Moon Knight [2021] #23 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 23, July 2023

Brazenly declaring that this twenty-page periodical depicts “Moon Knight and Venom fighting side by side”, Jed MacKay’s script for “Panic Room” certainly seems to live up to the comic’s pre-publication promise. Indeed, the story’s opening, featuring the unlikely duo battling together against the likes of Tangle, Eel, Blitz, and Thermite within the mind-bending Midnight Mansion is arguably as good a methodical lesson in collaborative crime-fighting tactics as any perusing bibliophile could want.

Disappointingly though, what then follows the defeat of the Enforcers isn’t debatably anywhere near as good, with Dylan Brock’s alter-ego seemingly all-too easily directing Marc Spector straight to the secret headquarters of Sidney Sarnak. Admittedly, the Fist of Khonshu was going to need to locate the super-villain’s hideout at some point. But the sheer serendipity involved in the alien symbiote innocuously complaining about not being up to full-strength on account of the city being plagued with a series of weird sonic frequencies, at the same time as Doug Moench’s co-creation is looking for just such a noise-based source, sadly smacks a bit too much of lethargic longhand.

Ultimately however, the greatest displeasure must surely come with this book’s conclusion, where the Canadian author distressingly decides to have “The Ghost In The Telephone” simply surrender himself to the authorities rather than provide any sort of defence against the titular character whatsoever. This infuriating finale is anti-climactic at best, especially when many a reader will doubtless have been anticipating a colossal punch-up involving Moon Knight and (an adolescent) Venom as they fight ‘tooth and claw’ throughout the mysterious criminal’s heavily-fortified centre of operations; “The Police were called as soon as you crossed the perimeter. I’m going to turn myself in. For all my crimes.”

Quite possibly also underwhelmed by MacKay’s sudden ending is Alessandro Cappuccio, whose layouts debatably becomes less measured as the action decreases, and the protagonists flee the imminent arrival of the authorities back onto the night time streets. This situation is particularly irritating as the Italian illustrator’s handling of the aforementioned fight with the Enforcers is first-rate and packed full of pulse-pounding pugilism. Yet, by the time Khonshu’s avatar has reached his final destination, the reader’s viewpoint is reduced to repeatedly looking through the darkness at a porthole into Sarnak’s safe room.

Writer: Jed MacKay, Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio, and Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Ms. Marvel & Venom #1 - Marvel Comics

MS. MARVEL & VENOM No. 1, November 2022

Featuring an initially tense collaboration between its titular characters and then a pulse-pounding team-up with arguably some of Marvel Worldwide’s hottest current properties, Jody Houser’s storyline for this thirty-page “concluding movement of the super hero symphony of the summer” certainly seems to strike all the high-notes a reader might expect from so enthusiastically hyped a comic book event. Sure, the decidedly feel-good atmosphere of this publication’s ending doesn’t allow its script to delve too deep into the disconcertingly dark background of its main antagonist, the mutant-hating Man with the Peacock Tattoo. But there’s still plenty of gruesome mutilation, body horror and desperate, last minute acts of bravado to intimate just how truly despicable XENO’s world aims actually are.

Furthermore, the American author does a great job in demonstrating just how far Kamala Khan has grown since becoming “the newest holder of the Ms. Marvel identity”, by repeatedly comparing the teenager’s laudable actions with those of the much more inexperienced, and frankly petulant, Dylan Brock. These differences show an intriguing maturity in “Giant Girl” and definitely adds some credibility to her later ‘leading’ the likes of Wolverine and Moon Knight into battle against a small army of massively-mutated grotesques; “You realise they were targeted because of how hard it is to kill them, right?”

By far this comic’s greatest hook though, lies in its sense-shattering set-pieces. Houser does a first-rate job in giving both her central leads plenty to do within the investigation-heavy narrative, as well as showcasing their amazing special powers. In addition, the tension between the two contrasting personalities provides some memorable moments of dialogue, especially when Brock acts like “a real jerk” and unsuccessfully attempts to take the credit for them locating the underground lair of X-Force’s lethal adversaries.

