Queen in Black is one month away, but before the event kicks off, Venom #259 gets its house in order and readies for war. With the next issue out until August, fans get a lot to chew on this week, and that’s on top of AIPT’s exclusive Venom Unleashed column! Buckle up, symbiote fans, there’s a lot to take in.
Venom #259 does a lot and balances it well. Under writer Al Ewing, the series has blossomed as an ensemble with Dylan taking a major role and getting plenty of page time this week. Also checked in on are Captain Spider, aka Rick Jones and Toxin combined, and Sleeper. Venom/MJ also gets page time, as well as a decent reminder of Knull’s power, and a cliffhanger that will lead directly to Queen in Black.
The issue opens with Knull flinging a symbiote dragon with captions spoken by Captain Alliance. The juxtaposition of a city covered in black goo with Captain Alliance casually sitting on a couch drinking coffee shouldn’t be lost on you; this is a street-level book after all. The opening picks up directly after the last issue, then transitions to Dylan with a clever bit of dialogue.
Dylan Brock ends up stealing this issue, first showing he’s grown up a bit by not striking a bully at school. Soon, he’s off connecting with Sleeper, and a key conversation about Eddie, Dylan’s Dad, takes place. I can see a lot of Eddie superfans not loving Dylan’s anger towards his father, but as a teen, it makes sense he’d harbor complicated feelings. Dylan’s humanity comes through, showing he’s more developed than ever.
The no-teeth look is definitely cooler.
Credit: Marvel
Being a superhero book, the story shifts to a fight between Captain Spider and a villain I won’t spoil. It’s a fun callback to a key character, and the way this villain exits the story is a nice nugget to hold onto later. Ewing is always good at saving threads to pluck at in due time.
After the big fight, it’s interesting to see how Ewing handles Jones. So far, he’s mostly been on the outskirts, but here he gets a special focus with his complicated backstory involving Captain Mar-Vell thrown into it. Ewing smartly uses this to show how well he fits in a symbiotic relationship.
Gomez’s art continues to shine, with the fight scenes looking as slick as ever, thanks to Frank D’Armata’s colors. Gomez nails multiple full-page spreads, like the opening with Knull, and the final cliffhanger page. The liquid nature of symbiotes is also well done, like Sleeper covering Dylan or the whiskers of Sleeper floating about. How on earth MJ can go from bangs to long hair when she transforms into the suit is beyond me, but it’s a hell of a power move.
Venom #259 succeeds because it never loses sight of its characters as it prepares for something much larger. Ewing gives Dylan Brock the spotlight and uses him to anchor an issue packed with plot progression, emotional beats, and looming threats. The ensemble cast continues to feel purposeful, while Gomez’s energetic artwork gives every major moment weight and spectacle. By the final page, the stage is set for Queen in Black, but this chapter stands strongly on its own as one of the series’ most rewarding recent installments. The calm is over. The symbiote storm is about to arrive.
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