“I hear voices in the air
I hear ’em loud and clear,
Tellin’ me to listen.
Whispers in my ear
Nothing can compare
I just want to listen
Telling me
I’m invincible”Invincible- Machine Gun Kelly

Venom: Spaceknight #2: Side Job

Writer: Robbie Thompson

C.Artist/Artist: Ariel Olivetti

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Editors: Kathleen Wisneski & Jake Thomas

Editor-In-Chief: Axel Alonso

My Name is Flash and I’m an Alcoholic: Venom follows his Cosmic Sense to another planet in need. A  massive drill is mining the planet for resources and aggravating the local wildlife beyond what the locals can handle. Venom and 803 make quick work of this drill. They leave the planet after the locals start to worship Venom, only to run into the war ship that has been tailing them for some time. They board the ship and Flash discovers fellow Agents of the Cosmos; the angry Tarna and wise Myntril. They explain to Flash that everything he has helped fight against is connected. He can call on them if he’s ever in need and they shall do the same.

Flash finds an alien Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and he regales them with his adventures. Across the galaxy, our big bad, Lord Mercurio, dispatches his best warrior to deal with Venom.

As For My New Job, It’s Complicated:  After a rather weak first issue, this feels like a step in the right direction. Flash is still learning what it means to be a Agent of the Cosmos, but this issue begins to paint a bigger picture. His fellow agents and his enemies have yet to escape the cookie cutter molds they are presented in, but hopefully a bit more time devoted to them will shape them past rival, teacher, and villain. Flash is developing nicely though. Robbie Thompson leaves behind the dated quarterback analogies and brings back the cockier charismatic Flash from his early years. We haven’t seen that in a long time. He’s full of tongue and cheek, but also shows us the hero he’s always been. He still acts like he’s out of his depth, which he is, but he doesn’t shy away from a challenge. 

Ariel Olivetti really nails the cockier aspects of Flash and it’s a sign of unity between writer and artist that I felt was missing in the first issue. This book is still very much Olivetti’s show though. He fills the book with plenty of unconventional paneling and angles, giving the series a cinematic feel to it. A large section of the cast wear Klyntar, but Olivetti lets the characters speak through body language when he can’t convey emotion facially. One of my biggest is Thompson makes his scripts a little wordy and I hope he learns to rely more on Olivetti to help tell the story. 

This is a great issue for Venom, as the creative team pull a few new tricks out of the hat. We see what I’m dubbing the symbiote sphere and Flash using Venom as a tarp to shield people from an acid rain. Once again, I would love to hear what this is like for Venom, but he remains mute. But perhaps not as controlled as Flash thinks, as the suit begins to Venom out in a fight sequence between Flash and another Klyntar. Hopefully this is followed up on in future issues. 

Verdict: Robbie Thompson and Ariel Olivetti deliver an enjoyable if unremarkable chapter of Venom: Spaceknight. The series continues to build up the mythos around Agents of the Cosmos, but frames itself as Flash telling a story at an AA meeting to give it a self-contained feel as well. A little more could go unspoken, as Olivetti is still the superior storyteller here but Flash is beginning to come alive under Thompson’s pen. 

Pros: 

• Humor
• Olivetti’s storytelling
• New tricks
• Solid use of AA framing device

Cons: 

• Script is a bit wordy
• Supporting cast underdeveloped 

B+