Also nobly contributing to this book’s triumph has to be Dave Wachter’s eye-catching layouts. The illustrator does a particularly good job in pencilling the sheer chaos surrounding Khan early on in this story, when she is firmly focused upon saving a large number of residents from their fast-collapsing block of flats. However, it is arguably the artist’s incredibly repugnant flesh monsters, and their evident physical pain at being so tragically transformed, which will linger longest in the memory of this issue’s audience.

The regular cover art to "MS. MARVEL & VENOM" #1 by Sara Pichelli & Federico Blee

The Amazing Spider-Man #800 [Part Two] - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 800, July 2018

Shifting a staggering 411,480 copies in May 2018, a particularly impressive feat considering that the book’s cover price was a whopping $9.99, there can surely be little argument that Dan Slott’s narrative for Issue Eight Hundred of “The Amazing Spider-Man” helped the eighty-page periodical sell extraordinarily well. Indeed, according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”, this publication, alongside reorders of “DC Comics” very special oversized edition of “Action Comics”, represented an unbelievable “$4 million in comics at full retail shipped to the North American market” during a single month.

But despite such stunning sales figures, it is debatably difficult to agree with “Marvel Comics” claim that this final instalment to “Go Down Swinging” contains a story whose “scope [is] unmatched in comics”, especially when the over-stretched adventure’s second half seemingly just predominantly pits the titular character up against his old adversary one-on-one. Of course, Norman Osborn’s callous consciousness is admittedly merged with the super-powered Carnage symbiote, as Peter Parker’s alter ego is with Venom, and Flash Thompson momentarily appears in the guise of Agent Anti-Venom simply to heroically die in order to thwart perhaps one of the most unconvincing plot-points the Eisner Award-winner's penned since taking over the writing reins of the New York City-based publisher’s “company mascot”. Yet when the Red Goblin, despite all his previous prevarication finally has the wall-crawler’s life in his hands, he stupidly relents so as to strip himself of Cletus Kasaday’s influence and face his nemesis as “the real me” in one final fist-fight; “It’s taken everything I’ve had to last this long. I am not blowing this chance. Here’s whatever I’ve got left…”

Just as disappointing is the American author’s bizarre decision to have John Jonah Jameson attempt to kill a clearly defeated Osborn simply because he feels guilty at previously revealing Web-head’s secret identity to the super-villain. The cigar-chomping journalist has always proved somewhat nefarious in his Spider-Man smear campaigns. However, it’s hard to ever imagine the metropolis’ former Mayor gunning down a helpless man in cold blood, even when his target has attempted to eradicate this series’ entire supporting cast. In fact, there is disputably little about this comic’s concluding chapters which are satisfactorily scripted, as Slott first depicts Parker almost re-enacting blow-by-blow the closing sequence from Joel Schumacher’s 1995 American superhero film “Batman Returns” at the Ravencroft Solitary Confinement Wing, and then has him laughing as the Bugle reporter changes into his crime-fighting costume whilst still at Thompson’s funeral..?

Writer: Dan Slott, and Artists: Stuart Immonen, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Marcos Martin

The Amazing Spider-Man #800 [Part One] - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 800, July 2018

Whereas this eighty-page periodical was almost certainly one of the longest single publications to depict Spider-Man battling the Green Goblin’s alter-ego, it is highly debatable that Dan Slott’s penmanship for “Go Down Singing” will ever be regarded as “the biggest Peter Parker/Norman Osborn story of all time”. For although the “no holds barred” narrative admittedly delivers more than its fair share of plot-twists, shocks and bloody bare-knuckle fisticuffs, it also arguably depicts the former Oscorp owner at his most incompetent, as the human mutate paired with the Carnage Symbiote repeatedly fails to kill the likes of Aunt May and Mary Jane Watson, despite supposedly being both super-humanly strong and skilled in martial arts…

