Spider-Man: Carnage in New York by David Michelinie

Spider-Man: Carnage in New York Reviews

• 
  Robert

  Easily the most contrived, McGuffin-y plot I've yet encountered with these Marvel novels- scientist on the run from sinister government forces decides the only way to destroy his impossible-to-reproduce-psycho-serum is to throw it into the cage housing an infamous superpowered serial killer the moment he is supposed to be depowered. Unsurprisingly, things don't go well!.- and that's saying a lot!
  
  Still, since it's a Spidey adventure I can't help but find lots of the familiar contrivances endearing, right down to the whole subplot involving poor old Aunt May defaulting on her mortgage. Classic!
  
  Recommended for Spidey-Fans, for sure.
• 
  L. McCoy

  WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE AHEAD, I BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT EMOTIONS AND SHIT...
  
  SUPER FAST REVIEW:
  Not terrible but not for me.
  So in all fairness I have been feeling very sad and fucked up in general lately... like to the point of frequent uncontrollable crying (there’s a pandemic right now and it’s been fucking with a lot of shit including adding to stress which fucks with my physical health and that adds to stress and... yeah, all kinds of crazy stuff going on there). Figured I should clear that.
  Anyways, the author obviously knows the characters well to write decent versions of them and there are some sweet action scenes where Spidey fights Carnage and such.
  The writing in general however is a little iffy at best. It’s super predictable and it repeats a lot of various things, both things in the plot and rehashes of things almost any Marvel fan knows.
  The narrator of the audio edition I listened to wasn’t great either.
  So yeah, I didn’t care for it but maybe I’m not the right person and/or in the right mood for this audiobook.
  
  2/5
• 
  Craig

  This is a good, sense-tingling Spidey adventure. The main plot is Peter's conflict with Carnage (never one of my favorite villains, to be honest), but the secondary story with M.J. and Aunt May is equally compelling. The characters are all well-portrayed, and their voices rang true. There's an attempt to fit this one in a framed continuity that didn't do anything for me, but I enjoyed it as a stand alone. Excelsior!
• 
  James

  Carnage is a result of an alien symbiote joining with serial killer Cletus Kasady, and one of Spider-Man’s deadliest foes. Spidey has defeated Carnage in the past and he has been placed under heavy confinement. New York has been safe. But researchers believe that they can separate the two entities, and bring Carnage to New York for this experimental treatment. Unfortunately, Carnage escapes and begins a deadly rampage. Spider-Man must stop him again… and that is just one problem Peter is facing.
  
  A good Spider-Man story is not only about the villain that Spider-Man is facing, but also about Peter Parker. Pete has everyday problems just like anyone and that makes him believable, likeable, someone you can relate to. The writers understood this and captured the character very well. The pacing was very good, making it a good, quick read.
  
  I liked the story, and look forward to the next book “Goblin’s Revenge”. If you like Spider-Man, superhero stories, or are just looking for a good, quick read, try Carnage in New York.
  
• 
  Jerry

  A passable story marred by large amounts of filler. Between several pages of illustrations and white space, one chapter that adds nothing to the story, and abysmally large print and wide margins, paying full price for Carnage in New York is a cheat. If you've enjoyed other Spidey novels, and can find it on the cheap, this novel may be worth a shot, but those who are new to the wall-crawler's prose should start out by reading Adam-Troy Castro's Sinister Six trilogy.
• 
  Kaotic

  It was... Meh.
  
  I wanted to like it more because I love Carnage. But the author repeated himself a lot and it felt a lot like he had to meet a word count in an essay so he found multiple ways to say the same thing.
  
  The story was good though and it had some decent action scenes between Spider-Man and Carnage.
  
  It was a good book, it could have been a lot better tho.
• 
  SheR Smith

  I first read this book forever ago and back then I absolutely loved it and was captivated by the story. Here it is almost ten years later since then and I'm curious as to whether or not it will still have that same impact. I intend to purchase the book, reread it, and then offer a new review!
• 
  MerryMeerkat

  Star Rating Art:  4 Stars

  Star Rating Story: 5 Stars

   

  Self purchase for Kindle.

   

  First Impression:  Fantastic, great story.

   

  Like the first volume, I’m loving how the Vampires are really freaking scary, not like twilight. Don’t get me wrong, I actually liked Twilight, they were good reads. But Vampires, really, really ought to be scary, have fangs, wings, claws etc.

   

  Scott Snyder is a very good good author.  Though I must admit I was a bit confused as to what was going on but eventually I got it. I liked volume 2 better than volume 1 because volume 1 had parts with Stephen King and I’m not a fan of Stephen King.

   

  Warnings: Very violent, dark

  Recommendations: Anyone who likes Vampires.

  
  "
• 
  Gilbert Stack

  I first read this novel back in 1995 and enjoyed it enough to read it again when I came across It in audiobook format. Micheline and Smith give good Spiderman. The book has a very fast tempo with Spiderman’s life causing difficulties for Peter Parker as he tries to stop the serial killer, Carnage, from causing the deaths of thousands of New Yorkers. While this is happening, Aunt May desperately needs Peter’s help to save her house, putting Peter once again in the position of having to disappoint those he loves in order to save lives as Spiderman. It’s a great little story that would have made a fine comic.
  
