Let there be CARNAGE! | Venom: Absolute Carnage

[@ridge825]

It's amazing how much Ben and Ethan know about comics now as compared to 5 years ago.

[@bozcomics]

They seem to remember previous episodes a lot more now, too. I think they’ve just gotten more personally invested in this stuff over time.

[@crimsonking440]

Watching their growth into total nerds like us has been part of my investment into this show. Particularly Ethan's slow descent into madness over how ridiculous everything always is.

[@ComicCrossing]

Sub Diego reference from Ben!

[@tylerdurden788]

@@crimsonking440 onslaught episode is my personal favorite. Around same time I stopped collecting

[@limberstilts2419]

That's one of my favorite things about the series. It started as a comic book nerd explaining comics to two laymen, and now it's a comic book nerd explaining comics to two other comic book nerds. They're way into it now.

[@AGuyWithTheFace]

I think Ethan's reaction to the title "Minimum Carnage" is how 90% of the comic community felt when it was first announced.

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

Honey, I Shrunk the Carnage

[@jayrett]

Ben: "Wouldn't it be cool to see Hulk with a symbiote?" Sal: "Yeah, that'd be cool." Smooth, Sal. Smooth

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Between that, the Spider-Man Trouble episode, and the Terminator dog moment, Sal is a master at this stuff lol.

[@G-H-Productions11]

@@TheGreatDevlinSal just winking at the camera during the Trouble episode is great

[@BigTimeNico]

"He's symbiote Jesus" is one of the best lines I've ever heard

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

"Hey, guys. I'm Cletus Kasady, and welcome to my The Rapture Speedrun, where we're going to bring God to Earth in less than 1 night! World record!"

[@intothebeyond4339]

Meanwhile over in Immortal Hulk, Leader tries the same thing and ends up as a giant, possessed Xenomorph

[@chrisdaily2077]

"Now there's a glitch here that allows you to allow god to come by dying so you want to use that. Also the NPCs are really stupid and keep getting everyone you need in one place. Something about a programmed sense of morality. Lmao."

[@lakitudude7577]

"We're gonna try the codex method this run. Less powerful than full symbiotes but much more abundant. Might shave off some time"

[@TaylordUpBadAzz]

@@intothebeyond4339 v h lol lol

[@hauntedconsol]

Happy to see someone else jumping into the the rapture speed run community I’m getting tired of those religious zealots They call pastors And Priest or fathers yikes so bad

[@victor6620]

Ders gawn' be Carnidge - Woody Harrelson after spilling a bowl of pasta sauce on his head.

[@chrisdaily2077]

Gee Dr. Crane I sure do appreciate you offering your help. But due to the increasing decline of human civilization and the voices in my head I'm gonna have to remove your spine.

[@_PRIME_]

Is it just me, or are the ComicPOP crew look as ageless as comic book characters

[@thelastlahofe]

100% agree

[@RedMaskNeedle]

The only way you can tell time has passed is by looking at bens different haircuts

[@justinveenstra9388]

CGI, man.

[@LeonardoSilva-nh2gg]

@@justinveenstra9388 lol

[@radicalraddish6292]

@@RedMaskNeedle and sal's weight loss progress

[@Jaimethepanda]

The best part about a Venom/Carnage Back Issues is that you’re always guaranteed a “some part of X imprinted onto Y” bit.

[@TheClitCommander530]

Sal's impressions of various comic creators never fails to make me laugh, especially when he does McFarlane.

[@loganthomas2421]

Add Sal McFarlane to the beloved Salan Moore and Sal Morrison

[@chrisdaily2077]

Carnage: "Is this edgy enough? Cuz if not I can make literal edges and spikes and points and knives and DON'T YOU JUST LOVE ME NOW?"

[@Emoney-hy2kn]

Kid: “Can you make a puppy with that goop?” Carnage: “Could I stab someone with said Puppy?” Kid: “No.” Carnage: “Not worth it!”

[@thelonious7162]

So if Cletus is dead and the Carnage symbiote assumes the form of Cletus with his personality and mentality, I guess you can say, a piece of Cletus imprinted onto the Carnage symbiote and now Cletus is still around?

