Hey y’all, this is going to be a quick review. This week alone, I have had to review five titles (not for the Crawlspace) and this one was sitting at the bottom of the list. This is the second part of the Venom/X-Men Blue crossover, Poison X. No, the Poisons do not show up (again) but it is heavy on the X. Have you guys been enjoying any of the Original Five X-Men titles (X-Men: Blue, Champions, Jean Grey, Cyclops)? Let us know in the comments below. 

You Are Reading Part Two of the Crawlspace Poison X Review. Click the links to find: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

X-Men Blue #21: Poison X Part 2

Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Jacopo Camagni 

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: Joe Carmagna

C. Artists: Art Adams & Federico Blee

Editors: Nick Lowe & Devin Lewis & Mark Paniccia & Darren Shan & Christina Harrington & Tom Groneman & Chris Robinson 

Editor-In-Chief: CB Cebulski 

Recap: As the X-Men and Venom search for the abducted Corsair and the Starjammers, they run into the Klyn’tar bonded space pirates responsible for the abduction. Scott rushes into battle and becomes grievously injured, forcing the X-Men to retreat while Venom buys them time. Jean struggles to keep Scott together, while Venom escapes from the Klyn’tar and tortures information out of the local populace. Venom tracks down the X-Men and leads them to a bounty hunter with a mysterious link to Venom’s past. When they attack him, another batch of Klyn’tar escape and bond with the X-Men. 

Thoughts: This chapter is stronger than the first, while still being largely forgettable. The issue is narrated by Cyclops (save for brief asides with Venom and antagonist, Killer Thrill) and despite it being very overwrought narration, it really fits the characterization Cylcops has gained from being a part of Champions. He spends a lot of time reflecting on the nature of the alien culture around him, viewing his team’s presence on the planet Kariteth through a sociological lens. Perhaps having seven editors on this title is actually working out (seven editors on a title is so ridiculous, I can’t even take Marvel seriously at this point.) 

Cullen Bunn also does a great job of making Venom stand out from the X-men. He comes off as more experienced and more in his comfort zone. He also comes off as more aggressive than the noble X-Men, perhaps to an uncomfortable extreme. In this issue, Venom tortures and then kills an alien but those goes directly against the Venom seen in Mike Costa’s Venom series, who has only accidentally killed people when losing control. It does jive with Bunn’s Venom in Venomverse though and it works to good effect here, so I am okay to let it slide. 

The antagonists also fare a little better this time around. The bounty hunter’s mysterious ties to Venom’s past is intriguing (perhaps we will get the story of how Venom got separated from the Klyn’tar here) and Killer Thrill is a fun if forgettable antagonist for this first chapter. However, we are a third through this event and the Poisons still have yet to be mentioned by name despite being part of the crossover’s title. I will be more than mildly irritated if they do not show up by the end of next issue. 

Jacopo Camagni is an artist that I had forgotten about (he did Deadpool: The Duck in 2016, which is a fun but forgettable title) but he is a step up from Edgar Salazar. His figures leave a stronger impact on the page and his action is a lot easier to follow. His X-Men look awesome in action, especially Cyclops and Iceman. Camagni also focuses on making Venom more alien that human and it works to strong effect in this story. His backgrounds are full of diverse characters but he never fails to keep the main characters in central focus. And his characters reflect the modern status of the X-Men, such as Jean wearing her jacket from her main series rather than the costume depicted on the cover. 

Matt Milla and Joe Carmagna continue to be the MVP of this event. Milla color coordinates all the X-Men and it makes the fights super interesting and easy to take in. He also does a lot of stellar work with lighting and shadows, especially when it comes to Venom. Carmagna is a master at scene enhancement and my favorite effect added in this issue is the scream of a character breaking out of its text bubble in the direction Venom hurls him. 

Verdict: I do not know if the event is picking up steam yet, but it is definitely delivering more visual thrills in the second chapter. Characters read true to at least most of their portrayals and we get some interesting teases for the next issue. Venom juxtaposes nicely against the teen X-Men, even as Scott’s desperation to find his father pushes him towards more extreme methods. A definite recommendation for people who enjoy the X-Men Blue, but Venom fans might want to hold off to see how the next couple issues play out. 

Pros: 

• Venom juxtaposed against the X-Men
• The color coordination of the X-Men
• Colors and Letters enhance each scene

Cons: 

• Moving a bit slow
• Overwrought narration
• No Poisons

B