Venom War #2: Friendly Neighborhood Referee

The friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swings into the ring just in time to referee Venom War #2’s father-son wrestling match. With Peter Parker’s personal life being such a topsy-turvy roller coaster ride in his own comics, it’s refreshing to witness him as the voice of reason amongst others. Having found Eddie Brock’s symbiote cowering in his coat closet, Peter has reluctantly agreed to don the black suit once more to assist his former parasitic partner in making amends with the Brock family. The unlikely duo’s mediating skills aren’t enough to keep fists from flying however, as Dylan and Eddie’s allies are egged on by the rowdy audience of the wrestling event they’ve hijacked.

Writer Al Ewing, always one to pull old toys from the chest, brings back Joseph Hogan a.k.a. Crusher, the pro-wrestler who was the rookie Spider-Man first ever combatant all the way back in Amazing Fantasy #15. Crusher’s wholesome bromance with Spidey is the perfect amount of levity seeded throughout a straight-forward no-nonsense issue, as Ewing works to establish the stakes of this event. While everyone is distracted, Meridius, the evil far-future variant of Eddie, has slithered his way to the present and performed a hostile takeover of the Alchemax corporation. He has developed an infectious substance which can turn any civilian into a bloodthirsty and fully controllable “zombiote,” building up an army for the heroes to inevitably put aside their differences and fight.

In the meantime though, Peter and Eddie’s petty squabble serves as more than sufficient enough entertainment. Artist Iban Coello puts the revamped black-suit Spider-Man design on a pedestal, making it the star of any panel it appears in. It’s a miraculous redesign, prim and proper in a way that symbolizes how much stronger Peter has grown since his previous experience with it. The stark white segments of his spider insignia branch out from the chest in a rib cage-like pattern, giving him a skeletal quality that extends to his bone white fingers. The whole look is brought together by the ivory chains wrapped around his arms, thwipping out in place of his webs. These chains swing and slam into Eddie Brock with a tangible sense of weight and inertia thanks to the skill of Coello, making for a memorable and creative fight to top off the reading experience.