Venom #252: Winning The Hearts of New York

In an odd turn of events, writer Al Ewing has decided that issue #252 of Venom will not feature Venom at all, but rather everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Equally bold is penciller Paco Medina’s choice to ditch Peter Parker’s traditionally lithe physique for burly muscles, gnashing fangs and a meter-long tongue. Strange creative choices indeed, but these are strange times after all.

It sounds outlandish when put in perspective, but it truly is that easy for Mary Jane and Venom to pull the wool over NYC’s residents’ eyes. When wrapped in his signature red and blue, not even a hulking frame or massive claws can clue these New Yorkers into the fact that something is off about their beloved web-head. And why should they suspect anything? When Spider-Man has been cloned, symbioted, roboticized, and just about every other adjective, there’s no reason to question why he is now an absolute beast. MJ isn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, relieved that her plan to get the city’s people on her side has prevailed. Suddenly folks can’t stand to have S.C.A.R. on their streets, and with this change of the tide everything begins to unravel for the villainous Doctor Octopus.

Ewing is in a cheekier mood this month, penning the funniest issue of his Venom run so far. As two individuals who have known Peter Parker for years, one would think their impression of him would be a bit more flattering. Their inability to commit to the bit causes chuckles galore as they someone fail upward and manage to make Otto Octavious look like the foolish one. The dialogue is also chock full of references for keener readers to catch, from shade thrown at MCU Spider-Man’s mentorship from “Mr. Stark” to Venom spouting lyrics from the iconic 1967 cartoon’s theme song.

The comedy is visual as well as verbal, with Paco Medina keeping the characters dynamic throughout the chaos. Simple details like Venom’s inability to keep his gaping maw masked add so much personality to the comic. The only “controversial” choice here is the pushing of a slow-burn romance between Mary Jane and Flash Thompson. It’s unclear how Spider-Man fans, having waited far too long to see Ms. Watson freed from the ball-and-chain that was Paul Rabin, will respond when she falls into the arms of yet another man who isn’t Peter Parker. The undoing of One More Day may fall just outside their grasp once again.

By the issue’s end, Anti-Venom, Toxin, Mayor Luke Cage and just about every other ally Venom has have successfully run Doctor Octopus and his cronies out of town, just in time for Madame Masque to reappear as the next big thorn in our heroes’ side. Having learned the true identity of the all-new Venom a few issues ago, its unclear what sort of game Masque is playing here, but it can only spell trouble for the titular duo.