Free Comic Book Day is here, and with it comes free offerings from a variety of publishers, with Marvel leading the charge with some of the most exciting offerings. That’s not only because the comics are free but because they promise to give us a taste of major future stories. So major, Marvel is repackaging Free Comic Book Day 2023: Spider-Man / Venom and Free Comic Book Day 2023: Avengers / X-Men in Marvel: Zero if you miss out. But wait, is it worth going to the comic shop today to pick up Free Comic Book Day 2023: Spider-Man / Venom? I’d argue yes!
Free Comic Book Day 2023: Spider-Man / Venom features three stories starting with Spider-Man, moving on to Venom, and closing out with a scene we’ve seen snippets of before for Ultimate Invasion. All three entice in ways that’ll make most pleased with their free pickup today.
Starting with the first story by Zeb Wells and Patrick Gleason, this story features Spider-Man fighting a gorilla. We get to find out who made the gorilla angry and what they’re after by the end of the story. If you read solicitations, you won’t be too surprised. Since the mystery is pretty much revealed, the excitement isn’t as high as it is with the Avengers / X-Men free comic book day comic.
Wells does a fabulous job with the humor and dialogue writing in this tale. Spider-Man sounds like himself, and he looks slick as heck under Gleason’s pen. There are some cool effects in the artwork, and the Spider-Man suit, while it’s not my favorite, has a neat effect with the lenses. Gleason utilizes them to show an emoji gorilla at one point, for instance, and it’s nice to see Peter’s eyes at one point. Giving artists a chance to play around with the lenses in Spider-Man’s eyes is always a win, and Gleason takes advantage. Oh, and Marcio Menyz’s colors are fabulous, as always.
Credit: Marvel
Next up is the Venom story, which is very intriguing. Al Ewing and Cafu tell a flashback story about a character called Flexo. He looks like a retro robot, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Fans of Sybmiote stories taking place in the past will want to read this one as it hints there may be another who has been on Earth for far longer.
The retro feel works well in this story thanks to the art and his framing. Two salesmen talk up Flexo and his amazing abilities. In the montage of his past fights, there are some period clothes on gangsters that give it a pulp feel. This makes a smash cut to Flexo’s other face all the more frightening.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect or even if I liked the story, but the framing by the creative team–and the chance for more Ewing tales of Marvel’s past–is highly exciting.
Closing out the comic is a short scene between The Maker and Miles Morales. Similar to the G.O.D.S. story in the Free Comic Book Day 2023: Avengers / X-Men comic, this tale uses art from a trailer so it will look familiar. It confirms what The Maker is up to, though, and that he wants to return to the Ultimate universe. A universe we thought dead.
Per usual for Marvel Comics, Free Comic Book Day 2023: Spider-Man / Venom is a comic with incredible art and some nice teases for what is to come. The Venom tale has got me more excited for the time-traveling exploits of Venom, while the Spider-Man story feels like a return to the comedic and fun voice of Spider-Man we know and love. Throw in a teaser for Hickman’s summer project, and it’s an easy pickup and worth the drive to get it!
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