Comic Book Review - Extreme Carnage: Scream #1

Rob reviews Extreme Carnage: Scream #1...

The Extreme Carnage storyline has gotten off to quite the start. Last time out in Extreme Carnage Alpha we got to see Venom's bastard child roam the seas to then end up in New York. Worse still the Symbiote is now bonded with alien-hating politician Peter Krane. As Flash Thompson and Iron-Man head off to "protect" Krane from Carnage - it is them who ultimately need protecting from Krane. 

This time around we're in the capable hands of Clay Mcleod Chapman as both Andi and Scream return to the spotlight. Chapman is somewhat revered by Scream fans as the writer had phenomenal success with both Scream Volume 1 & 2. So for anyone to tell a story about Andi and her Symbiote it's best coming from the person who knows the two characters the best. 

Extreme Carnage: Scream #1 kicks off with Alchemax who are hunting one of their failed experiments - a somewhat mutated Spider-Man. In chasing this monster the Alchemax Guardsmen instead encounter Scream. After dealing with the "specimen" Scream turns her attention to the Guardsmen and interrogates one of them as to why Alchemax is hunting other Symbiotes. During this interrogation Carnage starts to influence Scream with the Symbiote all in favour of reuniting with her "family" and as such seemingly abandons Andi. 

The true horror in this tale is that everything else takes place within Andi's head. As Carnage attempts to sway Scream over to his way of thinking, Andi is stuck watching her closest ally - and friend - drift away. This is until the conclusion which without going into spoilers is either a red herring or the ultimate sacrifice! 

As I said at the start of this review, Clay Mcleod Chapman is the best person to write this outing. The writer has a very clear grasp on both Andi and Scream and as such we get some well-written dialogue between the two. The two have been bonded together for some time with both Symbiote and Host regarding each other as family. As Carnage begins to influence more and more of Scream's psyche we start to see Andi almost plead for her to re-take control. And it's this bond that makes the conclusion all the more heartbreaking.

The artwork is strong within this issue. Both Chris Mooneyham and Marcio Menyz bring a lot to the table with both illustrations and colours. Mooneyham's illustrations of Scream go from tentacle flailing horror, to a more intimate style as he mixes both Scream and Andi. The scenes with Carnage stand out well with Mooneyham capturing the subversive nature of Carnage's mind-games. This is backed up by some great colours from Menyz who uses plenty of red, brown, and black within his work. 

Extreme Carnage: Scream #1 isn't as good as Extreme Carnage Alpha however it probably doesn't need to be. With this outing, we're shown a different story that explores the struggle that the Host has once the Symbiote takes control, as well as the sense of togetherness that the two beings possess. Even with the "carnage", this is very much an intimate tale of Andi and Scream which could be their final outing as a pair...

Rating 8/10 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev