MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: Ms. Marvel & Venom (2022) #1 REVIEW

Comics always work when two characters or heroes, who are completely different from one another on the surface, team up and work together. What makes these stories even more entertaining is when these individuals find out and discover how similar, and alike, they both actually are to one another. In the past few issues of Ms. Marvel’s quest to fight evil robot bugs and track down their creator, she has teamed up with some of the darkest and broodiest heroes in the Marvel Universe. And it has been one big blast. She worked alongside Wolverine, Moon Knight, and now, to our delight as Spider-Man fans, she crosses paths with Venom. This collaboration works for the story, since it obviously appears that the robots are after heroes with some commonalities, but it also functions because we see the comparisons and the contrasts between a bright and bubbly Ms. Marvel versus the darker, scarier and more aggressive Venom.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Published:

September 14, 2022

Writer:

Jody Houser

Penciler:

Dave Wachter

Cover Artist:

Sara Pichelli

Deadly symbiosis! Venom is on the hunt…but who is hunting Venom?! Ms. Marvel teams up with Dylan Brock, the new wicked web-slinger on the block, as a scheme to harness the symbiote rears its ugly head! The first Venom/Ms. Marvel partnership is also the concluding movement of the super hero symphony of the summer, as we reveal the connection between Wolverine, Moon Knight and Venom, and Kamala Khan’s team-up uncovers the larger plot behind it all — you’re not going to believe who’s pulling the strings!

PROS:

• As mentioned earlier, seeing the dynamics between two seemingly different heroes is always a delight. But what the story shows us is that Venom and Ms. Marvel are actually very similar in their desire to protect the innocent and save lives that are in danger. The slight clash of opinions might come in how to handle those in the wrong. Ms. Marvel had to open Venom’s eyes to the fact that sometimes, villains can change, and that their lives matter as well, and should not be thrown away without a care in the world.
• The quirky and funny banter was a big hit for me, and it lightened up the conflict between Ms. Marvel and Venom. Venom was also able to show more of his softer side this time around, which is a good dimension to explore, especially when much time is dedicated to portraying Venom as a monster. We also got to see many different kinds of vulnerabilities in Venom, which is not something we can say very often. I believe the growth that Venom has ahead of him will continue to make him a very likeable and relatable character in the coming years, for both old and new fans around the world.
• The art, at first, appeared a bit rough to me, but when the monsters came out to play, the creative team made perfect sense in my eyes. The failed experiments were terrifying to watch, and the art made them look as disgusting and as revolting as possible. But, more importantly, it also drew them to be serious threats to Ms. Marvel and her crew.

CONS:

• While Ms. Marvel, Venom and Wolverine were kicking butt and looking cool while doing it… Moon Knight could have done more. Just saying.

FINAL GRADE: A+

This was a short series of tag-team partnerships which showcased Ms. Marvel and her star-power. She clearly can shine in her own epic tale, even with the more popular characters like Wolverine and Venom in the background. This was just one issue, but I am already hoping and praying that Ms. Marvel gets to work more with Venom in the future. They are still both very young heroes who have so much to learn about the craft. Ultimately, this was an engaging quest where Venom was able to justify his position as the next, and now MAIN, Venom in the Marvel Universe. He might be even better than all his predecessors at doing the whole good ol’ saving of people’s lives. The future is bright for these two youngsters, and it will be wonderful to see them stand out even more in the various Marvel mainstream media.