The identity of the new Venom is heating up as a different suspect has been taken off the board in each issue. With All-New Venom #4, there’s yet another suspect ruled out, and if you do your math, that means only one of the five suspects can be Venom! That is unless writer Al Ewing has made all five candidates red herrings all along! That term has certainly come up in AIPT’s Venom Unleashed, our exclusive column with Venom editor Jordan D. White. Thankfully, this series has been a great deal of fun, even without the mystery, which is very much the case with today’s issue.
As the cover reveals, M.O.D.O.K. looms large in this issue, and Venom is very much ready to take him on. Before their showdown, this issue opens with Anti-Venom, aka Flash Thompson, who is visiting Sleeper and Toxin in prison. Fans of the larger symbiote cast will delight in this opening as Toxin is all kinds of weird, and Flash is still getting used to symbiote. He’s consulting for S.C.A.R. and clearly connects with the symbiote while they see them as things to use. The wider feel for symbiotes in the Marvel universe already feels like it’s changing with the new series, in a good way.
From there, the issue changes locations as Madame Masque is drawing attention to herself to draw out the new Venom. In an efficiently written scene between Robbie Robertson and Steve Trevor, the last suspects standing, we’re privy to a M.O.D.O.K.-sized bullet getting shot at Madame Masque’s enemy. You might be thinking Venom would be underpowered in a fight with these villains, and given how things play out, you’d be right!
Just hanging out.
Credit: Marvel
Once again, artist Carlos Gomez renders Venom in the wackiest of ways, as his head explodes with M.O.D.O.K. inside it. It’s a delight to see and has a kooky feel we haven’t seen in Venom comics, maybe ever. The art in this book is super luxe, with great colors by Frank D’Armata who adds a dynamic range to everything. There’s a lot of yellow, pink, and black thrown around and it looks glossy and clean.
The final battle is, however, a little too chaotic for its own good. Over six pages, not a heck of a lot progresses plot-wise aside from the big cliffhanger reveal. The final suspect available to be the new Venom also still feels like a longshot. Is the creative team up to something here, or am I just missing the clues? It’s hard to say, even if the issue is fun. Who knows where we go from here, aside from a M.O.D.O.K. showdown.
All-New Venom #4 continues to be a fun and visually striking ride, with strong symbiote lore and dynamic action, but its chaotic final battle and lingering mystery could leave some readers feeling more puzzled than satisfied.
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