Venom #259 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the 259th issue of Venom from Marvel Comics!
Mary Jane Watson is Venom! Venom is Mary Jane Watson! And now, a face from Venom’s past is on it’s way back. And what is in store for Dylan Brock? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics // Venom #259 by Al Ewing (Writer), Carlos Gomez (Artist), Frank D’Armata (Color Artist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Carlos Gomez & Frank Martin (Cover Artist)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
Al Ewing is kicking off the next storyline in this issue and that makes it a great jumping on point. If you haven’t been keeping up, there’s a little bit you might need to get caught up on but that doesn’t take away from the issue. Ewing’s writing makes for an interesting presentation for the story and sets things up for an interesting start to the story.
The issue starts off with a skrull in Mary Jane’s apartment giving her a bit of a history lesson about Knull, and the warning that Knull is alive. The story then turns it’s focus to Dylan Brock and sets him up for a very interesting part to play in the upcoming story. You really can’t have a Venom story without a Brock in it, and since Eddie is in prison then Dylan will have to suffice.
As far as starts to a story go, this one is solid. It’s not the greatest Marvel has ever done, nor is it the worst they’ve ever done. It gets things set up nicely and gets you hooked to see where things are going to go off to. If you’ve read the Knull series that just recently finished, then you have an idea where it’s going to go. If you haven’t, then I’d highly recommend picking up the series (it’s only 5 issues) and getting caught up. It’s going to factor heavily into the future stories involving Venom.
There’s also the ending which I found very interesting. It’s going to be interesting to see how THAT character factors into things, especially with who’s coming to Earth very soon. It’s sure to add a very interesting wrinkle to the fight that’s inevitably going to happen.
The Artwork
Carlos Gomez & Frank D’Armata are back on the artwork for this issue and it’s as good as you would expect. It continues to be one of the sharpest drawn comics you’ll read this week and the use of color is incredibly vivid. It has such a classic feel to it that long time fans of both Venom & Spider-Man will be sure to enjoy it.
Overall Grade: 7/10
Al Ewing gets the story started in what’s sure to be a very interesting story. A solid set up together with great artwork make this an issue well worth the read.
