Web of Venom #1 Is a Good Enough First Issue but Doesn’t Make an Argument for Its Existence (Review)

Marvel Comics has been going all in symbiotes for years now. The late ’10s made Venom into a big deal again, and since then the House of Ideas has been giving readers a symbiotic saga that has seen all new characters take up the mantle of Venom, Carnage, and battle against the god of symbiotes Knull. “Death Spiral” has been running through the Spider-Man and Venom books, and Marvel is gearing up for Queen in Black, a story that is supposed to be a sequel to the last linewide symbiote event King in Black. Symbiotes are being pushed hard again, and Web of Venom #1 is the latest attempt to use symbiotes to boost sales.

This first issue introduces an all-new symbiote, with a host that no one would have guessed: Boomerang. The villain has had a pretty good 21st century, thanks to his place in Superior Foes of Spider-Man and the Nick Spencer run of The Amazing Spider-Man, and making him a symbiote hero is a fun idea. This is a decent enough first issue, but it also doesn’t really make a great argument for why we have this book.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Web of Venom #1 Is a Textbook First Issue That Feels Empty of Any Purpose

Marvel is honestly sort of desperate right now. They’re getting trounced on the sales charts and are doing everything they can to get readers to pick up their books. Symbiotes have been a sure seller for years; numerous Marvel characters have gotten them, and sometimes it makes sense and other times it doesn’t. Putting a symbiote on Boomerang is a fun idea for a one-shot, but for a whole series? At the very least, writer Jordan Morris is able to capture the humor and charm of the Z-list villain, which makes the issue rather readable. The plot is fine, but it also shows how weak this premise is.

The book opens in media res, and then goes through a long exposition session to set up how Boomerang got the symbiote. It’s entertaining enough, but it feels like this is a pretty common Marvel first issue trope lately. It feels like every story opens this way, and then does a flashback for exposition purposes. We get some action scenes, but nothing in this book jumps out. There’s really no hook here at all for the rest of the series. Basically, if you don’t already love Boomerang, this book isn’t going to do anything for you. It’s empty calories; it tastes fine, but there’s nothing nourishing.

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The Art Matches the Writing of This Book: Fine but Uninspired

Web of Venom #1’s art is by Luke Ross and Ramon Rosanas, and much like the writing, it’s all fine. Ross and Rosanas are old pros, so they know what they’re doing at least. The detail and figure work are nice, the action scenes are fluid, and the character acting is pretty good. All in all, there’s nothing really bad about the art, but it’s not really memorable.

Marvel has something of a house style nowadays. Basically, a lot of artists try to ape the work of Pepe Larraz, and Ross and Rosana follow that style to the tee. There’s not much else to it, though, and no really interesting pages. It’s all competent, but other than that, nothing is going to blow you away. There’s really not much else to say about it; none of the images in this book are going to stay with you after you put it down, which is a pretty big problem for a first issue of any comic.

That’s endemic of the whole issue. This book is the definition of average. There’s nothing that’s going to anger anyone, and it is an entertaining read, but there’s no reason to keep it going. This could have been a fun over-sized one-shot, but instead we’re going to get a book that will last five or ten issues and go away. It’s the anniversary of the creation of Venom, and symbiotes sell, so it’s easy to see why Marvel put the book out. However, that doesn’t mean they should have. This is the kind of first issue you buy, are vaguely entertained by, and then never pick up the second issue.

Web of Venom #1 is on sale now.

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