Venom #22: The Indomitable Flexo

The indomitable and rubbery Flexo bounces his way into the pages of Venom this week. A character whose history predates that of the Marvel universe, Flexo has made sparse appearances over the past sixty years. Al Ewing is the latest writer to dig this lesser-known symbiote out of the vault, sending him into battle against a particularly angsty Dylan Brock.

The previous Dylan-focused issue saw Flexo suddenly drop into the narrative as a stinger for an action-packed confrontation. The circumstances by which he entered the scene were questionable, especially given what is learned in this issue’s prologue. Why exactly was a top-secret superweapon from World War 2 stored in an abandoned New York warehouse and not hidden away in some government facility? Still, Flexo’s introduction and role in issue #22 has a charmingly vintage feel, reminiscent of the monster-of-the-week structure commonly used in Marvel’s silver age.

Flexo causes hysteria on the streets of New York as the young Brock, still donning his father’s symbiote, arrives on the scene. A street-level tussle begins, with the two opponents evenly matched until our protagonists gain the upper hand via quick wit. The resolution is peaceful, as Dylan learns that Flexo is a gentle giant manipulated by unknown forces and decides to help him evade capture.

Artist Ramon F. Bachs and colorist Frank D’Armata use their skills to significantly enhance this comic’s time-travel elements. As the last chapter in Eddie Brock’s subplot established, the man had time travel on the brain, and now it is clear that he followed through on his plan. Eddie involved himself in Flexo’s 1940s origin and is somehow responsible for the rubber creature’s aggressive attitude in the present day.

His limited first-person point-of-view presents key moments in Flexo’s backstory, purposefully leaving out the greater context to weave a mystery. Each flashback to World War II is made immediately distinct with a switch to inky, more-tapered line art and sepia-toned colors. This all culminates in an impressive two-page spread displaying the destruction of an entire European town.

The story ends with the arrival of Doctor Doom, whose mysterious motivation for conspiring against the Brock family creates a perfect amount of intrigue for the next issue.