10 Comics Too Big To Fail (That Did Anyway)

The 1990s were all about crossovers for Spider-Man, and despite some highs and lows, most of them weren't awful. Fans enjoyed reading stories from different perspectives, that incorporated characters and elements from all over Spidey's world, which is why Maximum Carnage was such a highly anticipated project in 1993.

The series brought Carnage to the center of everything going on in Spider-Man's life at the time, and it capitalized on a villain many fans loved to hate. Previous Venom stories sold remarkably well, so it stood to reason that a crossover event starring Venom's offspring would perform as well in terms of sales.

There were a few problems with Maximum Carnage that didn't help it when the sales figures began to tabulate. For one thing, the 14 books in the series were written and illustrated by different people. This didn't help with the continuity of the story, seeing as everyone has a different approach to the characters, and the writers struggled to make it work.

That's not to say the creators weren't incredibly talented, but transitions in artwork and tone make the story, which is intended to flow from one book to the next, seem somewhat disjointed. The books didn't manage to meet expectations, and like the Clone Saga that would shortly follow, it was mostly a dud. It did inspire a video game, action figures, and an exhibition at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Florida though.