Welcome back!  So far we’ve covered Maximum Carnage in Part One and Part Two and since Part Three of our Maximum Carnage coverage is short (only four rounds) we’re going to cut out all the preliminaries we normally have and just jump right into it, starting with Round Eleven.

ROUND ELEVEN – DING!

Next we head to Amazing Spider-Man #380 (‘Soldiers of Hope’) by Dave Michelinie & Mark Bagley.  As Morbius and Spawn… err, Nightwatch… launch their own surprise attack  on the Carnage Family up in the Statue of Liberty’s torch, Team Spidey (now with Captain America calling the shots) races off into the night to find ‘em.

And here’s where the writing starts to smell like milk that hasn’t just gone bad but rather milk that’s turned evil and is plotting to kill every form of life on the planet  that isn’t like itself.  Team Spidey’s dialogue starts to sound like Zig Ziglar or Tony Robbins writing an affirmation chant for a seminar.  And Team Spidey finally grabs a  much needed victory when Cap, Firestar, Deathlok, Iron Fist and Spidey team up to defeat… Shriek, all by herself.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen.  Cap actually takes her  out with his shield and by showing the rampaging New Yorkers that they are fighting for them, Team Spidey gives them… ‘hope.’  Next stop… Cheeseville, Population: Us.

Meanwhile, back at Lady Liberty, Morbius and Spawn… err, Nightwatch… are busy getting the crap kicked out of them by Carrion, Demogoblin and the Spider-Doppleganger.   Seriously, Carnage never jumped in.  He just crawled all over the captive Venom like he was some kind of man-tower.  Either way, Spawn… err, Nightwatch… and Morbius  flee into the night to help Morbius escape the impending sunrise.  Carnage sends his “kids” (God how creepy is that?) out to find their “Mama,” Shriek.

And find her they do!  While Carnage stays behind for special alone time with Eddie the rest of the Carnage Family Murderers manage to free Shriek from Team Spidey.  And,  to Shriek’s horror, now that Team Spidey has shown New York the error of their ways the rampaging throngs turn on her and the rest of the Carnage Family.  And Team Spidey  winds up going head to head against them, until Shriek kicks her bad vibes power into overdrive to overpower the ‘hope’ that Team Spidey has brought to the people in the  streets.  And suddenly New York’s turned against Team Spidey once more.  Jeez, these people flip allegiances faster than Jack Sparrow.

So wither Cloak and Black Cat?  They’re both at their homes, pondering if they are doing the right thing by staying out of the fight.  I half expected them to launch into a  cartoon movie duet like Fivel & Tanya Mousekewitz in ‘An American Tail.’

(more…)