Venom War has turned out to be more of a wrestling match than an outright war, although after you read Venom War #2, you will undoubtedly see an army introduced. In a story titled “To be the Man, You Gotta Beat the Man,” Dylan Brock and Eddie Brock will go toe-to-toe. However, Spider-Man, now wearing the Venom symbiote, is blocking their outright fight in this week’s issue!
Venom War #2 is bookended with Meridius, a supervillain version of Eddie Brock from a far future. He’s crashed an Alchemax meeting and wants them all to know about his zombie symbiote concoction, aka a zombie threat.
Meridius is technically the main villain of the event, although he’s not yet on the good-guy radar. After a tense scene with Misery, a key symbiote enters Meridius’ circle, which makes this a bonafide symbiote event.
After this opening, the main focus of the issue is Spider-Man versus Eddie Brock. Eddie is not happy, but Spidey is wearing his symbiote, and a battle ensues. Writer Al Ewing utilizes captions to capture the Venom symbiote’s voice, and it’s quite nervous about everything. It doesn’t trust itself not to influence its host, seeing as how it influenced Eddie and Dylan in the past. However, Spidey is a bonafide hero, so it’s the symbiote’s best bet.
I think he had a case of the Mondays.
Credit: Marvel
Iba Coello gets to stretch his goopy legs with plenty of symbiote action. We’re talking stretched-out, Go-Go-Gadget Spider-Man punches, toothy mouths opening up on Bedlam’s back, and a brand new amalgam symbiote suit for Dylan. Generally, this book feels bombastic and silly, and Coello’s art suits the tone.
Speaking of the tone, you’ll love this if you enjoy outrageous and over-the-top superhero comics. The high stakes and grave sort of event storytelling we’ve gotten in recent years isn’t present, making this a bit of a goofy affair. I also can’t really tell what the motivations are beyond simple things, so don’t expect a complex look at the character here. You’ll likely dig this spectacle once you’ve passed the surprise of that.
Venom War #2 leans into the pro wrestling vibe with tons of swagger and attitude, with slick art to go with it. The story is plotted well, though I can’t say how much I care about the stakes in play. I’m here for the top rope spectacle and fun-for-all-ages symbiote action.
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