Venom #165

THE NATIVITY pt II

Written by Mike Costa
Penciled by Mark Bagley
Cover by Ryan Stegman
Published April 25, 2018

   As Venom and Eddie sit strapped in a van care of the now alive Claire Dixon, Eddie can’t believe the symbiote kept its pregnancy from him. Suddenly the Scorpion has had enough, and surprises Venom by attacking them but not before Spider-Woman shows up to defend him. She and Venom get away just as the van slams into a stopped car.

"Told you we shoulda let Scorpion drive..."

   Spider Woman carries Venom to safety while Mac yells at Claire for losing the suit. Eddie and his alien take off, determined to get revenge on whomever spilled the pregnancy secret. That man is assumed to be Alchamax’s Dr. Steve, but after a conversation he learns it’s not the case. Meanwhile the Scorpion tries to use his old security contacts for building access, mostly to no avail.

Obviously a trustworthy guy.

   Eddie and the suit are busy birthing the alien when Mac shows up, of course covered in blood. Eddie fights back while Dr Steve midwifes, but just as the Scorpion gets the upper... tail, it’s shot by Claire Dixon. Sadly the entire situation was for naught - the alien appears to be stillborn.

Looks like Venom just took a dump.

   The issue wraps in Liz Allain’s office. But as Eddie and his former boss talk, it’s revealed that the baby actually survived. Eddie and his suit will get to remain part of the baby Venom’s life, promising bi-weekly visits. As he walks away, Venom finally understands it doesn’t just have to be about it and Eddie alone anymore. It’s about family. With that, this issue and this series come to a final conclusion.

Wow. What a family portrait.

   And thus the Mike Costa era in the pages of Venom comes to an end. When he took this series over two years ago from Cullen Bunn, I legit thought he wouldn’t make it. Obviously Bunn sets the bar pretty high in his books, and I personally thought Costa had a rocky start. But he’s managed to reinvent this monster, going from Scorpion to Lee Price and finally back to Eddie. I don’t know if anyone could have done it better. I give this one a 10/10.

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