MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY- King Black: Gwenom vs. Carnage #3 Review

The battle of the ages reaches its climax and conclusion in this issue, and girl, we are not disappointed at all… not one bit. Not only do we have a clash of titans at hand, but we also see what makes MJ tick. We finally discover why she has so much pent-up rage and anger, specifically directed at Gwenom. At the end of the day, you realize that these two might be caught right in the middle of all sorts of superhero business and craziness, but deep down inside their core, they are still young women growing up and dealing with deep, personal emotions.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

FINAL ISSUE

King in Black: Gwenom vs. Carnage #3

STORY BY: Seanan McGuire

ART BY: Flaviano

COVER BY: Ken Lashley, David Lafuente,

David Nakayama, InHyuk Lee, Peach Momoko

AMP VS. AMP, SYMBIOTE VS. SYMBIOTE, FRIEND VS. FRIEND!

• Unwittingly pulled into her bandmate Gwen Stacy’s interdimensional adventures and the Marvel Universe, MARY JANE WATSON of Earth-65 has bonded to a symbiote and become a new and deadly iteration of CARNAGE!
• As dragons rain from the sky and New York finds itself on the precipice of the abyss, it’s up to Gwen Stacy to rid MJ of the symbiotic spiders that have infected her and get them both home — while saving any civilians MJ endangers along the way!

CATFIGHT… SPIDER-FIGHT… SYMB-I-O-FIGHT?

PROS:

• Finally, we drill down what has been bugging MJ all along. She holds resentment toward Gwenom not only because of the pain that she has brought to her loved ones, but also because of a more personal reason. Gwen abandoned MJ’s band, stole her power, stole her spotlight, and simply was not there for her friend when MJ needed her most.
• It was poetic justice when the final venue for their last showdown became the Madison Square Garden. Regarded by many as the mecca of fighting and sports, there could not have been a better place to once and for all settle all issues through a good fist-fight. MSG has also been the venue to many of the world’s biggest concerts and entertainment or musical events, so it was a stroke of genius to bring the two fighters here. Now only if the New York Knicks can have the same killer instinct as Carnage, that would be a doozy.
• The artwork was sensational this issue, but more than the pencils this time around, the colors truly brought out the vibrant life and energy of the characters and their conflict with one another. Readers will feel high on life reading this book, with the vast array and spectrum of colors splashed across the pages. This is rock n’ roll in visuals, plain and simple.

CONS:

• The last face-off was borderline cheesy in the sense that amidst the war and the alien invasion, Carnage wanted to do a musical round with Gwenom. For one, doing a musical battle and jamming session may not really settle any scores in the long run, but I also found it strange because sound is one of the very weaknesses of these symbiotes. It felt like they were shooting themselves in the foot with this one. But ultimately, I do understand the deeper meaning to this kind of resolution. The bond, and the friendship did begin with music, with their band, so it only makes sense that it concludes with some rock n’ roll. And in real life, based on history, we have indeed seen so many bands come together, hit it big, then descend and spiral until relationships are no longer salvageable. So, this kind of tension has a ring of truth to it, surely.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Judging from the end of this series, it appears that the misadventures of Gwen and MJ are only about to begin. It looks like, for the time being, that these two are now stuck with each other. They’ll have to set aside their differences, forgive each other, and forget this little skirmish they had so they can once and for all fix themselves. Nevertheless, it was very enjoyable seeing MJ let loose and become Carnage for these three issues. The mean streak also brought out the best in her rival, Gwen, so it will be even more amazing when these two end up collaborating. The red is definitely not only in the hair.