Venom War: Spider-Man / Lethal Protectors is the catch-all trade paperback of the Venom War trade collection. The tie-ins and characters didn’t have a clear theme, but the main attraction is the much-anticipated Spider-Man tie-in.
Overall, the collection is a mixed bag. I enjoyed moments of each tie-in, but no great moments to make it a must-buy for Venom War fans.
Marvel
Venom War: Spider-Man
How many times have we seen this story? Another swing at the inevitability that Peter Parker and Mary Jane can never be together. This time, however, the story is told through their superhero alter egos since Mary Jane is the current Jackpot. I appreciate their attempt at bringing in the current status quo with MJ as Jackpot and her new partner, Paul. Maybe it is the weight of 30 years of reading this character dynamic, but I just couldn’t do the Peter Parker “she is better without me” monologue again.
There were some fun deviations from the main plot, like the alternate universe peek, but mainly this is about closure between the symbiote, Peter, and MJ.
I am doing this tie-in a disservice by my lack of connection to it, so here is a review of issue #1 by our very own Dave Brooke who highlights Spider-Man #1 as a “great tie-in, thanks to the zippy dialogue and constant petal-to the-metal action.”
Greg Land’s art is polarizing within the community, but I thought he did a serviceable job with Spider-Man and the cast. I enjoyed Land leaning into the horror aspect of the symbiote instead of the more outlandish, anime inspired designs in other tie-ins. The four issue series was packed with splash pages that showed off Land’s strength in character poses.
Venom War: Lethal Protectors
Lethal Protectors brings Silver Sable and her mercenary team to the forefront for a dangerous mission in the heart of the zombiote outbreak within New York. I don’t know much about Silver Sable or her lore, and I was pleasantly surprised how well this series did in introducing her and her team. It was structured closer to a 90-minute action movie, and they managed to pack a ton into three issues.
It did everything right. A good mix of past and present storylines to help deliver a satisfying ending and a fun mystery with the mission loot and a traitor in their midst.
But Lethal Protectors lacked that je ne sais quoi to move from good to great. While done well, there was so much “by the numbers” that I couldn’t connect as much as I wanted to.
Venom War: Fantastic Four
I struggled with the Fantastic Four one-shot.
Interesting choice to put this back to back with It’s Jeff because of the vast difference in approach to dialogue and narration. Fantastic Four is wordy. Too often my eyes glazed over with the sheer amount of narration and dialogue. One-shots are tough because you are driving the car while building it by establishing so much while moving the story forward, but there was a consistent over-explanation of every story beat. The explanations didn’t do much to help progress the story either. It collapsed on itself, and they doubled down instead of simplifying.
It didn’t help that this was leaning into one of the less interesting sub plots in the main Venom War series. It never felt like it fit, and the attention was clearly on the Spider-Verse cast.
Marvel
Venom War: It’s Jeff
Surprisingly, this was my favorite issue within the trade (but not quite the level of the Wolverine tie-in!). It’s Jeff was a one-issue palate cleanser in a sea of same-y stories told through a slightly tweaked lens in all of the other tie-in across the Venom War event.
A simple story with low stakes. Jeff is meeting up with some super-friends but is unexpectedly taken over by a symbiote. Instead of being at odds, they become frenemies in search of their next big meal.
What I appreciated the most was the location of the comic. Much of Venom War and respective tie-ins have been almost claustrophobic with tight interiors and city streets. It’s Jeff takes us to Coney Island, which is such a breath of fresh air with its sunny skies and amusement park boardwalk.
This is going to be one of my most neckbeardy statements, but I wish it followed the rules of Venom War just a little bit more. Their wasn’t much of a story (not that I expected one), so the resolution was too low stakes. Even the tiniest bit of friction when he separated from the symbiote would have sufficed.
As a standalone single issue, I’m not sure who I would recommend this comic to — it’s very different from the other Venom War stories, but too much of Venom War story to be a goofy standalone. In a trade collecting various tie-ins, though, it’s a home run. The right comic in the right collection can elevate the enjoyment.
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