This week's picks

Twelve books this week and not a whole ton of standouts among them. Some good books, some fun books, some really irritating books, but very light in books that really blew me away. I guess not every book can do that every time. Sigh.

Iron Man 15

This one seems like it might be able to though. Just a great series with another great issue. 451 has been a suspicious character ever since he, you know, allowed the Voldi to be destroyed. Truthfully, he was suspicious before that, with his Tony obsession and everything else. Still though, he alternated between good and bad, usually doing bad things but claiming them to be for good reasons. There was little indication that this was all true and that he wouldn't just get Tony in the Godkiller then point him at whatever planet he felt needed destroying that week. Until now. Now we're talking about a being who had sacrificed everything good about himself to save Earth only to find he couldn't, not in the way he intended, so everything horrible he did now has no purpose; they're just horrible acts. If we do believe everything he said is true now, 451 went from being a watcher (not a Watcher, just similar) who never interfered to finally choosing to interfere and, in his first real opportunity to change things, killing billions of lifeforms for nothing. The weight bears down on him here and it's amazing and devastating all at once. Great issue, continues to be a great series.

Venom 40

This was a tough pick for the week. I had Iron Man in the list all along and the next book, particularly in what was kind of a weak week, earned a pick as an "in memoriam" pick so that left this spot for a couple of similar books. It was really between this, Infinity 2, and X-Men Legacy 16. In the end, though, the pacing of this one really won out as it seemed like a well-packed issue without being too overdone or too hard to follow. Legacy had some cooler moments, with David facing down some of the most respected mutants in the world and picking them apart one-by-one, but that one's conclusion might have more weight to it than the set-up had. This has some good character weight between Flash and Andi dealing with their symbiotes and what exactly they want and mean as well as a solid plot that will serve as a jumping off point for the next story. Sad this book is coming to an end; the stories keep flowing out of it and providing genuinely interesting issues.

X-Factor 262

The final issue of Peter David's long run on X-Factor which, if my math is right, led to over one hundred issues for the long-time comic scribe. It was a reliably solid book with one of the best true "teams" in the Marvel Universe. Not a super powerful team or a particularly influential team, just a team that has banded together and grown closer, despite their differences, to do what little they can. Pretty consistent sense of fun and some really great characters who probably wouldn't have a home if not for this series. The final issue wasn't anything super special but it deserves to be here as a summation of the series. The conclusion of 262 finds the team spread out, disbanded after Hell on Earth, and team leader Jamie Madrox choosing to settle down with new wife Layla and coming child on their family farm. A nice sendoff for the man who started it all (Peter David was given the book after a Madrox mini-series). Sad to see it go but it seems like maybe it was time.

Superior Spider-Man 16, Venom 39, Morbius the Living Vampire 8

Superior Spider-Man 16
Slott (w) and H. Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado (c)

Spider-Man has called for the citizens of New York to bring him Phil Urich, which doesn't sit well with Urich nor with the employees of the Daily Bugle, particularly Robbie Robertson. Robertson doesn't like the way Spider-Man took over all communication in the city to persecute a man who hasn't been proven guilty, especially when he's in a crowded office place pretty much ensuring chaos. Chaos, of course, does break out as Spider-Man figures out where Urich is and Urich takes Norah Winters hostage. She breaks free and he tries to sonic scream to distract Spidey with the hurting civilians but the image of his Uncle Ben (Uncle Ben Urich, not Spider-Man's Uncle Ben, which would just be weird) in such pain softens him, allowing Spider-Man to take him down, delivering him to the police. He's eventually broken out of police custody by the Goblin brigade and given new armor and a new position and title; he's now the Goblin Knight for Osborn's (maybe Osborn, that hasn't necessarily been proven) crew. Meanwhile, Spider-Man has more to deal with as Captain America gives him a call to tell him that he's still on probation and they'll have to talk later about everything that's been going on, what with his new army and heavy machinery patrolling New York, and as Carlie Cooper and Yuri Watanabe's Wraith get closer to finding out who's behind Spider-Man's recent behavior.

There are a lot of irons in the fire for this series (as a completely unrelated aside, I really liked the old [adultswim] show Frisky Dingo and I almost always want to write "lotta dogs in the fire" instead of "lot of irons in the fire," which is clearly far worse but I want you to know I have my reasons if it ever slips out and I don't catch it. Look, I love dogs, okay?) and it'll be interesting as they come back. The Goblins, obviously, are the big one, but we also have the increasing role of Spider-Man's hired help, the changing way Spider-Man is viewed in the eyes of the superhero community, Carlie and Wraith's storyline, and now a probably deteriorating relationship between Spider-Man and Robbie Robertson (and the now fired Norah Winters). Whether that matters to Spidey at all (I'm sure it doesn't, but it could if ever Peter returns) is up in the air, just as it may not matter to the series, but it's worth noting anyway. Robertson has always been a supporter and ally of Peter and Spidey but he clearly isn't onboard with these new methods. Interesting ideas and it's particularly interesting as this action-packed resolution to Hobgoblin's story serves as the foreground of the issue but the backdrop of what's going on in the large scale. Pretty cool.

