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You are here: Home / Reading Orders / Marvel Characters / Carnage Reading Order

Carnage Reading Order

May 29, 2019 by Dave Leave a Comment

Carnage is pure 90’s comics meets Spider-Man, the byproduct of the ever popular Venom symbiote leaking into a serial killer’s open wound. Carnage, aka Kletus Casaday, is one of the bloodiest and most horrifying villains in Spidey’s rogue’s gallery, encompassing the dark history of serial killers inside one superpowered weaponized body.

Although both Carnage and the mega-crossover Maximum Carnage exude 90’s aesthetics (see: blood red symbiote violence oozing across the edges of every panel), the character has a variety of renewals throughout the 2000’s, from his time taking over small-town America in Carnage U.S.A. to 2019’s event, Absolute Carnage.

Related Reading Orders:

Amazing Spider-Man

Venom

Below you’ll find a complete reading order for Carnage comics throughout Marvel’s history, from his origins to today. I’ve noted my personal favorites with the Comic Book Herald logo next to the series name.

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Spider-Man fights Venom and Carnage with art by Mark Bagley

Origins of Carnage (90’s Comics)

comic book herald blog logoCarnage Classic

Collects: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 361-363

Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage

Collects: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #378-380, Spectacular Spider-Man #201-203, Spider-Man #35-37, Spider-Man Unlimited #1 And #2, And Web Of Spider-Man #101-103

For the full guide, check out Comic Book Herald’s Maximum Carnage reading order.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #28




Clone Saga

Collects: Check out the full Comic Book Herald Clone Saga reading order!

You don’t necessarily have to read the entire Clone Saga purely for Carnage comics, but if you’re in for the real long haul, “Clone Saga” takes over anything Spider-Man related for a good long stretch, including the role of Carnage.

Venom: Carnage Unleashed

Collects: Venom: Carnage Unleashed 1-4, Venom: Sinner Takes All 1-5; Material From Amazing Spider-Man Super Special, Spiderman Super Special, Venom Super Special, Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special, Web Of Spider-Man Super Special

The “Super Specials” in this collected edition combine for the “Planet of the Symbiotes” arc, which should be read as follows:

  • Amazing Spider-Man Super Special #1
  • Spider-Man Super Special #1
  • Venom Super Special #1
  • Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special #1
  • Web of Spider-Man Super Special #1

comic book herald blog logoCarnage Classic

Collects: Carnage: Mind Bomb; Amazing Spider-Man #410, Sensational Spider-Man (1996) 3; Spider-Man (1990) 67; Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) 233; Carnage: It’s A Wonderful Life; Amazing Spider-Man #430-431; Peter Parker: Spider-Man (1999) 13; Webspinners: Tales Of Spider-Man 13-14

I’ve ordered the “Carnage Classic” issues above into the chronological order they should be read!

“Mind Bomb” in particular is pretty fascinating as the issue is written by all time comics great Warren Ellis, relatively early in Ellis’ superhero comics writing career. The issues details a rogue psychiatrist’s efforts to unravel the mind of Kletus Casaday inside Ravencroft Asylum.

Batman & Spider-Man

This one-shot team-up between DC and Marvel’s biggest heroes actually focuses the most on Joker and Carnage, the issue’s titular “Disordered Minds.”

Carnage sneaks up on Foggy Nelson in New Avengers

Carnage Enters the 2000’s

Spider-Man: The Next Chapter Volume 2

Collects: Amazing Spider-Man (1999) 7-12; Peter Parker Spider-Man 7-12, Annual ’99

Spider-Man: Venom vs. Carnage

Collects: Venom Vs Carnage #1 To #4

comic book herald blog logoNew Avengers: Breakout

Collects: New Avengers #1 To #6

Carnage comic books
Carnage

Carnage Returns

Carnage Omnibus

Collects: Venom Vs. Carnage 1-4; Carnage (2010) 1-5; Carnage U.S.A. 1-5; Minimum Carnage: Alpha, Omega

As you’ll see, the “Carnage Omnibus” edition overlaps with a number of additional TPBs on this list. You don’t have to read both – nonetheless, if you’re opting for the Carnage Omnibus experience, this is the place to read it.

Carnage: Family Feud (Carnage Vol. 1)

Collects: Carnage #1-5

comic book herald blog logoCarnage USA

Collects: Carnage USA #1-5

Carnage: Minimum Carnage

Collects: Minimum Carnage: Alpha #1; Scarlet Spider #10-12, Venom (2011) #26-27, Minimum Carnage: Omega #1

Superior Carnage

Collects: Superior Carnage 1-5

If the “Superior” branding seems familiar, it’s because Superior Carnage occurs during the era of Superior Spider-Man, and does feature the first meeting between Carnage and this superior webslinger.

Deadpool vs. Carnage

Collects: Deadpool Vs. Carnage 1-4, Superior Carnage Annual 1

comic book herald blog logoAxis: Carnage & Hobgoblin

Collects: Axis: Hobgoblin 1-3, Axis: Carnage 1-3

For the full event context, check out Comic Book Herald’s Axis reading order.

I wasn’t a big fan of Axis overall, but the Carnage-turned-good miniseries worked surprisingly well for me.

Carnage Vol. 1: The One That Got Away

Collects: Carnage 1-5, All-New, All-Different Point One 1 (Carnage Story)

Carnage Vol. 2: World Tour

Collects: Carnage 6-10

Carnage Vol. 3: What Dwells Beneath

Collects: Carnage 11-16

Carnage gains powers of Knull in pages of Venom comic

The Road to Absolute Carnage

Venomized

Collects: Venomized 1-5

Amazing Spider-Man: Red Goblin

Collects: Amazing Spider-Man 794-801, Annual 42

comic book herald blog logoVenom by Donny Cates Vol. 1: Rex

Collects: Venom (2018) 1-6

The road to Absolute Carnage begins here!

Venom Vol. 2: The Abyss

Collects: Venom #7 to #12

Venom Unleashed Vol. 1

Collects: Web Of Venom: Ve’Nam 1, Web Of Venom: Carnage Born 1, Web Of Venom: Venom Unleashed, Web Of Venom: Cult Of Carnage 1

Spider-Man: The Many Hosts of Carnage

Collects: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 361, 410, 431; Spider-Man (1990) 67; Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) 233; Carnage (2010) 3; Carnage USA 1-5; Superior Carnage 3-5, Annual 1; Amazing Spider-Man (2015) 798-800

If you’ve been following the CBH Carnage reading order, you won’t need this collection, but if you skipped ahead to get closer to Absolute Carnage, this is Marvel’s 2019 attempt to provide a “Road To” reference guide of Carnage’s actions across the Marvel Universe.

Absolute Carnage

Collects: Absolute Carnage #1 To #6

For more detail, including the exact “Road to” reading order, check out Comic Book Herald’s Absolute Carnage reading order.

Filed Under: Featured, Marvel Characters Tagged With: carnage

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About Dave

Dave is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Comic Book Herald, and also the Boss of assigning himself fancy titles. He's a long-time comic book fan, and can be seen most evenings in Batman pajama pants. Contact Dave @comicbookherald on Twitter or via email at dave@comicbookherald.com.

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