[@christianperez5561]

Yes, because Carnage is Chaos & Chaos never Dies

[@thelonious7162]

@@christianperez5561 you’re right, Chaos can never die, but it can be ripped in half by a super powerful agoraphobic in space

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

What I like about Carnage is that, unlike how Eddie and the Venom symbiote each still maintain their distinct voices and personalities, no such separation exists between Cletus and his symbiote. Their mutual desire to just murder everything in sight is so powerful that it's effectively become their one singular personality trait, to the point where it's both physically and mentally impossible to tell where Cletus Kasady ends and Carnage begins. It would honestly be sort of heartwarming if it wasn't so immensely fucked up.

[@jclombardi8471]

"I AM ABUSE! I AM SEX AND VIOLENCE!" Actual line Carnage says in this book.

[@Gundam_JAY]

Neat

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

That’s the most 90s shit I’ve ever heard in my life, absolutely incredible

[@terry10tnj]

I mean he’s not wrong but saying it out loud is a bit corny lmao

[@WhelmedButReady]

1:19:10 Sal mentions collecting "All 5 Dragon Balls" Me a Dragon Ball fan: Good sir, there are 7

[@jasonbiggs3464]

“He’s a 3-way kid” a phrase I didn’t know I needed to hear on back issues

[@ThatKevinBravo]

Nobody: Poe Dameron: somehow (sigh) Carnage has returned

[@Super-Visor420]

I haven’t watched Back Issues baked in a while…the Genie tangent was everything I needed

[@Infinite_Guide04]

Sal you got me into comics! Thanks

[@HOTD108_]

Comics got me into Sal!

[@ItsDarthMaul]

Crazy we saw a red hulk/ghost rider/venom in thunderbolts before we ever saw a straight up venom hulk, damn!

[@TheGreatDevlin]

Okay! I'll buy the "Let There Be ComicPOP" t-shirt! Geez. 😏

[@tristanmaldonado670]

I liked Absolute Carnage, and it's awesome to see another Donny Cates Venom book on back Issues. Hope to see Venom Island and Venom Beyond on back Issues, and King In Black Actually Dylan and Normie become friends in the Venom Tie-ins

[@milesupshur9869]

Started with Venom Returns and now we're at Absolute Carnage. The gang has come full circle.

[@anthonyhudak9363]

Thanks so much for covering this! When you inevitably get to King in Black, will you cover the Venom issues that go alongside the main story?

[@warioskapelli3100]

I think they’ll have to, because I read King in Black and Venom separately and they honestly should have been collected together.

[@FlipFlab]

Possibly could even wait till it’s all collected together as I’m sure it will be.

[@superjlk_9538]

@@warioskapelli3100 Venom really helps fill in the small gaps between main issues of the event

[@sammienievesjr9055]

I recently got this Omnibus and am very glad to have Sal explain just WTH was going on. (Decent read, horrible Omnibus story structure)

[@skyyswaggstudios2934]

I actually don’t mind the omnibus structure, for me it was more that the ending of a couple of the tie ins didn’t really make sense to me

[@sammienievesjr9055]

I really thought they would blend it at least a LITTLE bit... I would have really enjoyed it with that small change. Instead it's unmarked chunks one after the other like a bad time loop.

[@skyyswaggstudios2934]

@@sammienievesjr9055 I get that. It definitely wouldnt have hurt if seperation anxiety was before the deadpool one

[@flywheelshyster]

in the voice of a certain gold plated robot, this is "simply wonderful!" I totally didn't realize Venom 2 was coming out so soon haha I thought it was like months away. so weird. i haven't even seen a trailer or preview. the one downside to youtube premium, never seeing ads again means sometimes missing the ads you may want to see

[@camerond4689]

This was a great episode we even got some getting physical with Ethan at the end.

[@thaddeuswolfeiii8523]

I still think about his I'm cleetus "f**king" kassidy speech and wonder if Donny Cates was actually self aware when he wrote it or if he was just really leaning into the edginess of carnage and thinking it was super cool

[@theangryholmesian4556]

I'm the Goddamn Carnage.

[@soujimura4839]

Dylan: Menace. Spiderman: .......You know NOTHING about Eddie at all do you?