Venom 39
Bunn (w) and Jacinto w/ Henderson (a) and Loughridge (c)

Flash has accidentally created a little sidekick for himself in neighbor and student Andi by sending the symbiote at her to cover her mouth from the poison Jack O'Lantern has released on them and finding that it takes to her entirely and forms a new suit around her. Andi wants vengeance for the death of her father and pretty instantly takes to the symbiote, attacking and moving well. Venom stops her from killing Jack while also discovering that Jack isn't really Jack, per se. With his mask pulled off, Venom doesn't recognize the man underneath and the man, for all intents and purposes still Jack, tells him how Jack booby-trapped a doll in a storage unit the man worked at which wiped out the man's mind, overriding it with Jack's memories, knowledge, and personality. Venom stopping Andi gives Jack a chance to get away and leads them to a handful of other assassins hoping to kill Venom for Lord Ogre. Venom and Andi take them down together pretty easily, including the new Jack who goes into a coma not long after he's caught. The issue ends with Andi moving in with her aunt in another town and fighting crime herself with the part of the symbiote that's attached to her. Flash has questions still about how quickly Andi adapted to the suit and he thinks he'll have to ask the symbiote, who might not be so forthcoming, some questions.

Pretty solid issue as we further explore Venom's new sidekick (I'm assuming she'll return to do more work alongside him, regardless of where she lives now). My biggest complaint is really how quickly the climax came and went. There was a lot of fighting in the apartment (well drawn and beautifully colored) and even a decent amount with the other assassins (though far less fighting there than with Jack directly, which makes some sense because he's the closest Venom has to an arch) but then it pretty abruptly is over without more questions asked or more explanations given. I think Bunn is trying to get us asking questions about Andi and the symbiote and getting us into the idea of Venom having to talk things over with the symbiote, which is definitely working because I know I'm pretty curious about it, but it hurts the issue in the immediate, leaving those questions there with just the promise that they'll be asked eventually. I feel like there were pages cut that had Venom asking her why she was so good with it and her saying she doesn't know and so on, which would have been remarkably slow pages so good call on cutting those. I guess, then, that I don't know what I would have liked to see here but the way it came out felt a little like a let-down. Still a good issue overall and the questions that have been set up are good and interesting ones for when we eventually get there. Glad this book has made it all the way to 39 issues; didn't predict that when it kicked off. Not because it wasn't good, just because it didn't feel like a book that was going to succeed. Venom's a very popular character but this is a largely contained Venom finding himself in a lot of situations that aren't necessarily superhero driven. It's worked well but it didn't sound like it was going to attract readers. Glad it has.

Morbius the Living Vampire 8
Keatinge (w) and Elson (a) and Fabela (c)

Morbius has been attacked in Brownsville by the Rose and his associates and now he has to figure out what comes next. He wants to move the people out first and foremost, especially since he believes this all to be his fault, that his stance of inaction has brought this on the town. He manages to organize the move of everyone to the underground passageway to Monstropolis which is apparently a place Morbius used to live with other monsters like the Mummy and a vampire and maybe a wolfman and not, as I had assumed, some really terrible new invention that was maybe just a really bad joke. Monstropolis. Come on, you guys. Anyway, Morbius then goes after the Rose, secretly followed by Becky, who sees herself as his sidekick. The Rose gives a lot of supervillain speeches before electrocuting Morbius as the issue ends. The series concludes with issue nine, presumably the end of this arc as well.

I said that I was surprised Venom has lasted as long as it has because it didn't seem like a book that had a lot in its favor to start. The biggest things it had going was the popularity of Venom as a character and the fact that Rick Remender was on the book at launch, right around the height of his Uncanny X-Force run, if memory serves. I also don't think Flash is an unpopular character, per se, but the other two factors were bigger. This book had less going for it going in, including a somewhat unproven and unknown writer in Joe Keatinge and a less popular anti-hero in Morbius. I think Morbius' popularity probably weighed more heavily than Keatinge as a writer. Still, I don't think either have particularly paid off. I don't think the story has been interesting enough to sustain relatively uninteresting characters and I think the writing has been odd and clunky at times, never feeling particularly comfortable. I said in my first review of this series that I wasn't sure about it; there were some things to like but there was plenty that left me unenthusiastic, including a weirdly flippant tone set against what they wanted to feel dramatic and an uninspired story with slow moving characters. Guess what, I feel the same about the series now, eight issues in. I'm surprised this book lasted as long as it did but this time it's because it's not very good, not because the idea wasn't strong enough. Well I don't think the idea was strong enough either but it also wasn't played particularly well. I don't know that Morbius will be able to carry a book at any point though, who knows, Hawkeye's never been good at carrying a book and Fraction's done a phenomenal job with it so maybe Morbius just needs the right writer.

