The long, turbulent and sometimes overwhelming journey to Venom War has finally reached its final destination. After a year of planting narrative seeds in the pages of Poison, Bloodbath and myself Amazing Spider-Manit’s time for father and son to gather their allies and battle for possession of the original Venom symbiote. Both Eddie and Dylan have foreseen a terrible future on the horizon and believe that the only way to prevent it is to keep the symbiotes from each other. However, said prize is not in the possession of either side, as it currently lies in the hands of its original host: Peter Parker.
Al Ewing delivers a pace that’s cinematic in its snappiness, frequently switching between three or four subplots to cover each faction involved in this conflict. There’s an inherent urgency to this pace that makes it feel like these events are building to something bigger than the typical superhero brawl. Still, the comic is never scattered in its focus, and Iban Coello’s art, crisp and clean in its linework and page composition, makes the visual storytelling just as easy to follow. Last exposed in the age of dinosaurs, the villain Meridius has regained enough power to resurface in a present-day human form. He’s allied himself with the Alchemax Corporation, claiming he’s developed a chemical that can kill all symbiotes. Given how much of his power was based on the symbiotes’ subjugation, it’s clear that a major con is afoot.
Peter Parker emotionally grounds the issue with his everyman charm, and is well characterized as a good-natured hero who does his best to help despite having almost no idea about the situation at hand. It is he who gives the Venom symbiote a rousing, inspirational speech about life and responsibility, motivating him to return to his friends in need. Coelle manages to pack a lot of emotional expression into a piece of slime draped over a chair, creating the wonderful kind of comedically acted sequence that can only be found in comics. Peter certainly has the wisdom needed to decide who should wield that power, and he seems determined to make a decision as he heads into the final page of VenomWar #1 to create the perfect cliffhanger.
