Spider-view: "The Bride of Venom" (Venom, Part 8)
This anniversary two-parter has too many characters and controversial elements to feel like the celebration it should be
—by Nathan on March 20, 2025—
The symbiotic spectre of Venom continues to linger over "Spider-view."
The alien-aligned supervillain has popped up sporadically in recent posts, whether it's been his temporary team-up with Spider-Man against Carnage, or his temporary team-up with Spider-Man and Ghost Rider against the Demogoblin and other demonic entities, or his tussle with Spider-Man and Daredevil during the trial of Eddie Brock (I mean, not all of these stories can have Venom set aside his ongoing hatred for Wall-Crawler). During an arc where Spidey juggled the return of his parents with the return of the Spider-Slayers, Venom freed himself from prison to stalk the Spider again.
This time, Eddie liberated himself precisely because he learned Peter's parents were still alive. Something about their sudden reappearance got his twisted brain rolling with ideas…though what exactly he plans for this arc remains a bit of a mystery.
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Amazing Spider-Man #1, Marvel brought us a two-part story, including the giant-sized ASM #375. It's a party, ya'll. Unfortunately, it's a party hosted by Venom, who knows all about being a host, even if he isn't a great one. So that means instead of streamers and cake, we're more likely to get webbing and brains.
"The Bride of Venom"
Writers: David Michelinie (main story); Tom DeFalco, Eric Fein, and Terry Kavanagh (back-up strips)
Pencilers: Mark Bagley (main story); Pat Olliffe, Dan Panosian, and Aaron Lopresti (back-up strips)
Inkers: Randy Emberlin (main story); Mark McKenna, Dan Panosian, and Don Hudson (back-up strips)
Colorists: Bob Sharen (main story); Renee Witterstaetter and Tom Smith (back-up strips)
Letterers: Steve Dutro, Richard Starkings, and Rick Parker (main story); Dave Sharpe, Tom Smith, and Jon Babcock (back-up strips)
Issues: Amazing Spider-Man #374-375
Publication Dates: February 1993-March 1993
I recognize the enduring popularity of Venom, and I see how the character became popular among fans after his debut and kept swinging along through the 90s. You have a dark twist on Spider-Man, a newspaper employee unwilling to take responsibility for his own mistakes, fueled by his misplaced hatred towards another individual. Add in the ongoing enmity between Spidey and his "alien costume," plus Venom's size, speed, and stealth making him a formidable opponent (especially at a time when Spidey's greatest enemy was still "dead"), and it's easy to see how Brock claimed that coveted "arch-enemy role." Spidey calls him as such ("my worst enemy"), and at this particular time, it's a little difficult to say anyone else fills that spot. Yes, even Doctor Octopus or the Hobgoblin, at least during this period in the 90s.
I get all that, and I get that Michelinie enjoys gravitating towards a villain he co-created. Venom has popped up consistently during his run, and regardless of how often Michelinie tries to conclude the Spidey/Venom conflict (dumping Venom on an island, for example), the guy's an itch which won't stay scratched…which I assume is due to either Michelinie itching to use him again or fans itching for more of the black-suited bad guy.
The trouble with the character is his plots and personality often feel regurgitated from story arc to story arc. Venom hates and hunts Spider-Man, usually trying to overwhelm the hero in a physical fight after bothering him from a mental angle, all the while espousing his twisted philosophy of being innocent and protecting innocents. He's beaten, goes to prison, and inevitably escapes prison to begin the cycle anew.
Which means a good chunk of this two-part tale feels familiar, particularly an early section where Venom attacks Spidey in broad daylight. The two foes trade blows and barbs, smashing through buildings and endangering the general public. Nothing we haven't seen before, right? Michelinie works to provide some clever dialogue and constructs a few smaller moments within the larger fight to draw our attention away from the repetitive bashing–Spidey is momentarily diverted to rescue a cop, Venom stops pursuing Spidey to wax philosophical with a young child–and these moments do allow the frenetic action to slow down a moment. But even these bits aren't too unique–how many times have you seen Spidey choose to save an innocent person over chasing a villain?
What Michelinie does establish is a slight shifting in Venom's principles, and given the character's eventual, gradual turn towards anti-heroism, his little swing here is somewhat surprising. Venom has always seen himself as innocent and views Spidey as the cause behind Eddie Brock's professional failures and the reasons for the symbiote's own angst. All his hatred has been internalized. Here, interestingly, we see an outward expression of rage, as Venom begins viewing Spidey as a threat, not just to Brock and the symbiote but to the broader public as well, embracing (in a less colorful manner) a quasi-J. Jonah Jameson stance on the hero. His initial attack on Spidey, he claims, is to protect some very specific folks, and other actions throughout these issues hammer home this concept. Yes, he hates Spider-Man and would love to destroy him for that reason alone, but he feels a greater "need" to fight the Wall-Crawler.
Without getting into spoiler-y specifics, I will note that Spidey believes Venom possesses different intentions, and a bit of internal conflict is derived from those differing opinions. It pops up here and there in dialogue and thought bubbles, with Venom's intentions more obscured until the opening of the second issue. This confusion does lend itself to the physical conflict between both men, and I debated whether or not I would have preferred Michelinie keeping his readers in the dark longer regarding Venom's true machinations. The plot that unfurls, however, does align closely with the character Michelinie establishes during the first issue's fight scene, so I guess I cannot complain about him not stringing readers along a little longer. The tension lasts as long as it needs to, and once we become aware of Venom's true plan, we're allowed to sit, momentarily, in the irony it creates.
