No, you are not seeing things. Mary Jane Watson is the latest host of VENOM. Their “partnership” is one of necessity, not want. This has led to some awkward moments. The latest one may take the cake.
Doctor Octopus and his S.C.A.R team crashed the scene during a heist stoppage. His involvement with Rick Jones/Toxin has drawn Venom to the scene. Being a wanted criminal, Venom is in disguise … AS SPIDER-MAN?
VENOM #252 by Al Ewing, Paco Medina, Frank D'Armata, Jordan Morris, Jesús Saíz, Jesus Aburtov, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Brett Breeding, Marcio Menyz & Clayton Cowles provides some new information on what is happening here.
Let’s take a closer look at the symbiote shenanigans.
VENOM #252 by Al Ewing, Paco Medina, Frank D'Armata, Jordan Morris, Jesús Saíz, Jesus Aburtov, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Brett Breeding, Marcio Menyz & Clayton Cowles (Marvel Comics)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
There are two additional stories added in to celebrate the legacy numbering. This review will focus on the main storyline for this issue.
Ewing has many moving parts playing out here. The writing tries establishing Venom thinking its’ fooled everyone with the disguise. As much as this is a fun attempt, it doesn’t seem to hit the mark. There is too much humor of “you’re not Spider-Man” added to fully believe this theme.
Even as Luke Cage gets involved, there’s just too much punchline humor to sift through. The conflict does have some moments where Doc Ock stands out. Ultimately, the issue struggles to find a solid foundation until the end. Once the story focuses on Ock’s aftermath does it find a sense of direction.
Medina & D’Armata deliver on sold action for this issue. The full page image of “Spidey” and Ock is a great start. This moves into a great deal of Doc Ock debunking this “Spider-Man”. The art shows the ultimate goal and how its’ thwarted by the people of New York.
Ock’s new use of his tentacles gets a solid panel to demonstrate. It leads into some sonic hijinx which helps the story. The half page image of another guest star pushes events into the closing pages. One more full page image takes Ock off the board to close. The epilogue wraps up with a more serious tone (persay). One more full page image wraps up events on a very overbooked chapter.
FINAL GRADE: 6.5
As much as the idea was a gamble to start, the payoff didn’t really make its case. The writing relies too much on its’ gimmick to move the story forward. Readers get solid action through the chaotic scenario. Both back-up stories are great but not enough to salvage its’ lead-in.
Let me know your thoughts on Venom #252 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!