Once again it’s Wednesday, which means it’s one again time for the Marvel Rundown. The Beat’s crack team of Marvel experts once again is ready to take a look at the latest books from the House of Ideas. This week our main review looks at what might be the first crossover of a crossover event in Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse #1. Meanwhile our Rapid Rundown looks back in at Ultimate Black Panther, checks out Godzilla vs. X-Men, and the return of Gwenpool!
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Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse #1
Writers: Mat Groom and Kyle Higgins
Artist: Luciano Vecchio
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: vc’s Travis Lanham
It would be really easy to mistake Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse as yet another crossover in the Marvel machine. We’ve had X-Manhunt and One World Under Doom already this year and Imperial is around the corner. So a book which pits the two massive multiverse events involving both Spider-Man and Venom certainly seems to fall under the idea of an event.
There’s been so many Spider-Verse and Venomverse events that we’re now at the point Marvel editorial finally reached the Versus point of the cycle. Marvel seems hellbent on milking the cataclysmic multiverse concept as far as it can go. Why not pit two events against each other? It is in theory a terrible idea. However, writers Mat Groom and Kyle Higgins do something surprising with what seems like a truly awful concept. They create a story where the characters shockingly have actual emotional investment in the conflict and that that actually matter rather than an event that will change everything (but probably not).
The script smartly sidesteps the finer details of both of the many previous stories that falls under those titles and goes for the bigger picture. There’s a lot Spider folks and symbiotes roaming around and protecting the multiverse. However in a bit of meta commentary, both factions have gotten too big for the multiverse to support. So one of them has to go. Whoever wins a contest between the two groups survives. The other side gets wiped from existence.
Groom and Higgins lean hard into the struggles, loses, and casualties seen in the seemingly endless multiverse battles both sides have accrued. You may not have read any of these stories but you’ll certainly feel the weight of all these fights. When these characters learn they have to fight for the fate of the multiverse yet again, their determination to be the winning side is palpable.
There’s a lot of characters here but the writers give you a solid idea of their personalities. This also allows them room to play with expectations. The Venom here is obviously not the current holder of the symbiote but an Eddie Brock whose life took a different turn. Weapon VIII might be a Spider-Man but he’s a Peter Parker who certainly doesn’t act like your friendly neighborhood superhero. The Anne Weying Agent Venom might be the books most compelling character, a mother who has lost and doesn’t want to see that happen for anyone else. These wildcards present interesting story opportunities. who knows what lengths they may go to to win but it’s gonna be fun to find out.
But none of this would work without artist Luciano Vecchio bringing it to life. Drawing a book this huge is a daunting task for any artist. Vecchio though is one of Marvel’s best artists right now hands down. His work on Storm has been exemplary and Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse seemingly showcases everything he’s great at. He draws a great Spider-Man which is half the battles. Still this is a guy who plays with page design. His split page layouts in the book’s opening sequence captures everything you need to know about both Spider-Man and this alternate Venom. His ability to compose interesting layouts to tell the story really hits a high point in the final pages where something horrifying happens. There’s so many characters in this book but action is so well choreographed that the pages never feel cluttered. He plays with characters sizes against each other. Vecchio is certainly on his way to being a superstar if he isn’t already and this book showcases why.
Look, Spider-Man works best as a streetwise character. The increasingly bigger or more cosmic the battles that he fights, the further he gets away from that. Still, Groom and Higgins seem to understand that Spider-Man can work well in a team in these situations and that he’s a guy just trying to do the right thing. And reading this, you wonder why they’re not writing the main book (and having Vecchio draw it) as they seem to get the character and parts of his supporting cast pretty well than some of the more recent creative teams. Hopefully, after this series maybe they’ll get that shot.
VERDICT: BUY
The Rapid Rundown!
