Spider-Verse vs. Venom-Verse #1

In honor of this very special, very historic series, the Nerd Initiative team has elected to have two people handle this review, one from the Venom-Verse side (Off the Cuff Tom) and one from the Spider-Verse side (Michael Rothman).

With the Symbiote Hive Mind and the Great Web of Life and Destiny both assembling their champions for this epic battle for survival, both Spiders and Symbiotes are stacked with talent from across the multi-verse.

The task is simple, one team wins and survives, while the losers cease to exist. The rub – the Venom-Verse and its leader, a Venom variant, aren’t what they seem. And while there must be a winner and a loser, it’s not going to be so cut and dry.

Creative Team:

Writers: Mat Groom and Kyle Higgins

Artist: Luciano Vecchio

Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Letters: VC’s Travis Lanham

Publisher: Marvel Entertainment

The Art:

Spider-Verse – The art all-around is absolutely stunning and perfectly suited for the action and emotion of this series.

Luciano is a master, and only his style could couple the shading of late-night crime-fighting with the angles and movement of Spider-Man.

From the fierceness of the Spider-Prowler to the humor of Spider-Ham, Luciano can do it all. It’s a classic style that you’ve grown to know and love from Spidey’s world.

Venom-Verse—WE have to give the Web Heads some credit, although everything goes with BLACK! The jagged lines and cooler colors play so well with the Varied Venoms. Each of them has its own unique style!

Going beyond “The Black” to introduce new characters or new twists on what we think we know leaves your eyes wandering into all the dark corners. Luciano has emphasized the fluidity of the symbiotes, but most importantly, the reflection you get off the jet black exterior gives the darkness its shape and with it purpose.

ALL-NEW VENOM 1 – Who Is Venom??

The Writing:

Spider-Verse – I mean Mat Groom AND Kyle Higgins on one Marvel book. Don’t tease me with a good time.

Marvel brought in two of the absolute best for this issue, and it shows. The various personalities of the Spider-Champions are starkly unique and one-of-a-kind, from Ham to Peter to Weapon VIII.

This book could easily get a bit overwhelming, but these two literary masters handle all the moving pieces like orchestra conductors.

It’s as heartfelt and chilling as it is exciting and action-packed. This might be my new favorite Marvel crossover.

Venom-Verse: Mat, Kyle, and US go back to spandex-clad heroes. So WE have faith in their ability to write “supers,” but they both excel at a team dynamic without breaking a sweat!

In addition, making sure each Venom has thier/its own voice (even if it’s all one hive mind) is key to giving us characters to cling to, like a random super suit.

Overall Grade: 9.5/10

Spider-Verse – 9.5/10

This issue and series makes me feel like a kid again, plain and simple. There’s something magical when we meet new Spiders and adding Venom into the mix is always a welcome addition. It’s a heart-pumping new idea from Marvel and I’m absolutely here for it!

Venom-Verse – 9.5/10

The first seven pages alone set such a tone for what we can hope to expect. Even if it has “Puny Parker,” this series will leave an indelible mark on either “verse.” With the stakes being this high, WE don’t know or could even guess where WE will end up at this point, but WE are on for the web-slinging ride.

Leave your thoughts about this web-slinging good time in the comments below! Make sure to STICK around to Nerd Initiative for all your wall crawling reviews, but WE would prefer if you came back for us!

Spider-Verse vs. Venom-Verse #1 – A Battle to the Death Begins