Venom #27: State of Grace

Venom #27 is an unfortunately rocky follow-up to the surprisingly smooth execution of the previous issue. But the problem lies not in the continued presence of Natasha Romanoff, who’s journey as a fledgling symbiote user continues to be a highlight. The major shortcomings predate the contributions of the current creative team, mostly coming from a bloated cast and underdeveloped antagonist.

Responding to the distress of their ally Toxin, Black Widow and Venom swing across the city to find his remains dripping into the sewer. Barely clinging to life, Toxin tells them how the vengeful and mysterious terrorist group NoName separated him from his host Bren Waters. NoName wishes to make an example of Bren, interrogating him roughly before tossing him in with a small group of young captives. Via live broadcasted execution, they hope to force the corrupt corporation Alchemax into coming clean about their various crimes and cover-ups.

A race against the clock ensues as Widow and Venom ambush an Alchemax convoy and kidnap Bren’s father, prominent scientist Ozkar Waters, hoping to extract the sought-after information via interrogation. Unbeknownst to them, a NoName sniper is positioned miles away, ready to cut the conversation short.

The issue’s focus fluctuates between its three protagonists with distracting frequency. While Natasha and Dylan Brock did share every panel in Venom #26, the narrative was firmly rooted in the Black Widow’s point-of-view. Here, she’s only the third most relevant character in the narrative hierarchy, relegated to the background of most pages and not being much to the table. As far as rogue militarized squadrons go (because there is no shortage of them in the Marvel universe) NoName is not particularly intimidating or memorable.

But while the writing may falter, the art stays consistent and goes beyond the call of duty. Frank D’Armata’s gritty tinted colors lend to the issue’s dark tone, and Widow’s new suit looks magnificent in action. The yellow-striped symbiote Sleeper is recruited to Venom’s cause with a magnificent introduction in which he transforms from alley cat to hulking beast. Suffice to say, the visual presentation is on point.