Venom vs. Carnage #1
Venom vs. Carnage #1 introduces Patrick Mulligan — the NYPD officer destined to become Toxin — and plants the first seed of the Toxin symbiote on his neck, making it the gateway issue for the third major symbiote in the Marvel Universe. By framing the conflict as a grotesque custody dispute rather than a straightforward hero-vs-villain brawl, writer Peter Milligan pushed the symbiote mythology in a new direction: the idea that a creature born of pure violence could be raised, against all odds, as a hero. That thematic wrinkle — a cop struggling to hold onto his moral compass while bonded to something far more powerful than Carnage — proved durable enough to fuel a dedicated solo series, recurring appearances across two decades of symbiote events, and a direct screen adaptation in Sony's Venom film franchise. The issue also established that Venom's 'family tree' could extend beyond Carnage, opening the door to the sprawling Klyntar genealogy that would become central to later landmark runs.
In "A Child Is Born Part One: Baby Please Don't Go!", Venom stalks Carnage across the Manhattan skyline not as a hero, but as an unwilling caretaker—his symbiote has given rise to a new life, and Carnage’s violent impulses threaten to end it before it begins. With the newborn symbiote’s survival at stake, Venom’s uneasy mission collides with the life of a New York cop and his pregnant wife, drawing Spider-Man into a chaotic, slimy family feud. Written by Peter Milligan and brought to life with bold, visceral art by Clayton Crain—pencils, inks, and colors all by Crain—this 2004 Marvel standout marks a bizarre, high-stakes chapter in the symbiote saga, with a cover by Clayton Crain that captures the series’ grotesque, urgent energy.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The four-issue miniseries was produced entirely by writer Peter Milligan and artist/colorist/cover artist Clayton Crain, with John Miesegaes as editor and Joe Quesada as editor-in-chief. It launched in mid-2004 — in the final months of Venom's then-ongoing solo series — as part of Marvel's character-driven villain spotlight publishing strategy of that year. Crain handled pencils, inks, colors, and covers himself, giving the book a distinctive, heavily rendered digital-painting aesthetic that was polarizing among readers but unmistakably his own. The miniseries was coordinated editorially with other Venom-adjacent publications appearing around the same time, situating it within a deliberate push to revitalize and expand the symbiote corner of the Marvel Universe.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Patrick 'Pat' Mulligan, the NYPD officer who will become the first host of the Toxin symbiote — he appears here only as himself, without the symbiote bonding.
- First (embryonic) appearance of the Toxin symbiote, which latches onto Mulligan's neck in this issue as the Carnage symbiote gives birth asexually.
- Written by Peter Milligan; all art duties (pencils, inks, colors, and cover) handled by Clayton Crain — his earliest major Marvel work in this style.
- The issue carries the story title 'A Child Is Born Part 1: Baby Please Don't Go!' and is the opening chapter of a four-issue limited series.
- Toxin is established in the broader miniseries as the 1,000th symbiote in the Venom bloodline, a designation used to justify its potential to surpass both Venom and Carnage in raw power.
- Guest characters include Spider-Man, Black Cat (Felicia Hardy), and Gina Mulligan (Pat's pregnant wife), all making appearances in this first issue.
- The issue has been reprinted multiple times: in the trade paperback Spider-Man: Venom vs. Carnage (2004), as True Believers: Absolute Carnage – Venom vs. Carnage #1 (2019), in the Carnage Omnibus (2018), Venomnibus Vol. 3 (2020), and Carnage Epic Collection #3 – The Monster Inside (2023).
- The character of Patrick Mulligan was adapted for film as a San Francisco detective (played by Stephen Graham) in Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and Venom: The Last Dance (2024), with his symbiote infection drawn directly from this storyline's premise.
Cast · 6 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Venom vs. Carnage #[nn] (2013), Carnage Omnibus #[nn] (2018), True Believers: Absolute Carnage - Venom vs. Carnage #1 (2019), Venomnibus #3 (2020), Carnage Epic Collection #3 (2024), Marvel Must-Have #[117] (2026)
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