Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #24 (Story 1)

Background

The Marvel Adventure line features all-in-one stories of classic Marvel heroes that are designed to evoke the look and feel of classic Marvel action. These stories have no actual connection between issues (other than the major elements of the Marvel Adventure Universe itself remain the same, and recognizable to even the most casual of readers). This makes the comics themselves ideal for young readers or for fans who are looking to pick up an occasional issue without having to deal with either 45 years of continuity or the grittiness of Civil War.

Story 'Breaking up is Venomous to do!'

While Spidey over in the Regular Marvel Universe is getting back into his all- Black costume, the Marvel Adventure Spidey is (with this issue) climbing out of his (I guess that the ripple effect of the delay in the Civil War Event has spread even further, eh?) Anyway, in this issue, Spidey realizes that the Smart Stelth suit that he picked up from the Tinkerer (back in Marvel Adventures Spider-Man # 21 is actually alive, and it somehow taking over, so he dumps the suit, only to have it bond with second-story man Eddy Brock, and become Venom.

General Comments

As we open up this issue, Spider-Man is crawling down a building as second- story man Eddie Brock is climbing up the side of that same building. Spidey startles Brock, but suddenly, Spidey loses his grip and starts to fall. He freaks a bit, but spins a web, catches himself and manages to safely swing to another building's ledge. Concerned about his powers, Spidey goes to get help from the only person on the planet that he feels that he can trust for help - Mr. Fantastic of The Fantastic Four.

What Peter learns is that the suit has become sentient, and that it is dangerous for Spidey to keep wearing it. Convinced, Spidey leaves the costume behind at the Baxter Building. However, since he couldn't go home naked, The Human Torch provides him with a costume (a Human Torch costume that says, "Human Torch Rules!"). Later on that night, Torch can't help himself, and goes back into Reed's lab to try on the black costume. As soon as he opens the vial containing the stelth Suit, it envelops him, forming a new (cooler) costume. All jazzed up, Johnny flames on, only to discover that the suit, hates fire, and it quickly abandons its new host.

Squirting out the window, and bounces across the rooftops until it comes across Eddie Brock, and engulfs him. Being possessed by the inky blackness of the stelth suit unhinges Brock's mind. This is a bad thing for Spidey, as the suit knows everything about him, including that he is Peter Parker. Venom then heads out for Queens and Peter's house. Only he decided not to take him out then, as no one will know, and it is important to Venom that everyone sees him take Spider-Man down.

The next day at school, Peter's cloths are gone after Gym, and he accuses Flash of taking them, only it wasn't Flash. Pete's spider costume is tossed at his feet by Venom who challenges him to put it on and fight. Once peter dons his web-slinging togs, the two of them go at it big-time. Soon, their fight spills out into the gym where some girls are playing volleyball. Spidey leads Venom down a school hallway where Venom blocks Spidey from escaping out a skylight. However, during the fight, Venom suddenly stops sticking to the ceiling and falls.

Suddenly the scientist in Spidey realizes what is going on. Brock isn't superpowered like Peter, so the Stelth suit is burning through his natural abilities as its host faster than it did through Peter's. So Spidey hightails it into the chem. Lab. There he entices the suit back by "revealing" that he had made a mistake to give it up. Willing to let bygones be bygones, the suit abandons Brock to reunite with Spidey, only before it reaches him, Spidey pulls two racks of chemicals down on the suit, causing a fire and incinerating the suit. The school's security cops rush in and arrest Brock. Enraged over being beaten by Spidey and jilted by the suit, he tries to reveal Spidey's secrets, only he can't remember. Needless to say, the cops haul him off with Spidey's secret, once again safe.

Overall Rating

Stripped of the baggage of Secret Wars II and the layered history of Venom's multiple incarnations this saga of the stelth suit and its turn into venom reads pretty well. (I especially liked the bit with Johnny Storm, who - even in this universe is something of a hot dog-bonehead.) So yeah, once again this comic knocks it out of the park. Congrats to all who made it happen.

Footnote

This issue contains two back-up tales, one featuring Chris Giarrusso's Mini Marvels (staring Spidey), and one containing a short from his up-coming Franklin Richards special (no Spidey in this one, but it is still funny), both are totally hysterical.