All-New Venom has been a ton of fun with the added benefit of thrusting Mary Jane into the role. That way, it can have its over-the-top superhero shenanigans, with the deeply serious in canon benefit of mixing things up for Venom and MJ all at once. Speaking of shenanigans, All-New Venom #9 is out this week and features a battle with Doc Ock, Flash Thompson donning a new symbiote, and a cliffhanger that will have everyone talking.
For more on Venom, don’t miss AIPT’s exclusive column Venom Unleashed!
All-New Venom #9 opens with Doc Ock seemingly defeating Venom and turning it into a liquid. Ready to pounce, Venom turns the tide using Doc Ock’s own octoid. It’s a sequence of events that reminds us that this new Venom is more powerful and MJ is ever the resourceful fighter.
The issue then dives into full fight comics mode, with Sleeper entering the battle, Doc Ock hallucinating about his time being Spider-Man, and a breakout of the symbiotes. The latter element continues to show writer Al Ewing is building a robust supporting cast of symbiotes for a series that has mostly been about only Venom. That said, Venom gets to show off their new abilities in hand-to-hand combat with a few surprises that put even Doc Ock off guard.
The art throughout is super slick and easy on the eyes. Even with multiple characters on the page fighting and darting this way and that, Gomez keeps things easy to follow and pleasing to read. It should be noted that Carlos Gomez has drawn every issue of this series, and the quality has not dropped one bit. That’s a near-impossible feat; most artists can do six before needing a month or two break, and that adds continuity and quality to this run so far.
For fans who want to see Venom in the female form…here you go!
Credit: Marvel
It’s also worth noting that for a series that has been largely cosmic and mind-bending in its time travel tomfoolery, this issue firmly plants the series as street-level superhero stuff. We see multiple symbiotes taking on guards with tech, rather than Venom fighting a god as was the case in past years. It’s refreshing.
While there’s plenty to talk about in the fight portion of the comic, the last few pages are going to be the water cooler talking section for most. In a scene between Paul and MJ, the two talk it out and discuss their now rocky relationship. We’ve already seen them admit they aren’t intimate anymore, and Ewing writes their dialogue believably and maturely. So much so, you might feel for Paul, who comes off as human and relatable, even if flawed. MJ is right, but Paul is clearly a person who needs to do some thinking and resetting. I know fans who hate his character want him erased asap, but it’s nice to see the convo handled in a believable way, rather than whipping him off the board with a quick gesture.
All-New Venom #9 continues the series’ winning streak with high-octane symbiote action and meaningful character work, firmly rooting MJ’s Venom as a formidable hero while offering some of the most nuanced writing Paul has ever received.
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