  If you liked this review, you can find more at
  www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
  
• 
  Jay Sandlin

  While the character elements of Peter and MJ living as a couple in Queens and working to make ends meet and balance a superhero life were strong, it was otherwise a largely paint-by-numbers experience with little substance and a lame attempt at a twist ending.
• 
  Christiana Rendon

  One of the best Spiderman books I have read in a long time it introduced carnage as a villain that has been a problem before. So he isn't anyone new to Spiderman but it still explains it in a way to the reader as if we have never heard of him before which I love.
• 
  Kevin Lau

  Supposedly a build-up to another Spider-Man novel, Goblin's Revenge. I unfortunately don't own that one yet, but I'll get there eventually.
  
  This is only the fourth Spider-Man novel I've read, but it's the flimsiest so far. In terms of plotting, it really doesn't get going until the midpoint where Carnage escapes. Mary Jane has her own subplot with helping Aunt May, and Peter has a personal subplot with The Daily Bugle, but each of these are cookie-cutter and by-the-numbers with no real stakes or depth (They even missed out on a fun opportunity to have J. Jonah Jameson blame Spider-Man for Carnage's escape).
  
  I know Carnage is a simple-minded villain, like an edgelord Venom, but he's also very simple in this book. We're not sure what any of his motivation is except causing chaos and putting himself in a position to get caught or biding his time on enacting his plan until Spider-Man swings in and it's too late. There's a couple jabs that point out how dumb and flawed Carnage's plan is, and I hope it turns out Carnage's pan is more complex in the next novel instead of an attempt at metahumor so the writers didn't have to rewrite it.
  
  Going back to how flimsy this book is, I mean that it feels like a three-issue arc stretched to 245 pages, with scene openings repeating themselves and filler chapters that adds nothing to the narrative. Lots of focus on walking and crossing streets and less on narrative drama and internalizing character.
  
  There's still enjoyment to be had in this book. It's like a light TV episode with a two-act structure, where the first half is all setup and the second half is all payoff. Everything ties together without any loose ends, but there aren't enough threads to make it difficult to do otherwise.
  
  Keep it simple, I guess.
• 
  Jonathan

  Set in Peter Parker's college years and early married life, this book details the adventures of Spider-man battling the escaped Carnage, the symbiotic alien which attaches itself to humans to act out evil deeds.
  
  Peter, alter ego Spider-man, is thrust into saving the city after Carnage targets a charity event being thrown by his employer, the Daily Bugle. His personal life becomes a struggle when the attack makes him late for a bank appointment with aunt May, who had previously asked Peter to co-sign a mortgage to keep her home.
  
  Will Spider-man stop Carnage and save aunt May's home? We all know the answer, but it is fun to see how he does it. This book isn't compelling or original, but it is the perfect mental escape. The superhero needs to stop the bad guy and uphold personal accountability. What could be more could you ask for in these types of stories?
  
  If you're a comic book superhero fan, then you'll want to read this. If you're looking for a casual read, I'd suggest skipping it. Since this is most likely a prose adaptation of a serialized comic story, the origins and motivations of the characters are not clearly stated. The writer is assuming you already are familiar with these characters and takes you on his one-off adventure that is seemingly in the middle of a larger story.
• 
  Kristy Carey

  This felt like a very old story of Spider-Man. For such a short piece he mentioned Spidey sense more than I thought physically possible. I don’t ever remember aunt Mae disliking Spider-Man. And MJ was just a useless female who couldn’t really do anything. Granted she wasn’t a damsel in distress, but all she really did was flail around not knowing how to be useful until she figured out some thing that was only useful because she was a girl.
  
  The whole story left a bad taste in my mouth.
• 
  Kieran Westphal

  This is exactly what you would expect a mass market paperback comic book story to be like. It's like the ur-superhero fiction novel adaptation. Breezy and enjoyable enough to pass the time, doesn't do anything even remotely new or interesting with its characters.
  
  I'd go 2.5 stars if I could
• 
  Eric Evans

  Really enjoyed this. Im not well versed in my marvel comics being a DC guy as a child. So this Carnage story was great.
• 
  DJ

  This was an okay Spidey tale.
• 
  Alexander Keith

  I really love seeing different peoples takes on the same characters! David Michelinie and Dean Wesley Smith did a great job with Peter and with MJ. Just a fun story with lots on the line. Great read!
• 
  Ekenedilichukwu Ikegwuani

  a decent, short novel. moves really fast and is pretty entertaining
• 
  Z. Jeffries

  Pretty slow, not too much action. It felt like a drawn out plot from a two issue arc.
• 
  Kristian

  It was super short, but that helped it. Also went quite bloody at parts, which I did not expect. But for a comic novel? Its not the best, its not the worst. Its a solid story.
• 
  Megan

  I found it kinda boring. The Carnage POV sections were definitely the best parts.
• 
  Chris Roberto

  Short, to the point, and classic Spidey. I just wish it were much longer. More MJ and cameos would be a plus.
• 
  Bookcat

  Loved this! I almost want to say I've seen this episode 😅 or it seems like it. Tim Paige nailed the humor ❤️
• 
  Mike Prewitt

  A quick fun read Spidey VS Carnage really easy to get into.
• 
  Denise

  This was fantastic! But then I am a nerd and love superheroes and especially Spider-man.