In this review of Venom War: Spider-Man #4, Peter at a crossroads with Mary Jane’s life on the line.
VENOM WAR: SPIDER-MAN #4
Writers: Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing
Art and Main Cover: Greg Land
Variant Cover: Rafael Grassetti
Page Count: 19 pages
Release Date: November 6, 2024
Summary:
After some parting words from Venom, Peter enters the Aracniote to save MJ. He uses their hivemind to put him and MJ face-to-face with each other. MJ explains that the Aracniote is taking the power from her gauntlet, and Peter has a heart-to-heart with her about power before using the gauntlet to destroy the Arachniote from the inside. With both of them safe, they have a moment where Peter begins to continue the deep conversation they were having, but Paul’s call interrupts them. Peter, clearly hurt, leaves MJ and Paul to take the credit for the win against the Arachniote, and he returns home. Cleanup and rescue efforts begin in the city as Peter ends the issue by reflecting on his relationship with MJ and Venom.
Analysis:
Considering that Peter would be confronting the Arachniote, I wasn’t expecting much in terms of background art in Venom War: Spider-Man #4, but I was pleasantly surprised. The backgrounds are simple for many of the panels but they change nicely throughout the story. The city is bathed in sunset colors when Peter is swinging to rescue MJ, and then the background shifts to complete darkness when Peter confronts the Arachniote to find her. He is able to control their hivemind long enough to give them a private conversation, and when he does, the world is bathed in light.
The background shifts to a bright yellow, and everything from the color to how young Peter and MJ were drawn was reminiscent of the original Spider-Man comics. I loved that choice. It was as if the old stories were Peter and MJ’s safe space, but each panel was surrounded by the symbiote’s inky blackness, a constant reminder of where they truly were. Peter and MJ’s attack and the Arachniote’s explosion bring white and gold to the background, which gradually fades into blue as the reality of the city’s destruction, the injured people, and MJ’s relationship with Paul sets in. All in all, the backgrounds go through a transition that seems like it starts at sunset, turns into night, shifts into day, and eases back into sunset as the story goes on.
I also really enjoyed the story in Venom War: Spider-Man #4. There was a lot of heroism even though there wasn’t much fighting, and I feel like we went into a lot about Peter’s relationships with Venom and MJ. We know that Peter still has feelings for MJ, and sometimes it can feel annoyingly repetitive when the comics feel like they have to remind us of that fact over and over. Though this was another reminder, it had a purpose in the story other than making us feel bad for Peter, and was shown in a unique way.
Peter’s moment with Venom at the beginning of Venom War: Spider-Man #4 was short, sweet, and funny. And his farewell at the end, where he makes peace with his own choices, felt like the perfect way to end the Spider-Man section of Venom War. It also carried on his conversation with MJ earlier in the issue when he brought up power and responsibility. He acknowledges that responsibility is easy for them and that it’s the power they struggle with. At the end of the issue, he calls back to that being his strength, saying that he is the responsible one out of the people Venom calls “friend,” even if it costs him a lot.
Final Thoughts
Venom War: Spider-Man #4 was a good issue with great art and a good story to end this portion of Venom War, even if there wasn’t a lot of action.
Editor’s Note: Marvel Comics provided The Comic Book Spot with the preview images of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support us in the process by pre-ordering this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