[@willmackinnon9397]

I did the backshift last night and i woke up from my day nap to this beautiful gift from my favorite internet people

[@Koitusinteruptus]

Only 2.5K more subs to reach that coveted 100K mark!!! I'm rooting for you!

[@dieregtegideon]

I laughed way harder than I should have at that "They made him Dead Hulk" line.

[@baliyae]

So, Dylan is half symbiote. That’s interesting.

[@ftfasttalkfoodreviewsyt]

Carnage just snorts the cremated ashes

[@comixproviderftw_02]

Still not better than Ultraman snorting Kryptonite.

[@ftfasttalkfoodreviewsyt]

@@comixproviderftw_02 true

[@michaellabonte6390]

@@comixproviderftw_02 is it tho? Dead people < Space Rock

[@halfmettlealchemist8076]

I know this is meant to be a joke but Cletus would absolutely do that shit if he got the chance

[@loganthomas2421]

Just when I thought there wouldn’t be a Venom/Carnage back issues when Let there be Carnage came out

[@JakeDaMoose16]

I have never liked a video quicker than this. Thank you SO MUCH for covering this.

[@ziggy_425]

Thanks comicpop for covering this story!! U guys are awesome, please never stop being yourselves lol

[@ChristopherZubin]

17:00 can we get that Citizen Kane clapping meme. In an era when subtlety was dead, this is very on the nose. I'm struggling to not make a "clutching at my pearls" joke here.

[@sca8217]

I was wondering why Ethan looks like he's aged 10 years. That's because he HAS aged 10 years since some of the earlier Back Story clips.

[@crimsonking440]

Like a fine wine.

[@AnarchicArachnid]

1:04:15 They have a tie in specifically all about this, namely you get to see the Hulks(Joe Fixit, the grey mobster hulk , Devil aka immortal hulk and the original Savage hulk) and Banner have a discussion in the mind scape of Bruce Banner with someone about "joining the party" with the reveal being it's the venom symbiote. it's actually a very interesting and intense because it shows that there's a system we don't see the process of normally going on where they all vote on the path of action to take and it's majority rule. and it's written in the context of the then ongoing immortal hulk book so we have Al Ewing writing Bruce totally as he has in immortal for the context of this story. I'd say read it just to see how they all come to an agreement

[@sirpercythrillington]

Just started watching you guys after getting suggested from watching comics explained. As am advid comic book reader I love hearing people talk about then so knowledgeable. Thumbs up friends and keep it up. I

[@MrCeratix]

I feel like the "They killed him after they didn't know what to do with Ross after they made him Red Hulk" "They made him Dead Hulk" Joke deserved more laughs on the couch hahaha

[@milliondotz]

DUUUUUUUDE I WAS JUST LISTENING TO ABSOLUTE COMICS WHEN THIS EVENT ENDED AND WAS WONDERING IF YOUD EVER GET THIS HOLY CRAO!

[@iangraham1138]

Every carange story after U.S.A or maybe breakout (new avengers) has felt like marvel wanting carnage to GO... AWAY!. And absoute carnage felt like cates was playing into how "rad and awsome" he is in a tounge in cheek kind of way.

[@Bobbybillybillbob]

Would have been cool if characters like Electro and Sandman had a role as the symbiote cannot affect them in Electros powers holding ot at bay, Sandman is intangible and can't latch on to him as he is just sand etc

[@AnarchicArachnid]

there is a control molecule in sand man where "he" is so I think it'd be an interesting fight where sandman is trying to destory the codex/core of a symbiote to destory it while it's trying to to destory his control point like a moba or an RTS game

[@davidpledger9842]

You can build a million Bridges but if you f*** one goat you'll never be known as the bridge builder. I said that a good bit in my life. Funny stuff

[@skyyswaggstudios2934]

What’s funny is that there is a tie in hulk issue that kind of addresses the thing they talked about him rejecting him. Bruce, hulk, and joe fixit all voted to let venom merge, and the demon hulk voted no, it’s weird, kinda dumb, and not integral to the plot but I thought it was pretty cool. Also the miles tie in ending is so weird how miles takes over the symbiote and nothing else ever acknowledges that happened or how the symbiote took back over. Great video as usual btw love me comic pop

[@brendanobrien8198]

The Null hypothesis sounds like something the Question would use

[@JasonEvans-j4c]

Someone at Sony thought "Let There Be Carnage" was the perfect title and now they must live with that shame forever.

