Issue(s): Web of Spider-Man #102
Cover Date: Jul 93
Title: "Sinking fast"
Credits:
Terry Kavanagh - Writer
Alex Saviuk - Penciler
Don Hduson - Inker
Rob Tokar - Editor

Review/plot:
We're now entering round two of this crossover in the sense that we've had a chapter from each of the Spider books so far (the Unlimited issues bookend the series). To describe my personal psychology at this point, i tried to get myself feeling open minded about this series by reminding myself that i liked the Revenge of the Sinister Six and the Round Robin/Sidekick's Revenge stories. Not that they were works of art, but they were fun guest star-laden 'summer blockbuster' stories. And this shouldn't have been too different from those. Tom DeFalco's Unlimited issue didn't start me off on the right foot, but beginning with part two i thought maybe i could handle this. But now we're on part six and i'm ready for there to be a conclusion. To use the obvious joke, i've reached my personal Maximum Carnage; this is my limit. But we've still got more than half the event to go.

So here we go. Mary Jane has gone to a club to dance her miseries away, but Carnage and his gang choose to attack there.

Morbius has been recruited into Venom's OK With Killing heroes, and they show up to fight the villains at the club.

Spider-Man shows up as well, and despite his seeming change in attitude at the end of the last chapter, he's able to convince the heroes, including Venom that it's better to save the bystanders than chase the villains.

Still, he signs up with Venom's squad.

Note the exchange between Morbius and Spider-Man. The last time they met, Morbius hypnotized Spider-Man into forgetting him. It's nice to see that acknowledged, i guess, even if it's just to handwave it away. I also think it's funny that Morbius is going around calling people "mortal". He only found out he was immortal two publication months ago, in Morbius #9.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part six of Maximum Carnage. Part seven is in Amazing Spider-Man #379.

References:

• Dagger seemingly died in Web of Spider-Man #101.
  
• Spider-Man saw the "cruelty brewing just under the surface of this wretched city" - that's Spider-Man's thought bubble, folks - in Spectacular Spider-Man #201.
  
• Mary Jane got mad at Peter for putting himself in danger in Spider-Man #35.
  
• When Venom saves MJ at the club, Venom says that it makes him even with Spidey for saving his ex-wife's life in Amazing Spider-Man #375.
  
• No footnote (which is odd because these issues have been footnote heavy, and Morbius' book could use the sales), but Morbius hypnotized Spider-Man in Morbius #4.
  
• Venom says that Spider-Man can join them even though Spidey broke his word by going after Venom in Venom: Lethal Protector #1 (and that does get a footnote).

Crossover: Maximum Carnage

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Yeah I think it was around here too I stopped having mindless fun and started to get tired of this.

I dunno, if I found out I was immortal I'd probably immediately start referring to random passerby and checkout clerks as "mortal" like a Stan Lee character. Definitely one of the perks of immortality.

Interestingly, I remember that I got tired of the whole crossover around this issue, too...

When Spider-Man later encounters Simon Stroud in Morbius, he doesn't remember the events of their previous encounter because of Morbius's hypnosis. But he remembers Morbius hypnotizing him in this story. I guess he remembers Morbius erasing his memory via hypnosis but doesn't remember what memories were erased?