The Venoms strike back.
Venomverse has been steadily building steam over the course of its short run, morphing from an annoyingly generic crossover event to a decently enjoyable one. Unfortunately, that trend comes to an abrupt halt in the fifth and final issue. Venomverse reaches a disappointingly formulaic conclusion as the conflict boils down to one final battle between the Venoms and the Poisons.
Much of this series' recent resurgence boiled down to the emphasis on unpredictable players like Carnage and Deadpool. In both cases, those characters' mental instability and nebulous role in the conflict added a welcome dose of unpredictability to an otherwise straightforward war. This issue fails to take advantage of that unpredictability. It's basically one long fight scene. Despite the presence of a literal ticking clock, there's rarely any sense of danger or urgency to the plot. The fact that too few of the Venoms or Poisons ever developed into fully realized characters winds up being the fatal flaw of this series. It's impossible to care about a conflict where neither side is particularly compelling.
Even more annoying is the fact that this issue feels so rushed. Cullen Bunn and Iban Coello set up the grand rematch between Eddie Brock and the Poison-possessed Peter Parker, but that fight unfolds almost entirely off-panel. One of the few truly interesting character dynamics in this book is rudely shoved to the side in favor of empty spectacle. The climax of the issue is similarly cramped and compressed, leaving Eddie little room to react to a hard-won victory or bid farewell to his temporary allies. And because this issue practically bends over backwards to set the stage for a sequel, there's little sense of closure anyway.
As with every other issue of this series, it's mainly Coello's art that keeps Venomverse moving along despite its many storytelling missteps. Coello's light, dynamic style brings an energy to the page even when the conflict itself comes up lacking. Here, Coello shows a knack for keeping his pages clean and orderly despite the huge cast of characters and generally chaotic battles. It's a shame that Coello isn't given a chance to render that Eddie Brock/Peter Parker fight, but at least there's no shortage of action in general. And assuming Bunn and Coello aren't immediately steering into Venomverse 2, it would be nice to see Coello's work show up on the ongoing Venom comic.
The Verdict
Venomverse had picked up steam following an underwhelming debut last month. Sadly, the crossover falls back into old habits in its final issue. This closing issue downplays the more interesting character dynamics in favor of a generic battle between the two sides. Iban Coello's art helps to make that battle clean and easy on the eyes, but that can't change the hollow, anticlimactic nature of the story. This issue seems more interested in setting up a sequel than properly tying up loose ends, and that's never a good thing.
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