I’m hoping to keep this review mercifully short, because finally, FINALLY, we’re at the end of this meandering and A.I.M.-less arc in Venom #254. If the story isn’t really storying for whatever reason (cough stalling cough), then at the very least give me some well-drawn action of Venom beating the snot out of some fools. On at least one count, Venom #254 succeeds quite spectacularly, bringing the curtain down on MJ’s ongoing feud with Madame Masque.
I do love me some good ol’ fisticuffs, and the banter is pretty solid throughout, but if we’re being honest, this issue was just the capstone on a nothing burger of an arc that’s overstayed its welcome without really enriching any character in any meaningful capacity whatsoever. And while I do understand and even respect the need for filler arcs between bigger events or narrative storylines, seeing this level of lethargic storytelling from Al Ewing of all people seems especially egregious, considering all the waste of this. On the bright side, however, at least we get the most overt tease to the upcoming Death Spiral event yet, which I’m praying is the shake-up this series needs so desperately.
What Did the Fist Say to the Face?
What more can I say to summarize this issue? Well, let’s see. Venom and Madame Masque finally get to beat the ever-loving tar out of each other across the streets of New York. It’s fast, it’s furious, and there’s enough trash talk for the whole family. Masque does Villain 101 by threatening civilians (“It’s not me harming civilians if you’re the one being thrown into them by me”). It’s tech vs. alien goo all the way to the bank, though some of the stuff Venom does kind of defies pre-established logic even by the symbiote’s already wildly overpowered standards. But who cares as long as we’re having fun, right? Plus, we get a nice little showcase of MJ-Venom’s capabilities too.
Goofy as it all is, Venom does manage to put the kibosh on Madame Masque and her robot war-suit in genuinely funny fashion. Seriously, she turns her into a goddamn Funko Pop! But of course, Masque escapes again while making her threats for her inevitable return. Venom also promises to kill her if she ever causes trouble again, leaving MJ musing about whether it was her or the symbiote who actually meant that. It’s “some” character development on their relationship, but nothing that hasn’t been done to death a zillion times over in other Venom runs (and far better). But before we close out this chapter, we see that A.I.M.’s leadership is still intact, Masque having failed to actually kill… well, anyone, making her look like a bigger doofus than ever before. The three surviving leaders ponder if Venom is worth their time or not, but for now choose to do nothing. On a better note, we at least conclude the issue with a nice shot of our favorite Himbo Frankenstein: Eddie Brock and his less-than-favorite symbiote sidekick, Carnage. And his expression perfectly matches mine by the time I was done with this story arc.
A Brawl A Day Keeps Logic at Bay
Banter is the order of the day with this particularly climactic issue, as Al Ewing digs deep to keep the zingers rolling right alongside the action. Look, I’ll never hate whimsy and Venom’s had a long history of being goofy and gruesome in equal measure, so this is par for the course. Granted, he used to be far more… erudite in the 90s, but a comical air to battle was something the symbiote clearly carried on from their tryst with Spider-Man. So it’s not surprising in the slightest when MJ and Madame Masque trade barbs just as easily as they’re trading blows throughout the course of their issue-spanning fight. What IS less than thrilling, though, is just how little actual substance happens here.
Yes. This is the culmination of a story arc that started with the first issue, and now MJ finally gets to put her hands on the insufferable Madame Masque after all the crap she’s been put through. The symbiote is on the same page as well, and it shows. But as desperate and destructive as this fight should be, there’s just a little too much jokey joking around during such a serious final battle that simply undercuts the stakes even further. What hurts things even more is just how uncannily overpowered Venom suddenly is or how unwilling Masque is to use actual symbiotic weaknesses like fire and sonics to do some real damage. This is common knowledge that a grade-schooler can probably Google in the current timeline, so Masque having no real countermeasures to deal with Venom in a more decisive manner just seems idiotic.
The idiocy only expands further when Masque somehow manages to temporarily punch MJ through the Venom suit into a stupor. SOMEHOW, MJ being temporarily stunned inside the Venom suit (where the symbiote is perfectly coherent and functional) now translates to Venom having a concussion—something that has no reason to happen because both suit and host operate independently now as we’ve seen multiple times, EVEN though Venom being tied to MJ is literally a matter of life and death. There’s no consistency to this particular plot of how their bond is deeper than imagined, because the kind of stuff Venom does in action just seems either wildly myopic or convenient to the plot. And again, Venom and MJ musing about their more violent tendencies at the end of the fight doesn’t really add much of anything, because like any other shred of “character depth” this run has had for them, it’s pushed aside in a heartbeat.
Madame Masque herself, a long-running villain in the Marvel Universe, overstays her campy villainy far too much as well, resorting to some genuinely cringe-inducing monologues (although she does have a few good jokes thrown in every now and then). This gets doubly more annoying when you consider just how incompetent she’s been in this run, in complete antithesis to her previous exploits in other books. Heck, even her grand gambit of taking out A.I.M.’s leadership has proven to be a woefully botched move, because EVERYONE survives and has a good laugh at her expense. I’m genuinely unsure how Ewing feels about how he’s been writing the characters here so far, because while All-New Venom started off with an interesting premise and status quo, it has so quickly devolved into filler arc after filler arc that keeps Venom and the supporting cast stagnant to the point of frustration. But cool fights though, so it’s not all bad, is it?
Hits that Look as Good as They Probably Don’t Feel
On a MAJOR plus side, however, Carlos Gomez brings some major heat to the fray with some of the zaniest action sequences he’s ever drawn so far. There’s so much clean fighting throughout the book, mixing both the biological aspects of the symbiote's antics with the cold, calculated steel of Masque’s mechanical assaults. Venom coming up with new gooey forms of attack and defense against the merciless assault of missiles and flames is done impeccably, as is the view of all the collateral damage both combatants get up to in their antics. Every punch feels suitably hard-hitting as needed, though I can’t help but notice how Gomez’s drawings of Venom lately, which emphasize larger eyes and a bigger mouth without the teeth and tongue, just seem to give off huge kawaii vibes. Seriously, Venom almost looks cute these days. It is just an interesting observation, especially with how Masque is finally put down for the count in the goofiest way imaginable.
Rounding out the action is Frank D’Armata’s epic color work, which once again inundates the page with shining golds and blacks. Since both combatants are pretty much color-locked to those specific palettes, I do wish there would be a bit more distinction between the metallic golds of Masque’s ensemble vs. the more organic ones of Venom’s design. I get that Venom’s sporting the gold look for a very specific reason these days, but on the purely color front, I wish it wasn’t so… shiny, I guess. Small quibble aside, the rest of the colors that permeate the action look as good as always, matching the carnage of Gomez’s action-packed line work very well.
A Mercy Killing
Welp, I’m glad we’re at the end of this road. Venom #254 is the curtain call and indictment of some of the series' biggest problems while also showcasing the smallest bits of things that make Venom endearing. Once again, “wasted potential” is the biggest watchword, which I desperately hope gets remedied now that we’re moving Venom towards a more symbiote-centralized event with Death Spiral, while Knull’s involvement is still somewhat relegated to his own book (despite having been teased as getting involved in Venom’s business a few months back).
I’m hoping Al Ewing and this team can get a fresh start of sorts like how they started in All-New Venom, because there’s so much story to potentially tell and someone like Ewing is more than capable of doing it in cool, horrific, and exciting ways. But for now, I’m glad this arc is over and that we’re heading towards something that at least has some inkling of being different.
Final Verdict: Venom #254 mercifully brings a close to winding chapter of less than stellar writing – with fists, farce and frustrations all in toe.