Edge of Venomverse continues and…Oh God what IS that?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Christopher Hastings
Art: Irene Strychalski
Colors: Java Tartaglia
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
A PINK NIGHTMARE! The wall-breaking wunderkind we call Gwenpool gets ahold of the VENOM SYMBIOTE and turns into a sword-slinging,web-swinging master of disaster! But it won’t all be fun and games when Gwenpool comes across something huge… something that will directly lead to the Venom event of 2017!
Content: (warning, content sections may contain spoilers)
Well, another issue of Edge of Venomverse, with the same concept as last time. Take a character and give them a symbiote. This time, we’ve given Gwenpool a symbiote, and boy was this concept weird. We’ve jumped into a more cartoony setting for Gwenpool, as she struggles to resist the violent urges of Venom and win the affection of Daredevil. We follow Gwenpool as she struggles to juggle her job, being a hero, and the symbiote, with mixed success. Gwenpool gets to fight side by side with Daredevil, but when our heroine finally gets what she wanted, she has a sudden realization about the whole thing and runs off.
The concept just confuses me. It still holds true to its overall concept, and in doing so it isn’t that bad, really. It’s rather short and gives implications that something’s going on that we don’t know about yet. Gewnpool is certainly still in character with a new twist, as seen in her battles and interaction, and her interactions with Daredevil are where she shines really, like the first time she meets Matt and she’s just bitten a Hand ninja in half. The affair here does feel shorter than last time, but that doesn’t seem to affect the story being told.
In Summary:
It gives us exactly what’s on the can. It’s Gwenpool, but with a little venomized twist. The concept and execution aren’t bad and in fact should make fans of Gwenpool smile, but the art is a different story. The art here opted for a more cartoonish style, a startling contrast to the look of the previous issue, and it doesn’t really feel like it works here. The writing is ok and works for the character for the most part, but it does feel sillier than last issue and I’m still unsure if it meshes with the event at large. The tone is very jokey and the visuals, dialogue, and writing all lend to that.
The description of the book says she discovers something that leads into the big Venomverse event, but the one big discovery in here makes little real sense. Something about the Matt Murdoch she was courting not being the “real” one, but it’s not explained well at all. This is a book that works well for Gwenpool fans, but may not be for you if you’re not. It does well with the humor and Gwen in awkward situations, but falls flat when it comes to the look and the feel. Pick it up if you’re a Gwenpool fan or if you just need to have all the Edge Of Venomverse issues.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: T+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: July 12, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
