Carnage #6: A Void Of Nothing

Things get worse before they get better for Flash Thompson, the incapacitated hero of Carnage #6. Trapped and paralyzed within a coffin of light floating through the dark void, Flash is left with nothing to occupy his mind except a never-ending highlight reel of his trauma. He can only relive the death of his closest friend in Afghanistan so many times before losing all sanity, so Thompson is ironically left hoping for the return of his captor, Carnage. Little does he know, his would-be “savior” is half-a-universe away battling several Eddie Brocks in a multiversal garden.

The symbiote’s quick departure has left its host Cletus Kasady dealing with his own slipping sanity. It is here where writer Torunn Gronbekk plays with time and continuity between this comic and its sister series Venom. Last week’s issue of the latter presented the battle in the garden and the resurrection of Dylan Brock as sequential events, when in reality, they occurred simultaneously over the course of a few seconds. It’s a trippy realization that fits perfectly with the spiraling nature of the symbiotes’ recent cosmic ventures. What’s jarring is how quickly the issue moves on from the multiversal shenanigans and returns to its crime thriller plot. The narrative detour was clearly done in service of Venom’s plans instead of its own.

Penciller Pere Perez and colorist Erick Arciniega handle both the fantastical and grounded halves of the comic with finesse, creating a fitting mood for any occasion. Flash Thompson’s flashbacks take the form of shrouded figures emerging from the negative space around him. Cletus Kasady’s psychological breakdown is visualized through his physical deterioration; his eyes turn black as his flesh melts like candle wax. The comic never goes out of its way to clarify whether this is real or delusion, making for effective psychological horror.

The issue climaxes just as the tables begin to turn; Flash Thompson has carefully harnessed his pain into a psychic energy portal, a risky maneuver that might save him from Carnage’s grasp. This desperate strategy comes at a great cost, and the question of what that is creates great anticipation.