ICYMI! Amazing Spider-Man / Venom: Death Spiral: Body Count #1

Amazing Spider-Man / Venom: Death Spiral – Body Count #1 is a strong origin issue for Torment that delivers too much, too late. While he may have fallen flat as the antagonist of a major crossover, this standalone tale of his darkness makes an incredible argument for his potential as a modern “Carnage” figure in the Spider-Man mythos, in the same way Ben Reilly’s descent into Chasm offered a chance to re-explore the interpersonal horror of a “Venom” figure, something the book has lacked for the longest time. However, much like Chasm, the most interesting parts of this new character were spoiled by a commitment to flair over psychological intensity. For all the spectacle Torment brought to Death Spiral, it often felt like the crossover was more interested in what he could do than who he was, reducing a genuinely compelling antagonist into a vehicle for escalating violence rather than exploring the darkness at the heart of his character.

Graham is startlingly sane, a picture-perfect nephew and boyfriend whose entire future is waiting for him to simply reach out and take it. He’s a twisted mirror of Peter Parker, down to the geriatric aunt and the redheaded partner with a troubled home life. However, as much as he seemingly cares for his family, his monstrous side calmly and confidently sees familial obligation as the root of evil. It’s controlling, manipulative, and darkly spits in the face of Peter, whose heroism is defined by finding power in his familial influence. The writing of him as a foil to Spider-Man is delicious, but it’s been cut short without the chance to truly be explored because he was killed off at the end of Death Spiral without the opportunity to become a strong centerpiece of this new era of The Amazing Spider-Man. What makes Graham work so well is that his worldview doesn’t exist in opposition to Peter’s because he’s stronger or more dangerous, but because it attacks the emotional foundation of the character. The issue understands that horror isn’t simply found in transformation, but in seeing familiar ideals twisted into something ugly and unrecognizable.

What makes it worse is just how well Soule and Walker built out the tension in this issue. From the jump, Graham’s smile feels plastic. There’s this creeping feeling of something being off, in just the slightest of ways, that infects each page with a foreboding sense of dread that was thrilling to soak in. Every interaction feels just a little too rehearsed, every expression lingering a little too long. The issue never overplays its hand, allowing that unease to slowly build until the truth finally reveals itself. It’s the sort of psychological discomfort that Spider-Man books rarely get the opportunity to indulge in, and it creates an atmosphere that feels wholly distinct from the bombastic action that defined much of Death Spiral itself.

It’s a golden truth that no one truly dies in comics, and that death is more of a figurehead for thematic resonance and plot progression, which is the exact effect Torment’s death had on Venom. But I resent the idea that the cleanup to a crossover that spent nearly too much of its runtime on constant action without room for deeper character writing is where the true thematic core of Death Spiral remains. This isn’t a cute addendum, instead a necessary part of the story that should’ve been interwoven into the core story itself. Body Count succeeds because it provides the emotional and thematic context that the crossover desperately needed, but that’s also what makes it frustrating. Rather than feeling like a rewarding expansion of the story, it often feels like the missing chapter, the piece of the puzzle that finally reveals what Torment was supposed to represent all along.