to navigate the world. It is what we can all relate too despite not having creatures like Carnage roaming around.

Now, with that being said, I just don't understand how Carnage can be destroying so quickly and easily. This seems like a villain that would prove almost impossible to stop and as quickly as it formed, it was destroyed. I have read enough comics in this series by now to realize nobody is every completely gone, but man I wish this storyline last a bit more.

However, this series grabbed my heartstrings and will definitely impact future issues.