- Ultimate Black Panther #16
- T’Challa and Storm continue searching for the dark spirit unleashed from Wakanda’s Vibranium. With Vibranium being so critical to the Black Panther and Wakanda mythos, writer Bryan Hill has cooked up an amazing twist to the lore of this metal for the Ultimate universe, making it more dangerous to everyone. Add the mystery of T’Challa’s hereditary connection to the metal, and it makes for a compelling plotline for our hero to uncover as he battles the possessed agent of the dark Vibranium, and I’m all in. Years back, when Panther and Storm got married, there was outrage at the two iconic characters getting together, the biggest complaint being that it was forced. But in the Ultimate universe, I love the dynamic between T’Challa and Storm, there were plenty of opportunities for Hill to have them hook up, but he lays the groundwork for something that could be a better pairing/partnership than the 616 couple. These past few issues, we get a new look for the Panther, more in line with what readers are familiar with, and this streamlining works. I don’t know if Carlos Nieto is taking over the artist duties, but if he is, I’m good with the beefier version of T’Challa he’s created. This team is crafting some intriguing stories on the road to expanding the viewpoint of the book, I can’t wait to see how the world’s heroes and villains react to the Panther. – GC3
- Godzilla VS X-Men #1
- Godzilla VS X-Men #1 is my favorite issue so far in these generational “Godzilla VS -INSERT MARVEL PROPERTY” that Marvel has been releasing these past couple of months. For the unaware, each one-shot in this meta-series has focused on different decades of Marvel’s history kind of like a Godzilla: Lifestory. With this being the 4th issue, we are in the 1990’s and no Marvel characters best signifies the 90’s better than the X-Men. As an avid fan of Godzilla and X-men, this issue worked for me. Marvel did the right thing by hiring the definitive 90’s X-men writer Fabian Nicieza for this issue instead of a disgraced writer who always rode on the coattails of his generational-talent artist. However, we are not talking about X-Men of Apocalypse this week (You can bank on our coverage of that series when its time comes). Instead, let’s discuss what makes this issue work best of the four Godzilla one-shots so far. Nicieza distills what works best about Godzilla and the X-Men in an efficient fashion that frees up more pages for great action sequences. It does help that of the four decades covered so far, Nicieza is the first writer to write the Marvel character(s) in that decade. Fabian gets the interactions between the X-men down. The teamwork and character quirks are there. Plus, you get Gambit stealing the Super-Adaptoid for the mission and anytime Fabian writes Gambit just being a thief is a delight. The pacing is brisk with some focus on world building but quickly getting to what works with each of the principle cast members. I love how Fabian characterizes Godzilla and uses both narration and Professor X to provide insight into this primal being. This issue features amazing art by Emilio Laiso and Federico Blee. This issue features TWO Vertical two-page spreads which helps to 1) sell the vertical size and scope of Godzilla. More Godzilla comics should take advantage of this feature of comics. 2) really sell the 90’s vibe they are trying to go for here. Laiso’s line work is crisp, and the figure work is dynamic. Blee’s colors are VIBRANT but when the scene calls for shadows or mood changes Blee delivers some perfect tonal shifts in the color palette. Both Laiso and Blee complement Fabian’s writing perfectly as we get this melancholy ending that just hits like a hammer. – JJ
- Gwenpool #1
- The original Gwenpool series premiered when I was mostly out of the comics game and so passed me by, meaning I missed out on those books that made the character a cult favorite. After this issue, I can see the appeal. She takes the Deadpool fourth-wall breaking meta-humor to the next level. Gwen doesn’t just know she is in a comic and talk to readers she uses it to her advantage, manipulating the page and navigating it in a way the normal characters don’t. There is a fun gag where she dives in and out of the panel gutters. Cavan Scott’s script is mostly genuinely funny and provides a good intro to Gwendolyn Poole and her personality before taking things down a darker path. Of course, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room: there’s a new grim and gritty Gwenpool and she appears to be the original Gwen Stacy. Marvel announced this with a big to-do months ago so the issue’s cliffhanger ending is deflated. What does Gwen’s return mean? Anything? Probably not! If it meant something it would happen in a Spider-Man book. Most likely, it is some kind of gag about dark reinventions of characters to juice sales. A knowing joke about the comics industry. But Marvel’s also playing it straight to juice sales so how much does the joke really work, then? It’s a tiresome mind game and I really do not want to write about what the return of Gwen Stacy means. The issue itself is fine, but the art takes a fine and occasionally interesting comic to the next level. Stefano Nesi does some wild double-page layouts and the action is fluid and dynamic. Matt Milla’s colors are gorgeous and vibrant and leans into the violet scheme of the lead characters. This issue is entertaining but inconsequential, in a way that feels like watching a minor league baseball game. The product isn’t fully put together but the prospects have the raw talent. I think we will be seeing a lot more from Nesi and Scott, because they clearly have the goods to pull together a solid book, even if this one leans toward the forgettable. Nesi in particular is one high profile title away from hitting the majors, the art is that good. – Tim Rooney
Come back next week for more reviews or go through our archives to read past reviews from the Rundown team!