Marvel Voices: Pride #1: Taku & Venomm in “Perfect Scene”

“Perfect Scene” provides long denied justice to a queer couple left in subtext for decades. Horatio “Venomm” Walker was created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler in 1973. Taku was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema in 1969 but was further fleshed out by McGregor. While their relationship has remained something only found in hints and subtext, McGregor has stated that they were always intended to be together, but due to censorship rules, it was something he knew he would not be able to put on panel.

Danny Lore penned this story in a style that could have come from the era these characters were created in. The story is told in moving narration that is laid over harsh action against nameless opponents. It is this narration, lettered by Ariana Maher, that does a lot of heavy lifting for this comic, providing a close introspection on the characters and how they feel towards each other. It also enables the reader to get a grasp on the history of the characters and their relationship to each other without hampering the pace of the story.

The art by Lucas Wernick and colors by Michael Wiggam don’t try and take away from the text captions. Rather they help deliver them by presenting a backdrop for them and moving the plot concerning the mercenaries forward, so the text does not have to. The art team truly gets the chance to shine in the final pages, where they depict the tenderness between Taku and Venomm in a way that can be felt.