Serials: Wheelchair Spider-Man, Spider-bully, and more

Venom, Inc. Pts 4 & 5
Amazing Spider-Man #793 & Venom #160
by Dan Slott, Mike Costa and Ryan Stegman

The sooner you realize that this Spider-Man isn't sympathetic, the better. The "Spidey-as-bully" dynamic that's been introduced here takes on its own life, as Spidey performs the bidding of ??? Price, the villain of this Venom, Inc. crossover, robbing a truck and brutally beating on some regular people. I've already forgotten Price's first name, simply because he's just not that memorable. But his whole deal is that he's making a run for the five mob families of New York with a symbiote he's stolen from Maniac, a supporting character from Flash Thompson's Venom days.

There's enough continuity here that you'd be better off with this story if you were a Venom fan. I've been curious but have never dived into those myself. But if anything, Eddie Brock/Flash Thompson are the protagonists of this story, rather than Peter Parker, who plays nothing more than a henchman -- a henchman who still says "Yoiks."

After Spidey is cured in Amazing, the motley crew of Felicia, Eddie, Flash, Andi, and Peter take on Price's gang of Venoms. Venom #160 comprises of the battle, which is nice, because we don't have to contend with the weird depictions of pet Venom, or annoying Spider-snark. The action scenes are fun to read, and there's a bit of characterization with Flash and Eddie when they're pinned down in a firefight.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #'s 25 & 26, "Arms Race" Conclusion & "Oldies Pt 1"
by Robbie Thompson, Chris Bachalo & Scott Hepburn

Well, if you didn't get enough of Spider-Man, here's his team-up book with Deadpool! This title is a humor/buddy comic, with the absurd elements coming from Deadpool, and Spider-Man playing the part of the straight man. Easily, it works and, it's refreshing to see a Peter Parker that's not constantly cracking a joke. He's more than a comedian, after all.

I haven't been following this series at all -- but with Wheelchair Spidey gracing the cover of #26, I couldn't help myself. Wheelchair Spidey. Issue 25 is the conclusion to "Arms Race," while Issue 26 is the start of "Oldies". It's easy to get confused at the tail end of an arc, but I put some extra effort into it, and Chris Bachalo's pencils didn't make it seem like a chore. I'm of the opinion that any story works in media res, so the story worked for me. Also: laser sharks and Hellcow.

Hellcow was a creation of Steve Gerber and Frank Brunner's, in an old Howard the Duck comic. She was originally a prize-winning milk-producing cow, until Dracula feasted on her blood in the absence of human's, turning her into a vampire cow capable of flight and superbovine strength. Apparently, from her wiki page, she's been co-opted into Deadpool stories. Hellcow.

Issue 26 begins the "Oldies" storyarc, a story in which Peter and Wade are now among the elderly, and share the same senior home. There's some great inner monologuing from Peter, who's given up the webs as a paraplegic, paired with a ladykiller Wade who's shacking up with a different woman (cougar?) every day.

Issue 26 was all I needed to know that Robbie Thompson understands both of these characters and how to play them off of each other. Scott Hepburn's pencils capture the emotions of a man past his prime, but not his expiration date. There's a silent three-page sequence where Peter finds a thief, that's very powerful. Kudos to both the writer, for letting the art breath, and the artist for weaving together a strong set of scenes. His use of shading for action is an exciting break in otherwise static images, and he uses them well. Thompson doesn't take shortcuts, filling in the details of the backgrounds for set panels, and emphasizing emotions in background-less panels. Further kudos to the colorist, who establishes this tone of the senior home with dry, realistic colors -- and then splashing bright yellow to tie in with the superheroics. It's a blend of the mundane with the extraordinary, comic relief with pathos. This is a well-done comic book on all fronts, and I'm in for next month!

Here's the scene referenced, for your enjoyment:

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