[@edmaldonado8207]

Once again you guys never fail to make me laugh while I'm at work.

[@maxwellrauchut7926]

20 minutes in and already one of my favorite episodes ever

[@liamgibbons5266]

i'm shocked we didn't get a "somehow, carnage has returned" ROS joke

[@ryebreadreturn1]

I don't really quote the new trilogy, mostly cuz I only saw each of them a couple times so I don't have many lines memorized.

[@azureheart2846]

1:05:10 to be fair on Eddie. He never caused the Avengers to Disassemble, rewrite reality to make the Mutants the dominant species, or go to war with the Mutants, or cause a Civil War or two between superheroes, intentionally creat a killer robot (or accidentally slap his wife), destroy entire universes in a Secret War, mind wipe their teammates into forgetting about their secret club, or ignore the end of all things just so they could settle a grudge, instead of you know, trying to save the multiverse. He also never left a friend with their child by rape rapist son.

[@Sqoobthedude]

This was a episode ive been looking forward to for a long time! Worth the wait!

[@lonely-soul-f2v]

23:06 Venom: I gave you the best years of my life, you jerk! You can't get rid of me that easily!

[@KiramidHead]

I just read this story, and the whole time I kept thinking Maker looked like a xenomorph. Then his helmet came off and he looked like the bloated head space zombie from Prometheus. 🤣

[@ivansplvd6518]

Knull Hypothesis, Ethan we need you on MRVEL now

[@devildham]

You should absolutely do a symbiote playlist, but please don't wait a year to do King in Black

[@zeebj.7610]

Another banger video from ComicPop!

[@runthecomics]

Extreme Carnage: sips tea, looking at watch...

[@Emoney-hy2kn]

Cletus Kasady professional spine salesman saving Subzero from embarrassing himself during multiple Mortal Kombat tournaments. “I got spines for 60 cents perfect for your fatalities and Predator cosplays at Comic-Con.”

[@irishboy_pa]

Come on ben... those poor sheep 😂

[@Amuro1X]

Oh snap, I read this one before the Back Issues! This gonna be good.

[@Amuro1X]

Imagine my joy when they got to the part about the Codex.

[@Hollywoohorse]

Had a lot going on lately, it's so nice to be able to finally get my dishes done and catch up on back issues! Hope you guys cover Inferno soon, been really wanting to see what Mystique has been up to and what's gonna happen with bringing back Destiny but I only wanna hear you guys talk about it 😂😂 love you guys!!! 😁❤️

[@FrozenLavaDragonProd]

I've been excited for this episode! Let there be Carnage!

[@seanberrodin801]

Just the other day I was thinking to myself how much I wanted this episode!

[@ninja1man4u]

I know this is going to be a good episode when they go in a random tangent about a Disney movie villain

[@PurpleColonel]

Venom 2: When I Get Out There's Gonna Be Carnage

[@Ashguy733]

Phew usually 9am Pacific is when I see your video uploaded, and I thought maybe you moved it to a different day and time. You guys are always part of my morning routine on Wednesdays.

[@ChrisBReadin]

Well now I need the King in Black Back Issues....

[@resioil1]

Wasn’t there a cult that found Cletus and did a ritual to bring him back?

[@TupocalypseShakur]

That one worshipped Cthon and they wanted to sacrifice Carnage

[@Bryan-gy2zu]

Yep, it's in Carnage: The One That Got Away by Gerry Conway. It's a great series and they've done the first volume on the show

[@davidpledger9842]

I've been following venom since I was 12 when it was coming out. I love that you guys cover this. I even played the crappy video game for Carnage. Venom honestly is more interesting to me than Spider-Man.

[@Samael_Morningstar666]

I never liked the stories that are just “What if Superman but evil!” I know I’ll probably get screamed at for saying that I don’t care for Injustice and stories like it but... I genuinely couldn’t care less.

[@DanV900]

That has nothing to do with this video.

[@theangryholmesian4556]

Okay. What does this have to do with a video about Carnage?

