SWAMP THING versus SCARECROW

Urban Jungle (DC)
Where: Swamp Thing #19 When: June 2013
Why: Charles Soule How: Kano

The Story So Far...
A mysterious figure known as The Seeder has been leading Swamp Thing on a grim quest across the globe. As champion of The Green, it has been Swamp Thing's solemn duty to restore balance by destroying the lush crops created in unnatural environments.

Weary of his mission after destroying a war torn tropical rainforest in the Sahara; Swamp Thing seeks the solace of the man-made cities he left behind in his former life. Thus, he travels the network of The Green to arrive in Metropolis, where night has fallen, and the Botanical Garden sits quietly nestled within the concrete jungle.

The solitary, after hours walk reconnects him with fond memories of past visits when Alec Holland was a mere grad student. He hears rustling excitement shimmering through the trees as their defender walks near, but the rats gnawing at banyan roots aren't the only threat. An interloper has broken in to prune samples of a rare poisonous flower -- The Scarecrow!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Swamp Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 5 (Professor)
Speed: Draw 2 (Average)
Stamina: Swamp Thing 6 (Generator)
Agility: Swamp Thing 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting: Swamp Thing 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Swamp Thing 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Swamp Thing 33 (Super)

Scientist Alec Holland was working on a bio-restorative formula when a bomb planted in his Louisiana laboratory set off an unforeseen chain reaction! Aflame, and doused in his own experimental formula -- Holland ran burning to the swampland outside, infusing the marsh with his consciousness as his body was returned to the earth and replaced by the form of Swamp Thing!

As an avatar for the collective will of all natural life and vegetation, Swamp Thing has access to a broad range of abilities associated with "The Green".

Along with the super-human strength his humanoid plant-form possesses, Swamp Thing is also intrinsically linked to flora, able to conjure and manipulate a mighty forest from a simple sapling. He can also benefit from the properties of plants, allowing him to regenerate, grow an entire new body, and travel along root systems. He commands these skills with the intelligence of Alec Holland.

Scarecrow is a learned man himself, but his interest lies in the nature of the mind. A former psychologist: Jonathan Crane's focus on the field of fears and phobia became a sadistic obsession he inflicted on the citizens of Gotham City.

Crane specializes in turning plant toxin and chemicals into potent hallucinogens capable of inducing intense terror in unwilling subjects. We saw an example of these results when Batman attacked his protégé Robin in Batman #629.

The Batman remains Scarecrow's most persisting arch-nemesis. He was there to thwart an attempt to poison children through manufactured dolls in Batman: Dark Victory #3, and provided dread when Crane's experiments robbed him of the sensation of fear in Batman: Gotham Knights #49!

For the most part, Scarecrow poses very little physical threat. He briefly gained the ability to transform into a towering Scarebeast, as in Batman #628, but this Jekyll & Hyde ailment was ultimately short-lived.

Scarecrow's dominion remains that of the mind. His devious ability to refine & reinvent his fear-inducing formulas -- and their method of delivery -- makes him a constant danger to even those who've been inoculated. Which leaves only one question for today's featured battle: Does a plant know what it is to be afraid?..

The Tape: Swamp Thing Ranking: Scarecrow (#382)

What Went Down...
The seclusion of Metropolis Botanic Gardens after dark is interrupted when a wiry figure breaches the outer gate and prowls towards a small bed of blue flowers. Ignoring the warning signs, he squats to begin pruning the bulbs.

Knowing these buds as the potentially deadly digitalis terrorem -- Swamp Thing intervenes with a long, green tendril extending from the shadows of surrounding trees. The vine snags Scarecrow by the wrist and pulls his clippers skyward.

Swamp Thing's disembodied voice booms through the night, explaining the peril of the fear-inducing plant, which causes terrifying hallucinations and can kill if ingested. Properties he knows no doubt attracted the sack-masked villain.

Scarecrow explains his interest in the plant while hurriedly clipping away at the vine ensnaring his arm. The plant recoils back to its source in the dark, allowing the Scarecrow to finish stuffing his bag and smell the flower.

At last Swamp Thing emerges from the dark to loom suddenly in the moonlight. Even the fear-mongering villain finds himself startled by the monstrous figure!

The avatar of The Green orders Scarecrow to stop what he's doing, but he refuses, throwing a cloud of fear gas at the towering figure!

The Swamp Thing disappears within a pinkish-red cloud of gas, but his plant body is unfazed by its typical terror-inducing properties.

The powers of The Green prove far more effective against Scarecrow. With but a thought, Swamp Thing stirs the straw in Scarecrow's costume to grow anew, stretching into strands of ensnaring grass that wraps around his head!

In an act of desperation Scarecrow throws his hand out and sprays more jets of fear-toxin. While his right hand frantically grapples with the choking strands of grass, the other blasts a rainbow of gas in yellow, blue, green, and orange!

Swamp Thing is once again dismissive of the attack -- until the orange haze begins to take effect! His words fade to a long groan and his body goes limp.

