Eddie Brock: Carnage #6: Finding A Muse

To call the artwork of Jesus Saiz “creepy” is not the most immediately evident compliment, but any fan who has picked up even one issue of Eddie Brock: Carnage knows why it is. While the character’s past titles have dove head-first into the horror genre, Saiz goes a long way to imbue this more action-oriented tale with an underlying, unsettling level of dread.

Much of it conveyed through faces alone; the way figures grit their teeth in fear or frustration, the way their eyes strain in widened disbelief, almost lidless as they face terrifying figures. This emotional vulnerability conveyed through illustration grounds Marvel’s often fantastical, inconsequential world, making readers see its monsters as real threats.

Complicating those feelings further is the fact that one of said monsters, perhaps the most dangerous, is the comic’s “hero.” Such is the plight of Eddie Brock, up against the ropes in a fight to maintain his morals as his symbiosis with Carnage proves ever problematic. Charles Soule reveals that Carnage doesn’t kill simply for the pleasure; the alien needs to feed off the act of murder to keep itself and its host alive. It’s an interesting way to up the ante; Brock is no longer being pushed to kill as part of some twisted game, its now an animalistic instinct. Like the vampire’s thirst for blood, he must fight against his nature and the ticking clock to find a worse murderer worthy of feasting upon.

Jesus Saiz’s pencil makes the symbiote truly alien, and the unnerving snake-like growths it uses to feed upon wildlife are intimidating. This coupled, with the way Carnage grows from the palm of Brock’s hand to speak with him, feels like inspiration drawn from long-running anime franchise Parasyte.

Meanwhile, the Daredevil rogue known as Muse seeks vengeance against whoever destroyed his beloved studio, and through his almost clairvoyant painting ability, determines the culprit to be Eddie. A new rivalry is born here, one built upon a contrasting foundation. Unlike his opponent, Muse kills to fulfill a spiritual hunger, a need for artistic inspiration rather than literal nourishment. And while its unclear how a very mortal serial killer poses any challenge to the likes of Carnage, the painter is not to be underestimated.