All-New Venom #3: Under The Masque

With a bang, All-New Venom crosses (or, more accurately, blasts) one name off its list of suspect individuals and wastes no time tackling the next. It’s preceding issue laid the groundwork for yet another spectacular action sequence, and issue #3 successfully builds upon that foundation with a warehouse brawl between Venom and a platoon of A.I.M. grunts.

Known for being an idea-man responsible for some of Marvel’s most ambitious science fiction and world-building, Al Ewing’s sense of humor is incredibly underrated, and the grounded setting of Venom provides more breathing room to flex how funny he can be. There’s an infectious nonchalance to way Venom powers through everything bumbling A.I.M. goons throw at him; a genuine sense of fun as he experiments with his new gold-plated abilities.

Penciler Carlos Gomez matches this energy beat for beat with a symbiote who is rounder, friendly and more human in its silhouette–anatomy reminiscent of a ninja turtle with its wide smiling maw of flatter teeth, which certainly fits the new attitude. There’s an excellent detail when the symbiote takes the wheel from its mystery host upon seeing Dylan Brock in danger, the switch in dominance signified by a change to its more familiar hulking and fanged monstrous form. Anyone familiar with Gomez’s work knows he will always do justice to a Marvel bombshell, as the femme fatale Madame Masque shows up looking as alluring and dangerous as always. She is not the person behind Venom’s return after all, but rather a new nemesis whose involvement in this story will spell major trouble for our heroes later. But while issue #3 crosses two names off the list, it also adds a late entry in Paul Rabin, the new foster father of young Dylan Brock.

As a writer who has always seemed more in-touch with fandom than most, it’s difficult to imagine why Ewing would give a spotlight to the bane of every Peter Parker and MJ fan in existence. But entertaining the thought that this was a task thrust upon him by Marvel editorial, tell-tale signs are present. From the matching protective dad personalities to the emphasis on Paul’s desire for redemption, on top of the fact that the two are never accounted for on the same page, Mr. Rabin’s chances of being the new lethal protector are better than anyone wants to admit. From a perspective of dramatic irony, it would make a lot of sense for the lame killjoy Dylan hates and the mysterious hero he is mesmerized by to be one in the same, right under his nose the whole time. If the comic’s true objective is to turn public opinion of Paul Rabin around, then it certainly has its work cut out for it.