The world of Marvel’s slimy Symbiotes is once again shifting, as the iconic Avengers hero Black Widow joins the ranks of Venom’s hive mind in the pages of Venom #26. The ongoing Venom run continues to switch back and forth narratively between Al Ewing’s Eddie Brock-focused odyssey, and Torunn Grønbekk’s Dylan Brock symbiote adventure at seemingly random intervals. Grønbekk’s Venom #26 hosts gorgeous art from Julius Ohta and Frank D’Armata, and is the start of an exciting – if seemingly disconnected – new arc for Venom.
Natasha Romanoff’s new symbiote form was first teased at the end of Venom #23, where the Russian spy and assassin discovered a newly born symbiote that was being held in an Alchemax lab and decided to become the young one’s first host. Venom #26 starts with a truly horrifying scene showing the new power that Black Widow wields, allowing her new symbiote friend to devour the brain of a former acquaintance of hers, Keith Walken.
Marvel Comics
This is a brilliant nod to Venom’s early days as a full-fledged brain-eating monster, and a strong choice by Grønbekk to show the horrors of an untrained and hungry symbiote. Romanoff, who is no stranger to assassinations, is not the least bit turned off by the symbiote’s carnage and is instead impressed that it was able to take an imprint of Walken’s mind to share with her, an invaluable skill for a super spy. The way that Julius Ohta has the new symbiote slime turn into black widows and crawl up Natasha’s body is inspired, and hints at a level of control held by Black Widow that most first-time hosts to a symbiote don’t have, which juxtaposes with the apparent lack of control she has to prevent the symbiote from devouring Walken’s brain.
Soon after we catch the first glimpse of Black Widow in full symbiote form, and it is breathtaking to behold. Gorgeously designed by the artist Cafu, Romanoff’s new symbiote appearance is the truly perfect mix of the classic Widow costume and gooey symbiote goodness. Cafu’s design for Black Widow’s new symbiote suit logo is also iconic, another spot-on blend of Venom and Black Widow aesthetics. Clearly, Black Widow is the star of the show in this arc, and while I do feel some frustration as a reader that Dylan himself feels very disconnected from the story, there is no one better to steal the show than Mrs. Romanoff.
Marvel Comics
Grønbekk’s writing is unsurprisingly stellar, continuing a long line of beautifully written Marvel comics like her recent run on Thor and the ongoing Realm of X series. Grønbekk seems to get Natasha’s motivations and deeply hidden vulnerabilities in a way many others do not, and her interactions with the young but brave Dylan are pitch-perfect. My major complaint with the entire recent Dylan-focused Venom stories is that they feel like “filler,” full-issue backups for his dad’s real story of traveling through time and fighting Meridius’ eventuality in the Garden of Time. That being said, this is most likely an editorial issue and has nothing to do with Grønbekk’s impeccable writing or Ohta’s gorgeous art.
I truly think that Dylan, since King in Black, could become a fascinating character, but it has been strangely difficult to feel connected to Dylan’s adventures, perhaps because it seems like he struggles to keep a core cast of characters around him. The introduction of Bren’s Toxin has been fun – and it would be awesome to see an issue with the teenaged Venom, Toxin, and Red Goblin causing a ruckus – but the pacing of the Alchemax/”No One” arc continues to feel off. Again, to be clear, I am excited to see how Grønbekk continues this story, and this issue was an incredibly fun read, it is just hard to picture it in the whole of Eddie Brock’s grand adventure through time and space.
Marvel Comics
This might be a personal issue (and if so, sorry!), but I also find it difficult to feel attached to a faceless enemy, and the No One group is the literal definition of faceless. They are like the crowd of Guy Fawkes’ masks in V for Vendetta, the twisted Marvel version of Anonymous, and while their motivations are intriguing and their tactics are brutal, I want to feel a more personal connection to them. That being said, their connection to Bren, and Bren’s father at Alchemax, is upping the ante for Dylan and Venom in an exciting way. Bren and Dylan’s shared connection of feeling abandoned by father figures continues to be an emotional and solid recurring theme throughout the book.
In fact, it is NoName’s capture of Bren at the end of the issue that is the highlight of Venom #26 (besides Natasha’s symbiote debut, of course), capturing the unique relationship between host and symbiote. As Bren and Toxin are assaulted by specialty weaponry, Toxin realizes the only way to save Bren is to leave him, a tragic and gut-wrenching moment of abandonment for Bren. Hopefully, Venom and Widow will find a way to save both Bren and Toxin, because we sure as hell know Alchemax will never give in to No One’s demands.
Grønbekk’s intriguing tale of corporate greed, fatherly abandonment, and finding help in unlikely places continues to be an enjoyable and violent read. While I do have some concerns with the feelings of disconnect between Dylan’s story and the greater picture of Venom, I trust that Grønbekk and Ewing are leading us to a stunning and impressive collision between the two disparate plots. The introduction of symbiote Black Widow in Venom #26 was the perfect way to spice up this book, and her full debut with her new slimy partner was gorgeously written by Grønbekk and beautifully illustrated by Ohta and D’Armata. Even with my reservations about pacing and placement within the greater whole, this issue was a blast to read, and I highly recommend everyone pick up Grønbekk’s Venom as long as they can.
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