While you can’t be blamed for expecting more traction on the bombshells that were dropped in the previous issue, Venom #251 decides to take the peddle off the gas instead – going for a “relatively” lighter look at our symbiote heroes and their hijinks as opposed to the imminent cosmic threat looming over them. For some readers, this can be a bit disappointing considering Knull’s return and his subsequently being deposed by none other than the Asgardian goddess of death Hela. Al Ewing and Paco Medina use this new issue to pull back and instead focus on Venom and MJ slowly building some semblance of a friendship as they face a renewed assault from anti-symbiote elements spearheaded by Doctor Octopus and S.C.A.R. And of course, not to be left out of the conversation is Rick Jones who is also getting in on the symbiote superheroics as the new Toxin, while Robbie Robertson and Luke Cage round out a fun new street-level arc for Venom to pursue.
Its All About the Secrecy for our Symbiotes as the City Becomes Sinister
Minor Spoilers Ahead: You have been warned.
Venom #251 sets the scene with a familiar old face in Kevin Krask – who is somehow once again a senator following his resignation due to Hulk related shenanigans years ago – now funding Doctor Octopus and his Symbiote Condition & Rendition program (S.C.A.R) as they seek to capture Venom and any other errant symbiotes as part of their totally legitimate national security program – and totally not because Doc Ock and Krask have their own little ambitions and grievances with our friendly neighborhood goop monsters. Naturally, while Mayor Luke Cage isn’t too keen on allowing such wanton alien policing in his city, there’s little he can do when the threat of bureaucratic backing and white-collar consequences loom over his head.
Amidst this political back and forth, MJ and Venom are still continuing their heroics, albeit on the downlow. Venom is a wanted man…woman…alien(?) after all. But when you’ve been bonded to Spider-Man as long as you have, great power and great responsibility are in your blood: something both MJ and the symbiote are both all too familiar with. So to remedy this issue, the ever theatrical MJ comes up with a plan – to disguise herself as Iron Man when pursuing some petty costumed criminals. How is she going to hide the fact that Iron Man flies and Venom doesn’t? Rollerblades of course, pulling from one of Iron Man’s oldest and whackiest storylines of bygone years. And while the subterfuge doesn’t last very long, Venom and MJ find themselves building bridges in their historically fraught relationship – maybe even leading towards some semblance of friendship. Not to be outdone, Rick Jones – now host to the Toxin symbiote – also adopts the swashbuckling look and persona of “Captain Spider” in an effort to do some heroics of his own. Sadly, his attempts are quickly intercepted by Doc Ock and his new team of sinister symbiote hunters and quickly beaten to a pulp. But before he can be carted away, Venom and MJ arrive on the scene – wearing a new set of threads that is nothing if not…Amazing!
A Street Level Story that Doesn’t Skimp on the Heart or Humor
Al Ewing once again shows just how comfortable he is pulling from the obscurest corners of the Marvel universe to enrich his stories in funny and fantastic ways. It was true in Immortal Hulk, and its true in Venom #251 as well. When MJ and Venom decide they want to go the Iron Man route – they go for a version of armor that has the infamous roller blades from the days of old to drive a high-speed chase. Senator Krask’s appearance as a longstanding pain in the neck of superheroes from his USAvengers days and beyond is a nice little throwback as well. The villain of the week, Blue Streak, is another rocket powered roller skating ne’er do well from the 70s. And even Rick Jones new persona as “Captain Spider” is a pleasant callback to Flash Thompson’s persona from the beloved What If? books of the 1970s.
None of these callbacks are done simply for the sake of the nostalgia value though – each ties intrinsically to the story point it’s trying to make. Venom’s use of Iron Man as a disguise harkens back to MJ’s previous friendship with Tony Stark (a fact that’s hilariously commented upon by Venom as to why she can’t just call Tony for help), and Rick Jone’s disguise being linked to Flash Thompson who is currently Anti-Venom and who also recently saved Toxin from certain doom all resonate through Ewing’s expert writing and character beats. Every side character to Venom’s story gets their moment to shine in either villainy or heroism, and the Venom dynamic itself continues to build in interesting new directions as the symbiote and Mary Jane start to find some much needed middle ground compared to where they started their journey.
And while there are some misgivings that Venom and MJ should’ve faced their difference much earlier in the run instead of rushing through it in just a couple of short issues, Ewing makes it absolutely clear that this is a long-term issue that both characters need to work on. Beneath all the quips and the camaraderie there is still a degree of uncertainty that is very palpable for the readers and for MJ and Venom’s dynamic at large – though the stupendously fun and big finale of this issue does highlight some interesting scope for Ewing to explore this further.
Colorful Costumed Capers that Capture the Fists and the Funnies in Equal Measure
While Ewing’s writing provides the groundwork for the storytelling, Paco Medina’s art really shines in both action and humorous scenes. His fluid line work perfectly captures the liquid like shapeshifting and mobility of Venom and other symbiote characters, giving them both solid heroic shape while also emphasizing their utterly alien natures. When Iron-Venom (Venom disguised as Iron Man) is revealed to be a symbiote in the midst of a high speed car chase, Medina’s art shows the gloriously goopy impact of that revelation via golf ball to the head courtesy of Blue Streak. As for moments of humor, Medina’s facial expressions, especially for Luke Cage and Robbie Robertson bring the punchline for their wry jokes quite exquisitely as well. Backing up Medina’s art is Frank D’Marta’s vividly bright coloring – perfectly highlighting all the superheroics and cape crusading that this issue is rife with.
However, compared to previous issues, the art as a whole leaves a little to be desired. For every ten or so great pieces of gorgeous art, there is a panel or character that sticks out like a sore thumb as either really rigid or weird in design. And as for Venom themselves, if you’re not a fan of the new design by this point, you’ll probably never be on board and this issue won’t really do any favors visually because it’s more of the same. Jury’s still out on MJ and Venom’s spectacular new persona though, as goofy as it is. And Medina and D’Marta do a decent job with the one-page full body shot they get in the issue’s finale.
A Side-Story That Keeps the Wheels Merrily Turning Until the Inevitable Big Cosmic Showdown
Venom #251 reinforces the street level vision Al Ewing started off with in All-New Venom with a more down-to-earth story arc that blends bits of nostalgia with a fun, albeit by the numbers tale of vigilante heroics. Every character gets their moment to shine in this issue, and while the shift back to basics can be a bit jarring after the Knull-shaped plot point dangling over everyone’s heads, Ewing and co. still manage to start and tell a story that could potentially build our characters up for more…right before the new Queen in Black comes around to tear it all down. With that, all we can do is wait and watch how Venom and MJ will navigate this new landscape in amazing and spectacular ways.
Score: 6/10.
A pleasant little story of symbiotic shenanigans with great potential that plays it a little too safe but doesn’t compromise on the fun factor one bit.