In the aftermath of Death Spiral, Al Ewing and Carlos Gomez aim to settle some longstanding fan frustration in Venom #258. As teased in Venom Unleashed last month, this is a big issue when it comes to Peter and MJ clearing the air, but what about Dylan, Toxin, and Paul? Fans are getting fed!
As the preview shows, Venom #258 opens at Paul’s funeral. In attendance are Aunt May, Aunt Anna, Norman Osborn, Peter, Black Cat, MJ, Dylan, Flash, Robbie, and Randy Robertson. Obviously, some are there to support MJ, while others knew Paul. It’s a life event, attending a funeral, and soon Dylan is rushing off feeling guilty. If not for him, and being a target of Torment, Paul might still be alive. It’s here that Ewing does a great job sussing out Dylan’s complicated feelings and offering MJ’s motherly perspective to help Dylan grieve.
From there, Dylan and Flash Thompson connect, which helps flesh out some of the symbiotes’ whereabouts and maybe even begin a new father-figure situation for Dylan.
Dylan is going through it.
Credit: Marvel
The real meat of the issue is about Peter and MJ catching up and airing out past grievances. That includes the complicated situation of MJ returning to our dimension with Paul and two kids, while seemingly giving Peter the cold shoulder. Ewing does an admirable job writing their dialogue in a believable, mature way. Longtime friends, they both apologize and admit to being wrong. For the fans who hated Paul and MJ for what they made Peter feel, I think Ewing does a good job of explaining things as two adults might, maturely. It’s not every day you live years in another dimension and pop back into where you belong. Even MJ mentions people thought she was a skank for being with Paul out of the blue. It’s clear the creative team wants to put the messy situation Paul and MJ are in another dimension behind these characters.
It’s not all about MJ and Peter, though, with Spider-Man having a convo of his own with Venom. This scene helps establish Peter’s care for Venom, while leading into the real conundrum of who let Torment fall to his death. Was it MJ or Venom? Or maybe a little of both. It certainly calls into question MJ’s morality, who has been squeaky clean up until this point.
Closing out the issue is another heart-to-heart, but this time it’s between MJ and Venom. Again, it seems the creative team wants to put the messy past of these characters behind them and move on. Yes, Venom tormented MJ when he first came on the scene, but now MJ is calling Venom a friend. It might be a hard pill to swallow for some fans, but moving on from these things will mean only new and better stories.
Speaking of which, the final few pages end on a cliffhanger, well drawn by Gomez, that plays into the upcoming Queen in Black story. It also pays off a character you might have forgotten, who is leading to the vent.
Given how this is heavy on dialogue, Gomez keeps you interested with character acting and a good mix of angles on our characters. I was never bored while reading this issue, which is a testament to Gomez and to Ewing taking difficult subjects head-on.
Venom #258 does the heavy lifting fans have been waiting for, tackling messy character dynamics with maturity and care. Al Ewing leans into emotional resolution, giving Peter, MJ, and Dylan space to process everything that’s happened, while still setting the stage for what’s next. It may not satisfy every reader, especially those still frustrated with past choices, but it succeeds in moving these characters forward in a meaningful way.
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