Mary Jane is Venom (find out why in our exclusive column, Venom Unleashed), and now it’s all about the fallout of that revelation. The truth came out in All-New Venom #5 with Robbie Robertson figuring it out, even before Paul did, but now we must learn why. Al Ewing and Carlos Gomez pull together and issue that feels like a natural evolution, remixing both Venom and MJ for the better.
All-New Venom #6 opens in the dark. MJ is literally being swallowed up during the events of Venom War: Spider-Man, which is where her story begins with the symbiote. Through captions and a back-and-forth between MJ, Venom, Paul, and Robbie, we learn how MJ got fused with Venom and what happened over the course of the first story arc. For anyone annoyed she wasn’t a suspect, this issue irons out how MJ fit in to the narrative.
For people who hate Paul, you’re going to love this issue. He’s dunked on a few times, from his subpar tech to Dylan giving him another barb. Even the way Venom sits with MJ, you get the sense Paul is a third wheel. Even MJ and Paul’s sex life is brought up, as the symbiote must always be in contact with MJ, and that could be awkward. You get the strong sense that Paul feels hurt and maybe even betrayed.
It’s like they’re a couple.
Credit: Marvel
As for the fusing of Venom and MJ, Gomez leans into the body horror. It’s an unexpected turn, but it reveals the cost to make these two one. The images are pretty horrific and may even make you feel a bit sick. You’ve never seen MJ quite like this. It’s these scenes that give the issue some action, which admittedly is light. Aside from MJ transforming, there’s no punching in this issue.
Since much of this issue recounts how MJ became fused with Venom, the plot progression is reduced to the final page. This is not really a huge negative, but this is a table-setting issue, resetting what we know about Venom for a brand new direction. Considering how much talking in a single room there is, Gomez keeps you invested visually.
All-New Venom #6 succeeds as a reflective and unsettling turning point, anchoring Mary Jane’s transformation into Venom with gruesome imagery and emotionally loaded conversations. While light on action, it rewards readers invested in the series’ twists, delivering a body horror-laced evolution that puts MJ at the center of Venom’s future.
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