Flash Thompson returns for yet another wacky Venom adventure! Read the review and leave a comment.
VENOM #9
“Capital Punishment”
WRITER: Rick Remender
ARTIST: Stefano Caselli
COLORIST: Frank Martin, Jr.
LETTERING: VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
COVER ARTIST: John Tyler Christopher
PLOT:
Flash traverses New York, looking for Betty in the Spider-Island outbreak’s aftermath. Flash catches the Hijacker looting banks in the post-disaster chaos. The Hijacker remorselessly runs over civilians obstructing his impenetrable tank’s path. Flash tries to stop Hijacker from running over a mother and child, but Flash cannot get there in time. Flash “Venoms out” in rage and tries to penetrate Hijacker’s tank, but that proves futile.
Hijacker, thinking he’s evaded Venom, flies his tank to his hideout. But Venom had latched onto the tank the whole time. Venom tears Hijacker’s fingers off and makes Hijacker beg for his life before Venom bites his head off and spits it out.
Afterwards, Flash returns to Betty, who reads Flash her extra copy of Flash’s father’s dying letter.
THOUGHTS:
The main thing—the only thing—this issue accomplishes is taking Flash one step further down the road of symbiotic corruption. Flash has killed before as Venom, and he’s even bitten off body parts, but he at least committed those acts in furtherance of a mission, under military orders. Here, Flash perpetrates out-and-out murder. Previously, the symbiote had subtly influenced Flash by making him enjoy killing. Here, rather, the symbiote nearly takes complete control. These differences exist, but are ultimately incremental. The only shocking thing about what happens is how un-shocked I feel. This is Flash Thompson we’re talking about. The fact that his chomping off a person’s head and spitting it on the ground seems like natural, even marginal, character progression testifies to how deftly Remender has transformed this character over merely nine issues.
Still, I expect more to happen in a comic book issue. The pivotal moment worked well, but the issue offers nothing else in terms of story movement. Betty reading Flash his father’s letter doesn’t count because, like I said last issue, Flash already received his father’s final sentiments in person.
I enjoyed Caselli’s artwork. His work looks clean and dynamic, with some exaggerated proportions but unappealingly so.
Yikes, this is a short review. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when only one important event occurs in an issue. To pad this out, I’ll get one thing off my chest. Venom says that if he turned Hijacker in to the cops, Hijacker would be charged with “vehicular manslaughter.” Actually, because Hijacker caused death during his flight from the commission of a bank robbery, the appropriate charge would be felony murder. Don’t these people at Marvel know anything?
RATING:
3 out of 5 (Adequate). Despite one relatively significant moment, this issue displays symptoms of being a filler issue, including major decompression. The artwork boosts it slightly.
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Haven’t read this, but it sounds pretty good to me! Nice review
Nice homage to the Wolverine Origins 01 cover
Good review! 🙂 I like that the variant cover sort of reminds you of the cover for the tpb of Wolverines Origin mini(not to be confused with the later Origins ongoing).
This issue is probably the “weakest” of the run so far. This is what I’ve liked with this series: even the worst is still good. Unlike some other were the best are merely average.
Good review although I enjoyed this issue a lot
Adequate is a good way to describe this comic that is.. not your review 😉
Good review… adequate is a good way to describe it. Not a whole lot to go with but after the big events they gave him in Spider-Island they deserve a little breather before they jump into the next big storyline. I’m glad I finally caught up on this series though cause I’m definitely enjoying it. I agree with Sarcasmic in that Caselli is great, but it just doesn’t seem to fit as well as the grittier darker tone the series was working with.
Haven’t gotten this yet but I am glad that the white spider on venom is back to the old brock look.
Congrats on getting the review out ASAP and nice catch there at the end.
As much as Flash let Venom take over, everything he said in his thought boxes indicates he would of done the same thing, especially since it is Flash, not Venom, who decides this is a form of Justice. (I justify Flash being in control, because aside from one box, he refers to himself in the singular sense)
Although you dislike the letter storyline, I was just upset that Betty’s nicer version of the letter read identical to his father’s version, thought maybe they were going to do something with that.
Oh, and not a fan of Castelli for this series. After having Moore’s darker style of art, I think Castelli is an ill fit for this series, especially in an issue as dark as this one.
” Venom says that if he turned Hijacker in to the cops, Hijacker would be charged with “vehicular manslaughter.” Actually, because Hijacker caused death during his flight from the commission of a bank robbery, the appropriate charge would be felony murder. ”
Someone studies law here…nice review Chris!