Venom #258

[laughing_tree]

Honestly, deep in my heart, I’m not 100% sure what the big problem is. If my other half was in a hell dimension for four years with a perfectly attractive dude, I’d be like, yeah, fucking go for it. Like, four years in a hell dimension… yeah, you know… -- Al Ewing

Comments

[super_fly]

Are they only just now having this conversation about Paul and the hell dimension? Seems like they could hashed it all out ages ago.

And you should probably let this one go Peter, "Lethal Protector," shouldn't be anything new, and the guy was killing entire families.

[zachbeacon]

Harder to act like you have a hard no killing rule when you have regular hangouts with Wolverine and Deadpool.

[huntleyhaverstock]

I'd argue that while Wolvie and Deadpool make their own choices, Pete is worried that Venom is a) backsliding on its efforts to be an admirable hero and b) making MJ morally complicit in things she wouldn't ever do on her own.

That said? If someone's like, "If you let me live, I will kill and kill and kill and never stop, ever, I have no remorse and no compunctions and nothing will ever dissuade me from this course of action?" I ... would be comfortable letting gravity take care of them.

[zachbeacon]

Oh, I get that this is about concern for MJ and the world is better off without guys live Torment, Carnage, and Menace

(I'd have said the same about Norman once but ...well)

But it seems massively hypocritical to be telling the alien you've repeatedly tried to kill that killing is wrong.


Then again pre-BND Peter used to have flaws (beyond just being a massive loser) and being a giant hypocrite was one of them.

[blues32]

And the way Torment was phrasing it like he was doing them a favor instead of it being a threat probably didn't help.

[super_fly]

It's definitely something to stop for a minute and consider the situation from all angles before making a rash decision: as it's happening, in this case.

Oh, he hit the ground already? Darn.

[zachbeacon]

Honestly probably the best way to handle the MJ thing short of pretending the last 20 years didn't happen.

Controversial take: the Symbiote is totally entitled to hate Spider-Man. Peter tried to kill it BEFORE it hooked up with that jerk, Eddie.

[tcampbell1000]

It might be entitled to, but it doesn't. The aggression we're seeing from it here has another purpose behind it.

[wizardru]

Wow.

...Woooooowwwww.

Symbiote takes the shot and hits, dead center. DAMN.

[numeronone]

On par with the "I guess you had a plane to catch" line thrown at poor John Proudstar in "X-Men Red".

[tcampbell1000]

There's an important follow-up to this that establishes why Venom's acting meaner to Peter than you might expect. Essentially, he's directing Peter's suspicions toward him...so that they don't fall on MJ. It's a gesture of self-sacrifice: guess where he learned that from? Ironically, pissing off Peter Parker in this moment may be the "Peter Parker-iest" thing Venom has ever done.

[blues32]

I feel Venom could have done that without resorting to such a low blow. Like, I dunno... "We guess we were too distracted by the vile words coming out of his mouth. Just...slipped our mind. Won't happen again. Pinky swear?" And the expressions need to be looking a little guilty at "won't happen again" before the biggest, wickedest grin Venom could muster before holding up their pinky. Would still seem like the symbiote is the guilty one without tearing open that never closing wound.

[starwolf_oakley]

I vaguely remember something that said the Symbiote knew how to web a falling person without whiplash because Peter thought about it a LOT. Of course, I don't know if it was Eddie or Flash, or what series or issue it was.

[huntleyhaverstock]

I had to quickly look up Carl King to make sure he was who I thought he was, and DANG do I love Al Ewing and his "every character/story matters" deep cuts.

[numeronone]

It's fascinating to me the depth of plot-manuevoring that Ewing does with that, considering that when you re-read that "Tangled Web" story, it's very clear that the non-Peter characters (Carl King, Jess Patton, Skye) were stand-ins for existing Marvel characters (Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, MJ) that editorial didn't want Garth Ennis doing nasty stuff to.

So grandfathering Carl back in to continuity does make Peter's life seem extra miserable: getting horribly abused by Carl on a physical and emotional level while Flash is also there (from High School onward at least), just being vaguely obnoxious and self-centred.

[tcampbell1000]

Right there with you.

[nyadnar17]

Brings up an interesting point.

It can be harder when it is someone you consider an uggo. Its weird but I am looking at them and going "wait if you think that is hot then what do I actually look like?"

[numeronone]

Somehow I picture Al writing this having rolled up his sleeves and donned a big pair of yellow rubber gloves, dust mask and safety goggles.

[sean_613]

It's a shame that Paul had to die, in order for Dylan to own the fact that he was a dick. Speaking of dick moves... "We didn't want to pull a Gwen Stacy". Damn

[thanekos]

" I'd never stop. "

As a Steve Ditko creation grounded in moral absolutism who went on to be handled by others, Peter may not have the developed philosophy of Vic Sage, but at least he never became a joke like Hank and Don Hall.

[numeronone]

It's also a weird echo of Immortal Hulk's line of "What if you made [the billionaires] pay for what they've done? What if you never stopped?", itself a reference to World War Hulk's "Never stop making them pay!"

[tcampbell1000]

Al Ewing's quote is 100% correct, and I'll stand out there on the line of fire with him.

My issues with the Paul storyline were entirely about how plot-driven versus character-driven it was (Paul made it almost to the end of it with no more development than "generic civilian Peter-like stand-in"), so it's been pretty great to see a character-driven writer like Ewing go at it.

[beyondthefringe]

The new and improved Venom - now with boobs!
You just know that’s gonna make a lot of the superhuman community uncomfortable, confused, and possibly aroused.

[blues32]

Wouldn't be the first time.

[blues32]

Carl God Damn King. Peter has had his share of vile villains, but HIM? Stomach turning. I know that bringing him back would somewhat diminish the impact of that issue (Peter facing his childhood tormentor, even removing his mask so it was Peter Parker Carl was facing...) ...but if he showed up just to be devoured by Morlun or something, that would tickle me.

Also, "perfectly attractive dude"? We talking about the same Paul here? Captain Manbun?

[numeronone]

Remember: this is superhero universe attractiveness, where large muscled bods are the primary thing. The closest to a "Dad Bod" we've ever seen on a recurring character is, I dunno, Volstagg.

[shakalooloo]

Peter really should get a therapist.

[starwolf_oakley]

How about Dr. Ludwig Rinehart? Oh, wait.

[scorntx]

Well, there's always... uh... er...
... actually, come to think of it, where's Doc Samson gotten to?
(Are he and Gamma Flight still on the run somewhere? Because that was a few status quos ago.)

[cainofdreaming]

Doctor Faustus will see you now.

[numeronone]

I mean, he is currently a sasquatch also.

[scorntx]

And yet somehow still better than most of the alternatives.
(Usually.)

[numeronone]

True; but what I was getting at is that, like all Sasquatches, that might make him a little difficult to get ahold of.