The Good
What was good? Everything. It's pretty much a short and comedic take on Die Hard, but with a superhuman dude instead of Bruce Willis. This issue had a goofy smile plastered on my first the entire time and I couldn't help but read it again immediately after I finished. From Aracely's enforcement of her swear jar to the beyond hysterical final brawl, this was a downright excellent issue that you really shouldn't miss.
While the tone here is mostly lighthearted (the Ryan Stegman Easter Egg is impossible to miss) and places a strong focus on Kaine's supporting cast, there is a solid scene surrounding Parker's clone and his dilemma over being a "bad person." It isn't a particularly touching moment, but it's handled very well and gives Kaine a necessary epiphany over who he is and what he's accomplished recently. He thinks he's a monster, but as we know, that's clearly not the case anymore. It was nice to see someone finally send that message home to him.
The art (pencils by Reilly Brown, inks by Terry Pallo, and colors by Andres Mossa) is a great fit. I'm part of the crowd that was sad to see Stegman leave, but this issue didn't even make me think about that once. It's packed with detail, excellent use of shading (that image of Kaine/Carnage was drool-inducing) and the colors fill the comic with so much life.
Also, I previously complained about what I thought was inconsistencies regarding damage to Kaine's costume. Well, this issue provides an explanation for that.
The Bad
Nada. This is clearly Christopher Yost's holiday gift to us,.
The Verdict
This is the perfect jumping on point after the events of 'Minimum Carnage' and pretty much feels like Kaine 101. We get a detailed look at the anti-hero's supporting cast, a strong emphasis on who Kaine truly is, and of course, a funtastic action sequence. Who doesn't want to see Kaine take on robbers dressed as Santa? Come on!
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