The grass around his face and throat goes dead and Scarecrow is free to analyze his success. His fear formula comes in many varieties, prepared for any number of threats that might come his way. In the orange concoction - a brew of sixty-percent carbon dioxide perfectly absorbed by a plant body!

Scarecrow's gloating over the motionless body of his victim is cut short as a great rumble rolls in from the direction of the city.

As he turns, Jonathan Crane finds a most unexpected consequence of Swamp Thing's fearful rest: Metropolis is being overrun with gigantic vines!

The Hammer...

A simple choice of chemical ingenuity gives Scarecrow an unlikely victory, but you can bet its a temporary one! Not only is there out of control greenery to contend with, but also the hovering presence of Metropolis' favourite son, who has a sneaking suspicion he should be looking for Swamp Thing, at issue's end.

I've been looking for an opportunity to do much the same for quite some time now. This weird and wonderful combat combination is another installment in our October of Halloween horrors, but regular readers will also know it marks the long overdue arrival of Swamp Thing on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths!

Swamp Thing was one of the great creations of the Bronze Age, and an icon of the loosening standards of the Comics Code Authority in the early 1970s. He was the retro-tinged brainchild of Len Wein, whose work with artist Bernie Wrightson was beaten to the muck monster publishing trend by Marvel's Man-Thing just a few months earlier.

Both creations owed a tremendous debt to the 1940s comic book swamp monster, The Heap, as well as the convergent inspirations of movies like The Creature From the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, and horror's general resurgence within the censored comic book medium.

The original Swamp Thing first appeared in House of Secrets #92 (July 1971), before the character and concept was refined for the introduction of Alec Holland in the pages of Swamp Thing #1 (November 1972).

The Holland incarnation was the one that would become a pop cultural icon, surpassing Swamp Thing's contemporaries and forebears with a particular boost in the eighties through Alan Moore's revered run writing the series, and the two theatrical releases it helped to spawn.

Swamp Thing's influence at that time could also be felt in unrelated creations, like The Toxic Avenger, which participated in some indirect way with my fandom for the character's iconography.

Moore's work also facilitated the formulation of DC's Vertigo imprint. Swamp Thing was effectively tied up by Vertigo for the better part of three decades, allowing for the character's adult and conceptual potential to be fully explored.

You could never ask for that to be undone, but when Swamp Thing made his return to the DC Universe proper in 2010's Brightest Day, it was exciting. The line-wide reboot of The New 52 was very much not exciting, but in spite of its core foundational issues, it continued the further re-integration of Swamp Thing into the modern DCU, and the push for varied publishing was generally positive.

As a young reader, one of the few Swamp Thing comics I actually owned was a black & white oversized reprint that featured a story with Batman. Sadly, I don't remember what the story was, but if memory serves, it wasn't the type of action-packed crossover we would necessarily be talking about here.

Swamp Thing #19 in some small way echoes that childhood reading with the unusual challenge of Scarecrow against Swamp Thing. An irregular match-up that might be a little bit more interesting on paper than in execution.

At only twenty pages, the issue is generally a fairly light read split into two parts. The first half strolls casually through an episode of The Seeder plot, with a broad recap of Swamp Thing's musings and abilities transitioning to the second-half guest villain battle. It's good, but offers little in the way of nuance.

I don't want to dwell on the negatives too much. I'm quite simply not a fan of the New 52 and all it wrought. Some of that appears to inform things I didn't love about this issue, such as its relative simplicity. These read like introductory models of the characters, possibly informed by lesser multimedia incarnations.

That the crux of Scarecrow's appearance hinges on collecting blue flowers reads like a very weak reference to the derivative media of Batman Begins. It's not the worst thing in the world, but pretty on-the-nose for a medium that should offer so much more. Before the reboot, DC were fantastic at rooting character's appearances in deeper exploration and refinement of character's core concepts.

Artist Kano renders the type of iconic Swamp Thing you would expect to see in this kind of comic and that's a positive. Some of his layouts, particularly in the Scarcrow fight, leave some dead space with their large slanted panels, but the storytelling is clear, and tremendously supported by colorist Matthew Wilson.

For the most part I enjoyed this issue and that's the note we'll end on. If you'd like to get a taste for it yourself, you can pick this issue up collected in Swamp Thing Vol.4: Seeder.

Use the Amazon link provided when you shop and you'll not only get a pretty darn good deal, but also ensure Amazon wields The Green to support Secret Wars on Infinite Earths at no extra charge to you!

Hopefully we'll be seeing more Swamp Thing on the site in the future. You can find and discover more by following links in this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue.

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Winner: Scarecrow
#125 (+257) Scarecrow
#891 (new) Swamp Thing (Alec Holland)

BETA RAY BILL versus SILVER SURFER
Godhunter: Part Two (Marvel)
Where: Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2 When: September 2009 Why: Kieron Gillen How: Kano

The Story So Far...
After escaping an infernal parallel dimension to be briefly imprisoned by a Skrull invasion fleet; Beta Ray Bill renews his efforts as a Norse empowered hero with greater fervor than ever before. Driven to avenge the eradication of the last survivors of his Korbinite brethren, Bill accepts the burden of hunting Galactus -- the omnipotent cosmic being whose insatiable appetite claimed his people's second home planet during his absence.

