Scream: Curse of Carnage #6
Writer: Clay McLeod Chapman
Artist: Chris Mooneyham
Inks: Le Beau Underwood
Colours: Rain Beredo
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Scream #6 begins a brand new story arc; Suffer The Children. What better way to do it than with an oversized issue guest starring, as the cover reveals, The Punisher and Sandman? Clay McLeod Chapman introduces us to a couple of new villains who are insidious enough to have caught the eye of not only Scream, but also The Punisher and Sandman.
As any comic veteran will tell you any storylines involving multiple heroes can’t have them working together, no, at first we need to have a fight between them all. Sometimes these confrontations can feel a little forced and contrived, just to do that little bit of fan service between who would win out of Superhero X and Y. Chapman manages to give each character a slightly different set of priorities which conflict just enough to bring our heroes to blows. It’s well done, although the only thing that doesn’t quite gel is that all three heroes choose the exact same moment to go after the villain, but it’s a small gripe which can be overlooked. The only other slight complaint is that Chapman doesn’t quite get the essence of The Punisher right. He’s not a million miles away, but doesn’t quite capture the magic which makes Castle such an interesting character. He feels a little bit one dimensional here.
Moving past that Chapman manages to build up suspense really well, beginning the issue by introducing us to a homeless kid, with a series of textless panels. It’s a great piece of storytelling that tells us more than a dozen lines of dialogue would and helps set the pace. And when things appear to be getting better for this poor child the reader is aware that all is not as it seems and the danger they’re in. It builds the tension fantastically and sets the stage for the rest of the issue.
Having F.E.A.S.T. as the background for the series has been a nice touch, making Aunt May a regular feature and helping to firmly place Scream within the Marvel universe. A new character introduced there looks to be important to the series going forward. And the conclusion of this issue introduces another thread which connects back to the Absolute Carnage event, making the Curse of Carnage part of the title feel relevant again.
Chris Mooneyham’s art has been outstanding throughout the series, and this issue is no exception. Having worked with Chapman for the first five issues they’ve now reached a point where Mooneyham’s art is as integral for telling the story as Chapmans writing, the first page is virtually textless and does a fantastic job of introducing the poor homeless kid who begins our story for us. In previous issues it’s been Mooneyhams monsters which have really stood out, but without any real monsters beyond Scream his art is still fantastic and one of the highlights of the series.
Then we have Rain Beredo’s colours. No stranger to colouring symbiotes he does an excellent job whenever Scream is on the page, but for the rest of the issue his duller and more muted colours bring to life the seedier side of the Marvel universe which we don’t get to see as often. It’s a great match for Mooneyhams art.
A great setup for the next big Scream storyarc, it promises great things to come. New villains for Scream to face, new characters for her to befriend, the police slowly circling closer to learning Andi’s alterego, Chapman has plenty of plates spinning with lots to look forward to. The inclusion of The Punisher and Sandman works pretty well overall and the oversized issue makes great use of the extra pages it has to pace the story well. Chris Mooneyhams art remains a highlight of this exciting horror series.
Artist: Chris Mooneyham
Inks: Le Beau Underwood
Colours: Rain Beredo
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Scream #6 begins a brand new story arc; Suffer The Children. What better way to do it than with an oversized issue guest starring, as the cover reveals, The Punisher and Sandman? Clay McLeod Chapman introduces us to a couple of new villains who are insidious enough to have caught the eye of not only Scream, but also The Punisher and Sandman.
As any comic veteran will tell you any storylines involving multiple heroes can’t have them working together, no, at first we need to have a fight between them all. Sometimes these confrontations can feel a little forced and contrived, just to do that little bit of fan service between who would win out of Superhero X and Y. Chapman manages to give each character a slightly different set of priorities which conflict just enough to bring our heroes to blows. It’s well done, although the only thing that doesn’t quite gel is that all three heroes choose the exact same moment to go after the villain, but it’s a small gripe which can be overlooked. The only other slight complaint is that Chapman doesn’t quite get the essence of The Punisher right. He’s not a million miles away, but doesn’t quite capture the magic which makes Castle such an interesting character. He feels a little bit one dimensional here.
Moving past that Chapman manages to build up suspense really well, beginning the issue by introducing us to a homeless kid, with a series of textless panels. It’s a great piece of storytelling that tells us more than a dozen lines of dialogue would and helps set the pace. And when things appear to be getting better for this poor child the reader is aware that all is not as it seems and the danger they’re in. It builds the tension fantastically and sets the stage for the rest of the issue.
Having F.E.A.S.T. as the background for the series has been a nice touch, making Aunt May a regular feature and helping to firmly place Scream within the Marvel universe. A new character introduced there looks to be important to the series going forward. And the conclusion of this issue introduces another thread which connects back to the Absolute Carnage event, making the Curse of Carnage part of the title feel relevant again.
Chris Mooneyham’s art has been outstanding throughout the series, and this issue is no exception. Having worked with Chapman for the first five issues they’ve now reached a point where Mooneyham’s art is as integral for telling the story as Chapmans writing, the first page is virtually textless and does a fantastic job of introducing the poor homeless kid who begins our story for us. In previous issues it’s been Mooneyhams monsters which have really stood out, but without any real monsters beyond Scream his art is still fantastic and one of the highlights of the series.
Then we have Rain Beredo’s colours. No stranger to colouring symbiotes he does an excellent job whenever Scream is on the page, but for the rest of the issue his duller and more muted colours bring to life the seedier side of the Marvel universe which we don’t get to see as often. It’s a great match for Mooneyhams art.
A great setup for the next big Scream storyarc, it promises great things to come. New villains for Scream to face, new characters for her to befriend, the police slowly circling closer to learning Andi’s alterego, Chapman has plenty of plates spinning with lots to look forward to. The inclusion of The Punisher and Sandman works pretty well overall and the oversized issue makes great use of the extra pages it has to pace the story well. Chris Mooneyhams art remains a highlight of this exciting horror series.
A Look Inside
