Welp, it looks like everyone knows Lee is Venom now. That probably won’t work out well for him.
Venom #5 (Marvel Comics)
Observations
- YES! Spider-Man is here!
- Oh yeah, and Scorpion and Venom are still kicking each other’s asses.
- Huh. This fight is not going how I expected.
- Seriously? That’s how he’s going to leave things?
- I’m not sure Lee’s plan should be working out like it has so far, but whatever.
- Can’t believe I’m saying this, but the symbiote is a heck of a lot more intelligent and sympathetic than its owner.
- Gotta love random water towers.
- FINALLY!
The Verdict
Lee sucks.
I mean, seriously. The one thing that could have made him interesting—via the symbiote probing his mind—gets shut down after a few panels. Meanwhile, he’s running schemes like a second rate mob film character, almost all of which work out far more smoothly than a bumbling crook like him should be able to pull off. Even when Lee fails, however, he still has plenty of random luck splashing through the narrative to get him out of all sorts of jams.
And don’t even get me started on Spider-Man’s appearance. Since when does Spidey just start checking social media instead of neutralizing a nearby threat and/or tracking down his worst enemy (who just fled the scene of a fight)? Maybe it was just poor panel sequencing, but either way, my favorite superhero’s first appearance in the series left a lot to be desired.
If it wasn’t for the gorgeous artwork, this issue may have been the last one on my pull list. Thankfully, the final page gave me a burst of hope for the series’ future. I normally enjoy Mike Costa’s work, so perhaps a major shift in Venom’s perspective/focus is just what the book needs to being bonding with its full potential.
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