After the Marvel Comics crossover Venom War, Eddie Brock and his son Dylan were no longer the Lethal Protector. When the series ended, All-New Venom premiered, and the question asked was, “Who is Venom?”. At first, the options were Madame Masque, Rick Jones, Robbie Robertson, or Mayor Luke Cage. Each issue removed one of them from the board.
Before All-New Venom No. 5 was released, everyone assumed that it was Paul, and people hated the idea. Then, Marvel dropped a bomb, revealing that it wasn’t any of the suspects. Our new Lethal Protector is Mary Jane Watson.
When the news was first announced, Bam Smack Pow reported how Spider-Man fans weren’t happy about the idea of MJ being Venom. This could be for several reasons; among them is that people don’t like change. To many, Eddie Brock is the only person who can be Venom. Meanwhile, there have been multiple people using that name and symbiote over the years. Among them are Flash Thompson (Agent Venom) and Mac Gargan (my personal favorite). Were any of them as good as the Brocks? Maybe not, but they brought something new to the table. That’s currently happening in Al Ewing’s All-New Venom.
All-New Venom creative team
- Writer: Al Ewing
- Artist: Carlos Gomez
- Colorist: Frank D'Armata
In a moment of honesty, I will admit that Venom isn’t one of my favorite characters. However, I’m a fan of Al Ewing. It’s the reason I gave the series a shot. So far, it’s been entertaining. Mary Jane has used the symbiote in creative ways, like making web-cannons from their arms and shoving their tendrils up M.O.D.O.K.’s nostrils. The comedy and storyline are interesting too. It makes you wonder why some aren’t enjoying the series. Is it that the person wearing the suit isn’t who fans wanted, or is it difficult to make comic book readers happy? Honestly, it’s probably both.
No matter what’s written, you’re going to find people who will dislike something and will be more than willing to tell you so. However, that’s a small group of people. If the numbers for the comic book were so bad, it would have been cancelled a long time ago. Instead, a couple of the issues are selling so many copies that they got a second printing.
There’s also a set of comic book “fans” who refuse to acknowledge that the character they love has another name. They’ll deny that Laura Kinney is Wolverine, say Miles Morales isn’t Spider-Man, and that Sam Wilson isn’t their Captain America. Meanwhile, the teams at Marvel and DC Comics are the ones who made the decision, and those decisions have paid off. There's no reason to say that this one won't either.
Lastly, this writer will say that we still don’t know how or why MJ is now Venom. The explanation could be bad. Or maybe it’s the perfect story to bring in a new era. Either way, we should wait until Al Ewing's story explains everything.
In the meantime, let's enjoy this entertaining story for exactly what it is: Good old-fashioned fun!
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