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Creative Team – Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing(writers). Greg Land(artist). Jay Leisten(inker). Frank D’Armata(color artist). VC’s Joe Caramagna(letterer). Greg Land, Frank D’Armata(cover artists). Raf Grassetti(variant cover artist)
Published by Marvel Entertainment
Catch up with Venom War: Spider-Man #3!
Previously on Venom War: Spider-Man
As we saw in Venom War: Spider-Man #3, Peter got word from Paul that something was wrong with MJ. He could pick up her readings briefly, but then they’d disappear when she was fighting the Arachniote. The Arachniote, an ancient megaklyntar that even the symbiotes fear, will not stop until it’s stopped by force. So MJ, AKA Jackpot, took it upon herself to handle the threat while Spider-Man went to deal with the Venom War brewing in the arena with Venom.
Venom detached from Spider-Man and bonded with Eddie and Dylan, leaving Peter to be his normal Spider-Man. When Paul reached out to Peter that MJ could be in grave danger, Peter left the arena to go find her.
Once he finds MJ, he realizes she’s been taken over by the Arachniote, and he fights to help MJ break the bond between the monster and her. Peter’s only choice is to get eaten by the Arachniote to join MJ to bust her out of there. But according to MJ, he has to get out as the monster wants everything! Now Peter and MJ are both trapped inside the Arachniote while the monster is in their minds, taking control of them. With both heroes now trapped, what can they do while this monster is pulling all of the power from MJ’s gauntlet?
The Writing
I thought this was an excellent ending to this branch of the Venom War tree. Of course, Peter does whatever he can to save the people he loves, even if those feelings aren’t returned. It felt very classic to Spider-Man, especially the monologue at the end.
Venom War: Spider-Man #4 does a superb job at keeping you hooked into the story all the way until the very satisfying ending. I would love to see Jackpot and Spider-Man work together more in the future as I think they work very well together with this comic run as evidence. Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly really made this run feel like it’s own little event outside of the Venom War which I think is very impressive.
The Art
The artists of Venom War: Spider-Man #4 really showcased their skills with this excellent ending comic. I think the best part of this comic is when Peter and MJ are inside the Arachniote. With the black symbiote goo surrounding them then transitioning to a more normal scene inside their minds still surrounded by the goo, it was handled brilliantly and smoothly. Also while they’re inside the Arachniote, the dramatic panels with Spider-Man and Jackpot trying to find each other was haunting and eerie. You could really feel their desperation throughout that entire scene. Joe Caramagna did a fantastic job with lettering because you could hear the urgency in your head while reading the comic.
Final Thoughts
I think this was a superb ending to Venom War: Spider-Man. I can’t wait to see what the creative team does next as I think they really knocked it out of the park here.
9.2/10
This review was written by Megan from Vigilante Vibes: A Marvel Podcast. If you liked my review, be sure to check out my other reviews! Let me know what you think of Venom War: Spider-Man #4, or tell me what comics you’d recommend me trying out! Find me on my socials, and check out my Marvel podcast, Vigilante Vibes, by clicking here!
