Flash and Peter Go Head-To-Head
Betty Brant is strapped to a bomb across town, and only Venom or Spider-Man can save her. The only problem is that Flash Thompson has lost his ability to control the symbiote, and when it sees Peter Parker again it can't help but attack him. While the two brawl it out in storefronts of Manhattan, Flash fights to convince Venom that he needs Betty just as bad as Venom needs a host.
Written by Rick Remender, drawn by Tony Moore, and published by Marvel, this issue ofVenom was pure fanboy delight as Venom and Spider-Man tear into each other in New York City. The fact that the actual host of Venom this time around sees Spider-Man as his lifetime hero makes it all the more intriguing as he fights to stop his super-powered symbiote from stopping Spider-Man from saving his girlfriend.
The writing in this issue was top notch and made me feel like a kid again. Spider-Man and Venom were two of my favorite characters growing up and seeing them brawl it out like they did in the old days was a trip down a very violent and action-packed memory lane. Though I have to admit my favorite scene in this issue is when Flash is at home with Betty and Peter, not knowing that he was battling Peter only a few hours earlier. The two of them try and come up with a reason why Venom would have returned and why he would have told Peter where to find Betty, but Peter is still weary that Venom is up to no good.
This is shaping up to be one of my favorite Marvel titles, and I hope it continues going for a long time. The fact that both Thompson and the symbiote are useless without each other on the battlefield could make for some interesting character development of Venom as the actual parasite.
Sequential Review