"Lethal Protector" has been easily the strongest arc of Mike Costa's Venom run to date, which is why it's disappointing that issue #158 fails to stick the landing. The fourth and final chapter misses some big opportunities, both in terms of Venom's own personal growth and his rivalry with Kraven. It's an underwhelming end to what could have been a defining story for the character.
Issue #157 ended with Venom being buried under a massive pile of rubble. When it comes to Spider-Man comics, that can mean only one thing - another riff on Amazing Spider-Man #33 and that iconic moment where Peter Parker willed his way out of certain doom. Except that's not really what happens here. We see Eddie wrestling with his predicament and reflecting on his troubled relationship with the symbiote, but there's never that big, epic moment where he saves himself through sheer willpower. Maybe there's something to the idea that he's rescued instead by the very creatures he's been fighting to protect, but the script never really swells on that notion one way or the other.
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Issue #157 ended with Venom being buried under a massive pile of rubble. When it comes to Spider-Man comics, that can mean only one thing - another riff on Amazing Spider-Man #33 and that iconic moment where Peter Parker willed his way out of certain doom. Except that's not really what happens here. We see Eddie wrestling with his predicament and reflecting on his troubled relationship with the symbiote, but there's never that big, epic moment where he saves himself through sheer willpower. Maybe there's something to the idea that he's rescued instead by the very creatures he's been fighting to protect, but the script never really swells on that notion one way or the other.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...