Superior Spider-Man 8, Venom 34

Superior Spider-Man 8
Slott (w) and Ramos and Olazaba (a) and Delgado (c)

The Avengers run their tests on Spider-Man after successfully restraining him. Unfortunately for Peter, the tests don't show anything major that would prove Spider-Man as being anyone besides Peter Parker. However, there is an anomaly in the brain patterns that only Doc Ock notices (lucky that Iron Man and Giant Man aren't around for these tests) and he determines that he needs a more conclusive test. That means tracking down the neurolitic scanner Cardiac took from impound last issue. Spider-Man crashes the underground emergency room and begins to fight Cardiac again before the shocking revelation that the little girl who needs the scanner became sick as a result of Ock's attempt to take over the world last summer. Doc stops fighting Cardiac and instead offers to assist with the scanner and the surgery the girl requires. He does so successfully and he and Cardiac part as allies. Cardiac allows him to use the scanner, which proves to Doc what he was beginning to suspect: Peter's memories have taken a life of their own and are fighting their way back. The issue ends as Doc sets to work removing Peter.
Another interesting development which seemed like it was going to be more extended. I feel that the norm would be to bring Peter back this way, with Doc realizing too late that Peter's attempting to return. Instead, Doc has found Peter out sooner than expected and next issue will see him trying to remove Peter. That could leave this book in all sorts of different places. Also snuck into this issue is a scene with Carlie Cooper talking to a mysterious character on a phone about a theory she has that sounds ludicrous but that she needs to prove. Carlie throughout this series has been suspicious of Spidey and it looked all along like she might be the one to piece things together in the end. Exactly how she'll determine it and how much good it will do still remains to be seen and putting us on this new path of Doc removing Peter (or trying to) leaves Slott with plenty of directions to go. Meanwhile, Doc Ock saving the little girl in this issue rewarded him with new feelings of accomplishment, positive ones instead of the ones that often come with his nefarious successes. Could that make him pull back a bit on his quickly growing aggression? Will it enhance that aggression, citing all the people he needs to protect? Will it have no bearing on his aggression but affect his overall demeanor? No one can say just yet, but these are all things to consider as Doc Ock grows into the role of Spider-Man.

Venom 34
Bunn (w) and Shalvey (a) and Loughridge (c)

The fight that's been coming for a few issues now is at the forefront of this issue. Toxin is stronger and faster than Venom and it shows as Flash takes a severe beating from the ever-gloating Toxin. He tries to catch Brock off-guard a few times, pointing out to him that his bond with Toxin goes against everything he's been doing for the last few years, his hatred of symbiotes and his attempt to destroy them (particularly as Anti-Venom). Brock says that he still hates symbiotes and he hates Toxin, but Toxin hates Venom too so they're going to have to work together for now and choose to kill each other later. Flash has some trouble believing that, feeling that Brock is already too far gone and too attached to the symbiote. It seems to have little bearing at the moment, though, as Venom is still getting killed by the team-up. Flash uses a last ditch plan and brings out a syringe with the serum that dulls the symbiote. He injects Brock with it and it pushes the symbiote out for a bit. Flash is too weak to attack the now helpless Brock, who escapes, but he survived the fight. He crawls his way back to his apartment, stopping only to yell at a student of his who tries to help him. Flash can't let anyone close to him because Toxin will tear through them. Meanwhile, the cliffhanger sets up the idea of "symbiote slayers" who look a little like the Figure done correctly and perhaps not as cannibals.
The cover for the next issue (the covers right now are pretty amazing, by the way. They're the handiwork of Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire) and the term "symbiote slayers" seems to point to the idea that Venom and Toxin will have to put their differences aside for the moment and team up against the new foes. It seems that Flash can't catch a break, having left New York to protect the ones he loves and to get away from things for a while and get his head clear, he lands in Philadelphia only to find that he can't get close to anyone lest he bring them into danger and that he has dragged a villain along with him. Things are happening for Flash and Venom but we're these things are going to leave us is anyone's guess. We haven't heard about the demon vs. the symbiote in a while and it's worth considering whether that will effect the next couple issues and the fights he's going to have to have. Flash acknowledges that he's not as strong nor as fast as Toxin but the demon-possessed Venom would have a few tricks uniquely of its own up its sleeve, so we'll see where we go from here. Get ready for lots more action in this book.