[@Yoshimitsu4prez]

I’m sure sal has some choice insults for it but I LOVE this book lol. I even revisited it to read all the tie-ins 😂

[@superluigiac]

You know, you could make playlist for the symbiotes, the crisis, and such...

[@Grievousish]

Absolute Carnage aka "Carnage joins the worst cult ever"

[@chrisdaily2077]

What's your definition of a good cult?

[@Grievousish]

@@chrisdaily2077 They're all bad, but just to varying degrees. At least most cults can't call down a death god

[@chrisdaily2077]

@@Grievousish Fair point.

[@chrisdaily2077]

@@Grievousish Fair point.

[@TheKingOfRooks]

1:01:35 the Schroedinger's cat joke went painfully under the radar

[@ChristopherZubin]

28:55 I wonder if that isn't a reference to the _Trolley Problem_

[@gobblox6680]

OMG I saw this and I thought to myself "Wait, I missed this? They did this?" But then I double-checked the "how long ago" section and saw a few minutes ago. Cool!

[@CptCrash21]

I nearly dropped a plate of food from my lap because I stood up so quickly to applaud the "when Jafar gets the Genie" reference. You're a genius Sal.

[@kyotaiken]

"...Gather the 5 Dragonballs", were you just being facetious, Sal, or did you forget there are 7 Dragonballs? That made me pop when I heard it though hahah.

[@SpiralSine6]

We’ve had Maximum and Absolute Carnage, when will it end? Is Minimum Carnage the last? Average Carnage, Negative Carnage, Derivative Carnage, Integral Carnage!

[@crazysnas181]

Minimum Carnage already happened And we're currently on Extreme Carnage

[@comixproviderftw_02]

Carnage, The Apostle.

[@flash2672]

Absolute carnage: knull and void

[@DMorfin11]

So randomly I watched maximum carnage this morning before this came out!

[@MrAmateurNerd]

Love how Ethan (ironically) gets on board with the codices idea

[@nikthedestroyalator6796]

I like how when Sal says "Norman had sex with Gwen Stacy.... oh yeah and he murdered her too" implies that Sal feels that Norman having sex with Gwen is worse that killing her.

[@TommyWest.]

@14:48 RIP Norm

[@jojo-b55]

10:01 This whole sequence irks me. The whole point of a *symbiote* is that it bonds with a living host to survive. If Carnage is manipulating a corpse, shouldn't it be looking for a new host before it dies? 1:21:35 Absolute Carnage: Knullified

[@ftfasttalkfoodreviewsyt]

Everytime someone says ultimate comics I think Ben 10 ultimate alien. ULTIMATE HUMUNGOUSAUR

[@JoshMunroe]

If Carnage ever took over the Carnival of Evil, he's already got Ringmaster's swirl on his forehead. Is that too tenuous a link to create a storyline? Sounds like comics to me, baby.

[@yosh3490]

Great Todd impression, Sal!

[@G-H-Productions11]

Sal Mcfarlane arrives!

[@Insane-Howl-Cowl]

Let there be ComicPop!

[@scoobers90]

All hail knull! All hail back issues!

[@johnnieriot13]

Eddie’s column is called Are you there Knull? It’s we, Venom.

[@zetamagnus101]

A really great episode! Love this

[@Sicod79]

Brain eating, once you pop, apparently you CAN stop.

[@superthorc6894]

Let there be carnage *ABSOLUTELY*

[@aero4311]

skull carnage...(insert word here), carnage.

[@BD805s]

When it comes to the Symbiotes and the Maker, and why he wants the codices… it’s explained that he wants the codices so he can repair the Ultimate Symbiote. The codices technically aren’t whole Symbiotes on their own, it’s why when Eddie took all of them and used them, he never heard a voice. Like Sal says, they’re more blueprints to the host and Symbiote and how they both function, than actual Symbiotes themselves. The Ultimate symbiote was technically never finished so he wanted to finish it himself using those codices because he explains the Ultimate Symbiote was already unstable(cuz yknow it’s Venom)but when The Maker found it it was in even worse condition and damaged. He needed the codices and the blueprint with them to repair it, and he did

[@comicpop]

Yup

[@gugadelunardo4737]

I need a 90's comic cover with a cover that glows in the dark named Annullhilation