Indeed, if anything, the opening half of Issue Eight Hundred of “The Amazing Spider-Man” appears to demonstrate just how utterly inept the former billionaire industrialist is at realising his revenge, with the Red Goblin somehow managing to be thwarted at each and every turn. Admittedly, the Berkeley-born writer does somewhat contrivingly conjure up all manner of anti-heroic cameos, such as Eddie Brock’s Venom and Otto Octavius, with which to stop the murderous villain’s machinations. But it’s hard to imagine that someone as supposedly determined as Harry’s father wouldn’t have lingered just a few more seconds longer to permanently dispatch Web-head’s one-time fiery-headed wife, or his elderly white-haired doting relation, especially when the likes of Doctor Octopus and “one of Marla’s old spider-slayers” have been neutralised.

Of course, all this lazily manufactured bungling does admittedly result in some seriously dynamic smack downs which clearly helped carry this comic’s 411,480 readers ever onwards through the Eisner-Award winner’s drawn-out, treacle-like plot. In fact, Venom’s return and subsequent battle against an increasingly enraged Osborn is probably one this book’s highlights as the symbiote-powered pair tear ragged chunks out of one another, and in many ways it’s a shame that the titular character arrives at Stark Tower as early as he does; “Y’know, Eddie, you are starting to get on my last nerve! I’m on a freakin’ schedule! You’re killing me here!”

Sadly, far less successful however has to be this celebratory edition’s decision to persistently shift artists with each chapter. Despite the clarity of his colourful breakdowns, Nick Bradshaw’s pedestrian pencilling for “Crawling Through The Wreckage” rather pales in comparison to that of Humbertos Ramos, whose dynamically-packed panels for “Too Many Targets” follow straight on from those of the “Atlantic Canadian” illustrator. Whilst for all his clean-lined competency, Giuseppe Camuncoli’s portrayal of the Red Goblin almost dispatching his entire immediate family within the Alchemax Head Office disappointingly seems to lack the energy needed to show little Normie’s emotional change of heart at the thought that his grandfather has cold-bloodedly just murdered his mother.

Writer: Dan Slott, and Artists: Nick Bradshaw, Humbertos Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli

The Amazing Spider-Man #793 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 793, February 2018

Plunging its 53,260-strong audience straight into the thick of Spider-Man and Anti-Venom’s team-up “to locate the missing symbiotic of Flash’s friend, Andrea Benton” with no more than a handful of explanatory sentences at the very start of the book, Dan Slott’s script for this twenty-one page-periodical must have proved a particularly illusive, rather haphazardly-paced reading experience for those who hadn’t bothered to previously purchase the rest of the multi-title event’s corresponding chapters. Indeed, it’s arguably hard to discern precisely what is meant to be happening within this comic, as the Berkeley-born writer’s narrative illogically leaps from the Meatpacking District, Karnelli’s Scrapyard in the Bronx and Alchemax, until it finally settles upon “the five largest crime families in the World” and Lee Price’s apparently successful attempt to ensorcel the Maggia by ‘spitting in their food’; “Your food tasters would’ve warned you… But they work for me now. Like you.”

Before this cliffhanger conclusion though, the Eisner Award-winner’s story-line is arguably a befuddling mess, with the titular character seemingly foiling a truck robbery only to then steal the vehicle’s cargo of caviar, foie gras, and “some of the most expensive wines on the East Coast” for himself. True, this publication’s aforementioned short-lived introduction does mention the fact that Web-head had been “outgunned and captured” by Maniac 'off-screen', yet the first indication that Peter Parker’s alter-ego has actually become one of the criminal’s “burgeoning symbiotic army” isn’t debatably clear until the wall-crawler’s facial disfigurement is fully disclosed by artist Ryan Stegman later in the scene, and furthermore this particular comic never properly explains just how the costumed vigilant became an “unfriendly neighbourhood spider-slave”, nor how Price’s villainous super-power actually works..?

