Venom #14 Review

How do you defeat the prince of Hell? Teamwork!

Venom #14

Rick Remender has a penchant for over the top comics. Fear Agent made for Sci Fi Grindhouse fair that felt like Tarantino on paper. He turned the Punisher into a Frankenstein Creature that ruled as king of the monsters. A king who’s prime enemy was a squad of Japanese monster hunters, and boy if I didn’t love every second of it. And he has done it again here. That is what went through my head as I read “Wwe Amm Smmashh ffor Vengeannce” as said by the Red Hulk. But not just any Red Hulk mind you. No this Red Hulk sported, not only Flash Thompson’s Venom Symbiote, but the Ghost Rider’s Fire Skull and Motorcycle. What better hybrid to defeat Prince of Hell, Blackheart. Tony Moore being back at the helm is ideal for this issue. The action is constant and the humor is there as well. Remender’s humor never seems more prevalent than when Moore is drawing. They have worked together many times and they seem to mesh so well as a unit.

The story ties up nicely with a epic battle between Ghost Rider/Venom/Hulk and Blackheart. Blackheart is defeated in a clever manner using his own devices and all seems right with the world. A reminder of the Deal with the Devil that these 4 characters made is thrown in, and I wish I could just forget about it. The deal with the Devil portion of the story really killed it for me and being reminded of it in this otherwise fantastic finale seems wrong. When all is said and done though, Circle of Four ended up being a fun romp through Hell with a fresh team up of Marvel Universe characters. I think the weekly shipping factor is what made guest writers and artists a necessity, but I think the story would have been much more successful if done solely by Remender and Moore on a monthly basis. I’ll see you here next month as we kick off another story with Venom. A Venom that is no longer on the run from the government.

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Tags: Rick Remender Spider-Man Venom