Tom Lyle makes his Spider-Man debut, but oddly, this doesn’t begin his run with Howard Mackie. During this crossover, each of the other spider-writers take turns writing the 4th book. For this one, it’s David Michelinie. Scott Hanna inks and Tinsley & Moran color. This story is already looking pretty crowded. We open on Carnage slicing into his gang’s new hideout.
A narrow definition of metal, Big C, but I guess I couldn’t ask for much nuance from this story. Meanwhile, Venom is still passed out on The Parkers’ floor, his majestic mullet in full view, and MJ is furious that Peter isn’t throwing him out. So she leaves, instead. Marital bliss. We follow her down to the street, where she thinks she really needs someone to talk to and be with.
Is the symbiote turning into pajamas down there? That’s hilarious. Eddie passes out before Peter can ask if he means “we” as in Venom or “we” as in both of them. Then he suits up and takes off. Peter now, too, feels like he needs someone to talk to, and with his wife out looking for someone to talk to, he makes a different choice.
Meanwhile, MJ has found her way to May’s house. Her solution for needing someone to talk to is Aunt May and Peter’s parents. Maybe not as helpful as she expected. But it also really throws a spotlight on how these books have systematically removed any sense of a life for MJ. She used to have friends! A career! Now, she’s just Spider-Man’s wife. Elsewhere, Demogoblin attacks the other goofballs. Doppelganger isn’t sure what to do, not being too bright and having been in the thrall of both parties.
Tenuous at best, your honor! Peter Parker is telling the now suited up Black Cat that working with Venom means condoning his methods, which, I mean, is a pretty pollyanna world view. BC sees things clearly: do what it takes to stop the killing. And she swings off leaving Peter to think about it in her own living room. Cut back to the baddies, where Demogoblin accepts Carnage’s offer to help him kill sinners. Both sides know they plan to betray each other, and that’s fine.
Ok! Meanwhile, Evil Team is about to go do more murderin’ when Cloak shows up wanting to exact revenge. Hero Team is searching for them when they see Shriek’s power blast out of a roof several blocks away. Cloak is obviously about to get wrecked considering the odds, but then the other good guys appear, and everyone starts choosing dance partners. Black Cat finds herself with Doppel’s razor web around her ankle.
Carnage breaks loose easily, and Spider-Man is relieved. I don’t really know what he thought was going to happen there. Then Spidey sees Black Cat in trouble and webs up Shriek. For no obvious reason, Carnage decides they should all run for it rather than kill the heroes, even though I can’t think of anything he’d rather do, and he has Demo & Shriek bring the ceiling down so they can escape in the chaos.
As I recall, the rest of this series is essentially this issue repeating. Heroes look for villains, heroes fight villains, villains get away. More heroes join in, and that somehow doesn’t help. It’s the same thing over and over. 10 more issues!