Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #9 review: MJ versus Venom

MJ is caught in the thrall of Venom! Can Spider-Man save his wife from his old black costume?

Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #9

Writers: Ryan Stegman & Gerry Conway

Artist: Juan Frigeri

Colorist: Jesus Aburtov

Venom Drives Mary Jane out of Control!

MJ has only worn the alien costume for a day, and yet she’s already become lost to it. Even Annie May Parker notices her mother’s become incredibly hyperactive. Most of the issue consists of Spider-Man trying to deny the obvious to himself. Not only does he not want to fight Venom again, he also can’t, or won’t, believe MJ has become its latest host. When a gang of Inhumans holds up an armored truck, Spinneret’s sudden temper and zeal for violence speak for themselves!

Image by Marvel Comics

As a result of being under Venom’s thrall, Spider-Man has to prevent MJ from killing any of the Inhuman thugs. However, not even after this does Peter seem to jump to conclusions. While he frets about being “a bad husband,” he wants to make sure he isn’t jumping to any conclusions with his beloved wife. As a result, Peter swings by the Daily Bugle office to pump his pals for leads. This includes Betty Brant investigating a “tar monster” that attacked a trash barge in the last issue!

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While Spider-Man keeps waiting for some bit of evidence to exonerate MJ and end his suspicions, all the evidence is to the contrary. One of the men from the barge not only describes Venom in detail, but confirms the monster was female. Therefore, Spider-Man can only come to one hard fought conclusion. He arrives at MJ’s fashion shop in the very nick of time. Mary Jane is losing her battle of wills against Venom, and is nearly on the verge of tearing her employee apart over coffee!

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A Smooth Transition!

Things get especially relevant in the finale, which takes place on the roof of Mary Jane’s business. Spider-Man arrives just as MJ has lost her battle of wills to Venom, and transforms completely. Yet Peter never loses faith in his wife for a second. He’s come to this battle prepared with a little bit of Regent technology. While he’s naturally hesitant to fight Venom so long as it possesses MJ, he’s more than willing to enable MJ to prevail over her contest of wills against the evil alien symbiote.

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While he is working off a Gerry Conway plot, this seems like Ryan Stegman’s first stint as writer. The 1990s were the era of artists-as-writers, especially at Image Comics. The results tended to not speak well of the practice, yet things have improved since. It helps that Stegman’s not drawing the issue himself and had time to settle into the script. There is hardly any noticeable shift in tone both in plot or dialogue. So far, if there is a writing shift, it’s been seamless.

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Considering how fluid the continuity can be between this Renew Your Vows ongoing series and the 2015 miniseries which launched it, this issue sets things straight. In particular, the deadly final battle between Spider-Man and Eddie Brock from the previous miniseries is intact. Written by Dan Slott, it was a controversial yet dramatic start to his Battleworld miniseries where the Parkers never split. After threatening his wife and child once too often, Peter put Brock down for good.

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The Parkers Stand United against Venom!

While it may seem as if Peter is being obtuse with the evidence, it’s actually the exact opposite. Peter is in classic denial. He doesn’t want to believe that Venom is back, and it’s MJ. Rather than leap to conclusions, as he may have done as a younger man, he all but goes overboard to investigate. He researches at the newspaper, he interviews witnesses, and he comes up with excuses with diminishing validity — up until he encounters Venom on the rooftop. It’s well-paced.

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Speaking of well-paced, Mary Jane’s mental showdown with Venom is also a memorable sequence. As I explained in the last review, Venom has always held a special place of terror for MJ which few of Spidey’s enemies have. In Venom’s first full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #300, he menaced her personally. The symbiote has always acted like a jilted lover, and Brock never shied away from menacing the women in Spider-Man’s life to personally torment him.

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Yet here, MJ gets to stand up to Venom toe to toe and even knock him around for a few rounds. It’s a long time coming for her. In addition, despite his reluctance to see the obvious, Spider-Man is cool and collected during the crisis. In other titles, the web-slinger often acts immaturely, as if he’s meeting many of his rogues for the first time instead of the hundredth. Spider-Man really displays not only his experience as a superhero, but his utter and complete faith in Mary Jane’s willpower.

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Get Ready for The “Watson Wallop!”

In an era when it seems like Marvel Comics wants to convince readers that Peter is an eternal bachelor, this is huge. For two decades, Peter and MJ were married and served as each other’s emotional rocks. Sure, there were arguments and disagreements. There were times when each was right and wrong at the same time, according to point-of-view. Yet the bond between Peter and MJ as soulmates who found each other was something rare and unique in superhero comics.

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Juan Frigeri takes over on artwork from Ryan Stegman and does a great job of emulating his look for the series. Jesus Aburtov’s color palette also help make this artistic transition as seamless as the narrative one. While this issue has plenty of action to showcase the artwork, the highlight is easily the rooftop conclusion. The juxtaposition of Spider-Man fighting Venom in the flash as MJ battles Venom within the mental plane is depicted very well. It mingles horror with super-heroism.

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While MJ has helped battle Venom a few times in the comics (and even on film), this may be one of the first times she gets to physically duel him on equal footing. Facing Venom represents facing a nightmare for her almost as much as it does for Peter — if not more so. After all, MJ didn’t have super powers until very recently, while Peter had them since high school. Despite never having received much formal combat training, MJ always knew how to throw a hook. I call it the “Watson Wallop!”

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Liz Allan Has Become the Ultimate “Frenemy!”

All of this was not merely to have Spider-Man’s most popular villain appear. It’s all part of a long term plan by Liz Allan. Both she and her son Normie Osborn are focused on destroying Spider-Man. While Normie only wishes to do so to avenge his father and grandfather, Liz seeks it to protect Normie. From her perspective, she can’t lose Normie to vengeance if she takes care of Spider-Man and his family beforehand. It’s a tragic, yet fascinating and dramatic angle for Liz here.

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In fact, the only quibble are some holes in Liz’s plans which aren’t well explained. It’s never stated how Liz Allan got hold of the surviving Venom symbiote, nor how she managed to contain it. In addition, while Liz did publicize having access to “biological enhancement,” she had no idea Spinneret would seek it beyond either luck or outdated tropes like “woman’s intuition.” How did she know that Spinneret wasn’t happy with her power status, or sought an improvement?

Image by Marvel Comics

Next: See MJ first don the black duds in #8!

In conclusion, this arc has been a resounding success. Actually, it may be the best the series has had so far. There was more meat on the bones than the opening Mole Man arc, and the X-Men adventure was more of a lark. Beyond a one-shot with Sandman, it’s also the first major story in the series that focused on one of Spider-Man’s rogues. While the first part had some controversy, it was in service to an exciting climax. This series has woven a rare web of quality for Spider-Man.

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