Equally as disconcerting is Mania’s introduction, which initially seems to have been perfectly timed in order for Agent Venom’s partner to inadvertently watch her “coach” shockingly burn to death inside a melting furnace. The purple-haired student apparently still has “some powers of my own” despite losing her symbiote, however somewhat frustratingly none of Benton’s loss or the girl’s past relationship with Flash Thompson is explored within this instalment of “Venom Inc.” except via an off-hand remark that Andi still has “my mystic Hell-mark” and conveniently “could kinda sense” she had to leave Philadelphia to visit the Bronx-located scrapyard.

Of course debatably this book’s biggest foible is its belief that by threatening the staff of the Daily Bugle, the “mind-controlled” Spider-Man would somehow attract the Black Cat’s attention “and draw her into the open.” This puzzling scene, which the “out of character” inkling himself laters admits probably “wasn’t the best plan”, is genuinely head-scratching, and seems to be a complete waste of time unless cynically seen as a lazy way for Slott to show New York City’s media that the human mutate was acting criminally whilst ‘under duress’...

Writer: Dan Slott, Artist: Ryan Stegman, and Color Artist: Brian Reber

The Amazing Spider-Man #792 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 792, February 2018

For those readers unable or unwilling to purchase the “Marvel Worldwide” one-shot “Amazing Spider-Man: Venom Inc. Alpha”, Dan Slott’s script to this second instalment of his “Venom Inc.” comic book event arguably must have proved a rather frustrating read, considering the twenty-page periodical disconcertingly begins just after “Peter’s best friend, Flash Thompson” was exposed to an experimental cure at Alchemax and inadvertently “transformed into the all-new Anti-Venom!” True, the Berkeley-born writer does at least provide this publication’s 61,994-strong audience with a brief summary of events at the start of the magazine, yet for those regular bibliophiles solely dedicated to buying just the New York City-based publisher’s “flagship series”, and resultantly perhaps having little recent exposure to the likes of Eddie Brock, Lee Price, the wheelchair-bound Doctor Steve and Norton Fester, the Eisner Award-winner’s narrative is a confusing, somewhat choppy piece of story-telling at best.

Happily however, that doesn’t mean that Issue Seven Hundred And Ninety Two of “Amazing Spider-Man” doesn’t have its good points. Felicity Hardy’s Black Cat Gang in particular provides plenty of pulse-pounding punches, courtesy of Maniac’s successful attempt to “make a move” on the Crime Lord’s territory being given plenty of ‘screen time’. Featuring the likes of Melter, the Brothers Grimm, Hammerhead and the Scorpion, this free-for-all is rather disappointingly one-sided, and also sadly shows some of the titular character’s foremost villains reduced to little more than impotent low-class minions. But it’s hard not to still enjoy watching Ryan Stegman’s dynamically-drawn former anvil-headed Maggia Enforcer in action once again, even if he is quickly overpowered by a symbiote and used to ‘beat down’ Mac Gargan; “Hey, Flat-Top! What’re you doing? We’re on the same si--”

Far less successful though, is Slott’s oft-times debatably pointless dialogue between Peter Parker’s alter-ego and Thompson, as well as their utterly meaningless movements. Just why Anti-Venom’s departs Alchemax Tower alongside “short, dark and slimy” with absolutely no idea as to where they’re going is incomprehensible, and somewhat smacks of simply being a contrived excuse for the American author to manufacture a motivation for Parker’s former classmate to suddenly accompany the wall-crawler back to Bobbi Morse’s empty apartment. Whilst the sheer speed with which Flash subsequently convinces Spidey to surprisingly turn away from his determined plan to finally destroy the “hostile alien organism” and bring an emotional end to “everything bad thing it’s ever done--or spawned” is staggeringly swift, especially when the web-slinger’s alternative to so drastic a course of action is to disconcertingly devise a “patent-pending symbiote tracker” instead..?

The regular cover art of "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" No. 792 by Alex Ross