A strong first issue in an arc that brings Venom back to basics. Read Full Review

If you've similarly lapsed on the Lethal Protector, now's the time to check back in. Read Full Review

If anyone ever wants to contact me, look me up in my groupfor the love of comic books, I also have several comic pages dedicated to my various true loves,Batman,Spider-man,Marvel,Oldie GoldiesandHats! (Long story on that last one haha) or on Twitter@johnbatusijack Read Full Review

Venom #161 shows that Mike Costa is capable of stories more engaging than what he’s given us previously. Despite out right ignoring years of character development for Venom, I would say that his run on the character so far has been decent, but I believe he holds potential for more memorable stories like what we got today. Since this is a one-off I can recommend any fan of Venom, or Spider-Woman, to check this out, even if you haven’t been keeping up with the title to this point. It’s deeper than you’d expect and so visually pleasing. Read Full Review

This isn't really a bad issue at all, but it feels like it still isn't as good as it should be. Read Full Review

The individual elements can be enjoyed, but they don't quite form a cohesive whole. Read Full Review

Poor Venom gets just a tiny breather between crossovers, and he spends this one getting sideways with Jess "Spider-Woman" Drew. It's a very nice story and it features superb art. If Javier Garron is auditioning for a long-term role as Venom's artist, he's got my vote. Mike Costa has been sadly flattened beneath a too-aggressive crossover schedule, and he's just not getting enough space to tell the Eddie/Venom story he wants to. Glimpses like this lovely one-shot suggest that that's a real shame.

This was a really good issue. Sometimes I find myself wanting to drop Venom because as good as it is, it's really not that great either. Then issues like this come along that make me want to keep it and see where it goes. I thought the new artist was great and the story was good for a one shot.