SPIDER-VERSE VS. VENOMVERSE #5 – AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

It all comes down to this! The Web-Heart & Hive-Mind feel they can’t co-exist. They have selected champions of Spider and Symbiote. Only one can win. Both sides have pushed the other to the breaking point. There’s been betrayals, unlikely partnerships & Mechas all involved (and that’s just for starters).

Now the unified fronts of Spider-Man and Venom must face off with countless reinforcements.

SPIDER-VERSE vs. VENOMVERSE #5 by Mat Groom, Kyle Higgins, Jim Towe, Rachelle Rosenberg and Travis Lanham bring forth the final chapter in this all-time face-off!

“Off The Cuff” Tom is handling the Venom side of things. Yours truly (Ken – Nerd Initiative EIC) is on the Spidey side of view. Let’s take a final spin on this series! *** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

STORY!

KEN: One notable aspect of this series is the creative freedom the writing is having. Higgins & Groom keep finding new ways to present both Spidey and Venom. Merging the two via Blood transfusion opens up some doors. This leads into an interesting sequence before the final fight. Readers watch as the pairings take on the competition head on. It’s a throwdown worthy of finale status.

During the wild melee, one character stands out. The writing allows Eddie Brock to become something he’s struggled with: being a hero. Against his greatest “frenemy”, the conversation gives Brock validation on what he is doing. It is a moment that shifts everything. This pushes towards a very questionable conversation. The dialogue presents its case with little pushback. It serves as a solid landing spot for the conflict and overall plot. The fallout leaves many doors (and in one case aspirin) open to explore. It is a great ending to what has been a very fun read to experience.

TOM: We are ready for the mutually assured destruction coming off the last issue. With an enormous amount of combatants now entering the fray, our resolve to survive is only that much more VENOMUS!

We are glad to come back to the majority of the characters. However, we are perturbed by Venom-Blooms’ insatiable appetite, as it has become a nuisance not just to the spider but also to our own survival.

But out of this wild chain of events, a new HYBRID has been born. Of both minds, the Hive and Heart. The Spider-Venom has all our strengths in one. And the choice to force us to become more than us now is a query that will hopefully have a lasting effect across the multiverse.

ART AND LETTERING!

KEN: Towe & Rosenberg open up with a welcome to an unlikely lead. The image of Spider-Venom is an amalgam of both which tips off the direction of the story. This jumpstarts the action as the final battle commences. There’s plenty of action to go around. Readers will enjoy all the mix and matches of combatants. Seeing Spider-Venom hyper uppercut Spider-Hulk is a prime example of this brawl for all.

Once Brock’s side is slipping, a huge back-up crashes the scene. The full page image is impressive and wild in the same breath. This allows for Brock to connect with a weakened Peter Parker. Watching the acceptance of his role, Brock’s confidence starts picking up. The images lock in on the painful history between both. Its’ fallout starts the closing off on a good note. The move throws a proposal into conversation. This results on impacting the parting images. The final page teases where this all may go form here. At worst case, it sends readers home on a pleased note.

TOM: This finale threw all the webbing at the wall and made it stick! With so many variants on both sides, we are enthralled by the mayhem and, for lack of better words, carnage that has been wrought on the paneled page.

The choice to make the Spider-Venom and a balance between both of our designs is a brilliant choice. Althought we would have liked some webbing details. Not just speaking of the hybrid, but the other hybrids by choice did well enough, so the symbiotes smartly became armor for the relatively weaker spiders. 

OVERALL GRADE: 9.4

KEN: 8.8. The final face-off between Spider & Symbiote delivers on the action! Higgins & Groom takes readers along for an unlikely redemption story. Towe & Rosenberg present the huge conflict with exciting displays. The Spider-Man/Venom mythos takes a fun turn fans don’t want to miss!

TOM: 10! Finally, speaking as myself, I can’t say enough. How much I enjoyed this book! It was a blast. Mat Groom & Kyle Higgins, along with the entire art team, did an outstanding job of cramming so much lore, characters, and emotion into five issues. They embraced the idea that “with great power comes great responsibility.”  Even more so, I want to see more of the Spider-Venom. I hope Marvel does right by giving us a whole series just around him. There are so many great opportunities that have come out of this book. Marvel would be silly not to do this. So go out and get this book. I can’t wait. I’m going to pick up every issue and the trade!

NUFF SAID!!!

Let us know your thoughts on SPIDER-VERSE vs. VENOMVERSE #5 in the comments below! Thanks for reading!