Other plot elements work into the narrative, specifically the introduction of Eddie's ex-wife, Anne Weying (the "Bride" of the title) and the use of Silver Sable's Wild Pack. These additional characters further entangle the conflict, adding unique dimensions to the final fight. The Wild Pack generally get in Spidey's way, and Anne attempts to stave off further damage from the conflict, as well as serving as the unintentional impetus around which this narrative's most controversial moment is wrapped. The Wild Pack's inclusion feels unnecessary to me, serving as a nod to a concurrent Fantastic Four story they also took part in, and only adding more bodies to the brawl. They don't cause Spidey and Venom to set aside their differences in yet another momentary team-up; they just get in the way of the two arch-foes.
Anne's inclusion feels more notable, if only for introducing another human element to Eddie Brock's backstory. In a way, it feels right for Michelinie, as Venom's co-creator, to be the one to add such an important aspect to Eddie's life and story. From a different perspective, it does feel a little odd for her to pop up suddenly 75 issues and 5 years after Venom's first appearance. Yeah, I assume Michelinie hadn't considered giving Eddie a wife initially, but as far as in-universe explanations go, Peter suddenly learning about Anne feels like an awkwardly spontaneous plot development.
Anne, as I noted, also leads to this tale's most controversial development: The Deal. After seeing Spidey save Annie's life, Venom promises to drop his vendetta with the Web-Head as long as the hero leaves him alone. With a small hint of hesitation, Spidey agrees, letting Venom go. I've seen folks on the internet debate the merits of this decision, citing a tongue-in-cheek argument that Spidey would never make a deal with such a (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) devil (effectively, allowing Venom, a criminal and murderer, to go free); the rebuttal is often that Venom would continually torment Spidey if the Wall-Crawler just webbed him up and sent him back to prison. This way, Spidey no longer needs to worry about being stalked by the man in black.
Similar to Venom's popularity, I understand the creative and editorial decisions behind this deal. It enables Venom to separate himself from the Spider-Man corner of New York for a while, to go off and be his own character in his own series. But like other decisions in this narrative–such as including the Wild Pack and introducing Anne–the in-universe narrative suffers a little from the lack of logic. My biggest gripe isn't even that the two make a deal; I find Spidey's quick agreement frustrating. There's a second of questioning before Peter agrees. This comes after a brutal fight between the two and the Wild Pack, where Venom has attempted to actively murder the hero for the second time in this two-part tale. But one little act is all Venom needs to dismiss at least a portion of his deeply held hatred towards Spidey? I don't buy it. Maybe if the Wild Pack had been removed and Michelinie had given Peter more time to ponder his choice, the deal would have been less controversial and easier to accept. But Venom's turn and Peter's acceptance, all in the span of two panels, feel far too quick for such a radical decision.
As ASM #375 marks that special 30th anniversary, we're given some back-up narratives to sweeten the issue (instead of allowing Michelinie additional page space to unfurl his packed narrative a little further). The tales aren't much to write about–Spidey recollects a few misadventures with the Human Torch (such as the time ole Flame Brain unknowingly encouraged a young Peter Parker following a defeat at the tentacles of Doc Ock), as a tie-in to an FF story where Johnny was on the lam. John Jameson, son of the Daily Bugle's irascible publisher and former Man-Wolf, is allowed a few pages to recall his own comics career, including the first time Spidey saved his life. And the Chameleon stars in a tale with a unique artistic twist as he laments the passing of his brother, Kraven the Hunter, teasing the shapeshifter's role in an upcoming narrative.
Again, none of these are really important tales, and they seem like odd choices if the prompt was supposed to be "write back-up stories of characters reflecting on their pasts," until you remember that Spidey had dealings with the Fantastic Four, the Chameleon, and John Jameson in ASM #1. Then the connection becomes clearer. It's a neat idea, but the staying power is limited. Sure, the Torch is one of Spidey's best buddies, and John and the Chameleon have been around consistently through Spidey's career, but aside from the "let's bring back characters from the very first Spider-Man issue" concept, we're given small tales about characters we may not be terribly interested in. Not enough is done to make these stories memorable once the appeal of the premise fades.
Here comes the bride…and a bunch of other characters. Venom's latest appearance is a celebration of sorts, but there's a lot of clutter found in these issues, the least of which is a whole gang of gun-toting mercenaries who feel like an afterthought until the narrative's climactic showdown. Anne Weying, though an interesting character, lacks a proper introduction, I feel, and the three backup strips, though interesting in concept, focus on characters or story beats which just don't hit any emotional soft spots for me. Wrap all this around your central villain, whose appeal is already beginning to fade thanks to consistent usage and a company's desire to make him even more prominent than he already is, and you've got a party with too many people that folks with antisocial personalities or social anxieties will want to stay away from. We've got some interesting internal conflicts propelling the fisticuffs, but a lot could have been handled better. Too many characters dividing our attention, along with a silly plot development to shuffle Venom off to the West Coast. I'll rescind my invitation to this one, Michelinie, but I'm glad I took more than two panels to consider all the facets of what you offered.