7/23 Comic Review: That’s the Deal with Yaleo?!
Spiderverse vs Venomverse #3 written by Mat Groom and Kyle Higgins with art by Jim Towe
“We all deserve to survive.”
Ok, let’s get this out of the way now so I can actually focus on the rest of the issue. We finally find out what the deal with Yaleo is and I LOVE it. Love, love, love it. I had been so curious about him and the revelation was better than anything I could have imagined. If we don’t get a Yaleo mini-series from this creative team after this series wraps up, I’m going to riot. There’s so much to be explored, especially in regards to his relationship with one of the Spiders. And don’t even get me started on that final page. I don’t think a single comic page has ever hyped me up as much as this one. My hat goes off to Jim Towe for drawing my new all-time favorite page in comics. I’d love a director’s cut issue with some behind-the-scenes notes of what went into designing that final scene. I’m trying my best to talk around it, but the designs we’re presented with at the end draw influence from some specific source material and it would be really cool to get some insight into what that creative process was like and what some of the iterations of those designs might have been. Alright, now I’m going to take some deep breaths and come back to talk about the rest of the issue without gushing about Yaleo.
Still here? Then let’s get to it. This issue picks up with Spider-Prowler in the hands of the symbiotes. Most of them are calling for blood with various degrees of enthusiasm, but it’s clear that they’re not as unified as they had been in the previous issues. That only becomes more apparent when the Spiders charge in with Eddie Brock in tow. Unfortunately, despite Eddie’s best efforts, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the bad blood between the two sides is only getting worse and he may have to fully commit to one before they all end up erased from existence. Of course, throughout the conflict, we’re reminded once again that it isn’t as simple as good versus evil. Even after Recluse is given the chance to take out Agent Venom and reduce the symbiotes’ fighting power even more, a conversation with Anne’s symbiote leaves her questioning if anyone could come out of this a hero.
The round ends with both sides in their respective corners being given the briefest of chances to lick their wounds. Once again, the fast-pace serves the story by showing just how exhausting and frantic these events have been. There have been so many glimpses of evidence that a compromise could be reached if both sides could be given time to sit down and talk, but time is something that has continuously been denied our heroes, forcing them to make desperate decisions and commit to fighting a conflict they don’t fully understand or agree with. As the round ends, both teams are given yet another new member to help round out their forces. On the symbiote side, we get Venom Bloom, a shambling, muck-encrusted mockery of a symbiote. And on the Spider side, we get (drum roll) the emissary of hell, Takuya Yamashiro himself! Seeing tokusatsu Spider-man making an appearance had me vibrating with an energy that carried me through the rest of the issue and nearly exploding with that last page. I mentioned this in the first issue, but I love the acknowledgement that some of these characters have quite a few crossovers under their belts. Takuya has met both Peters Parker and Porker and has a moment with each of them. His brief exchange with Spider-Ham in particular had me wondering if Ham’s actions in the previous issue regarding Weapon VIII were going to have unexpected consequences in the concluding issue, but none of that matters because we get a new costume! Fellow new addition Web-Weaver points out that, other than an admittedly hard to miss metal bracelet, both the friendly neighborhood and vengeful neighborhell Spider-Men have the same look and that just won’t do. For the sake of easier identification in battle, Takuya agrees to a costume change and gets a look clearly drawing influence from Kamen Rider and it. Is. Awesome. (Just want to ask(beg) one more time for a spin-off tokusatsu miniseries from this team. Please guys?)
With the addition of the coolest guy on any Earth to their roster, the Spiders charge into battle against the symbiotes. Of course, no emissary from hell is complete without his own giant robot. Enter Leopardon in all his glory, here to end the battle once and for all. However, things are never that simple and one final (and amazing) revelation makes it clear that this battle isn’t going to be nearly as one-sided as the Spiders were hoping.
I mentioned Jim Towe’s work on the last few pages, but this whole issue looks great. He continues the theme of parallel scenes between the Spiders and the symbiotes which helps remind us that while each side has their distinct qualities, they’re all ultimately people just trying to survive and do right by those in their care. The way he blocks scenes is nothing short of impressive either. This book is filled with characters with very similar motifs and fighting styles and it should be basically impossible to track anything when the fighting starts, but there was not a single moment I found myself getting lost while reading. The fights are masterfully choreographed, every character gets at least one moment and they all manage to feel distinct from one another. Ok, I’m going to gush about that last page one more time. The problem is that it’s just so cool! Not to mention the second to last page and the awesome new design that we’re presented with. It would be a crime for that character to go away after this crossover ends and, if there is justice in this world, the powers that be at Marvel have already green-lit a mini-series that would surely be all I’ve ever wanted in my life.
The penultimate issue of one of the best crossover comics I’ve read in ages has absolutely knocked it out of the park and left me wanting not only more of this story, but more of these characters. It balances the struggles of our heroes and their burdens of responsibility along with providing some insane action sequences. The book is a ton of fun and has a ton of heart which are the two key ingredients in all the best Spider-stories. Don’t sleep on this hit in the making, you’ve got a month to catch up before the final issue, and I promise that you won’t want to miss it.