Against the advice of allies such as the mighty Thor himself, Bill uses his Norse given powers, and those of his own people's sciences, to take to the stars. He has faced Galactus before, however, and is not nearly naive enough to believe himself capable of destroying the ancient devourer. Thus, Bill takes upon himself the burden of what is necessary to destroy Galactus...

Threatened with the prospect of having every world destroyed from beneath his hungry gaze by Beta Ray Bill, Galactus deploys his most legendary herald to succeed where his other, Stardust, had failed. Thus, the Silver Surfer emerges to face his former ally, with the purpose of ending his violent scheme.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Silver Surfer 5 (Professor)
Speed: Silver Surfer 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Silver Surfer 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Beta Ray Bill 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Silver Surfer 7 (Cosmic)


- Once an inhabitant of the paradise world Zenn-La; Norrin Radd was forced to enter into a faustian pact for his soul in order to protect his planet and beloved, Shalla-Bal, from the endless hunger of omnipotent world devourer, Galactus.
Pledged to serve as herald to the devourer and seek out planets to satisfy his sustainance, Radd was bathed in the Power Cosmic, transforming him into the chrome-coated space rider and harbinger of death, the Silver Surfer.

When first leading Galactus toward Earth, the Silver Surfer was engaged by the Fantastic Four, who were aided by The Watcher. During battle with Thing, the Surfer was knocked into the studio appartment of a blind artist, Alicia Masters. The kind touch and concern of the sculptress was key to reawakening the spirit of Norrin Radd, who then chose to use his powers against his master. Galactus spared Earth, but exiled his herald to the confines of the Milky Way Galaxy. As a result, he briefly held membership with The Defenders, along with adventuring many more times alongside the Fantastic Four.

The Power Cosmic grants Silver Surfer a near limitless array of abilities, many of which are rarely explored. At the outer limits of his skill, the Surfer has been shown to adapt telepathy, convert matter into alternate substances, and even time travel. More typically, he possesses greatly enhanced strength, stamina, and endurance sufficient enough to withstand even the harshest of environments unphased. He channels cosmic energy into projectile bolts as a means of combat, and can also control all aspects of his board, upon which he travels. The board is an extension of his being, but does not have any inherent baring on his power.

- Emerging from the destruction of their home in the Burning Galaxy; survivors of the Korbinite race travelled through space to escape their demonic destroyers. Championed by the scientifically enhanced warrior, Beta Ray Bill, they travelled in suspended animation in a fleet of warships led by sentient vessel Skuttlebutt, designed to aid Bill in his battle against the demons that pursued them to the Milky Way Galaxy. There, Bill was met by Thor, who he hastily bested in combat and accidentally replaced when clutching the mythic hammer, Mjolnir.

Mystic enchantments prevent any but those whose spirit is truly worthy to wield the hammer of Thor. Beta Ray Bill was quickly able to prove his nobility to Odin, ruler of Asgard, and earn the same blessings as Thor when granted a mythic hammer of his own, dubbed Stormbreaker.

The weapon enhanced his already impressive strength and durability, granting him much the same powers of flight, strength, and weather manipulation as Thor. Beta Ray Bill was able to wield these powers against the mutual enemy of both the Norse Gods and Korbinites -- the fire demon, Surtur. He remains a champion and ally to those in Asgard, Earth, and countless other worlds.

Math: Silver Surfer Ranking: Silver Surfer (#35)

What Went Down...
Running in pursuit, Silver Surfer attempts to quell his former ally's firey attitude with a verbal request. The Surfer's pleas are met with a bolt fired by the hammer forged for Beta Ray Bill by order of Odin himself: a shot that does not strike it's chromed target, but creates diversion enough to allow the sentient ship, Skuttlebutt, to continue toward the target planet which Galactus intends to devour -- I'Than Prime!

Driven by a zealous determination, Beta Ray Bill again defies the Silver Surfer's attempts to rekindle their alliance of previous trusts. Without a hint of forgiveness he rises Stormbreaker above his head and strikes down at the herald of Galactus, callously judging him for his compliance, "... You serve Galactus. Thus your hands are bloody red."

The hammer leaves a crackling trail of electric energy as it knocks the Surfer clean off his board! The blow proves powerful enough to send the herald smashing into the beseiged Skuttlebutt -- he emerges with a blast of the power cosmic, requesting an opportunity to explain his renewed affiliation with Galactus. Stormbreaker absorbs the energy blast as effortlessly as Bill does the Silver Surfer's attempts to resolve the conflict peacefully.

In his staunch opposition, Beta Ray Bill does not notice the Silver Surfer's board circling around behind him. Controlling remotely as an extention of the Silver Surfer himself, it delivers a crushing blow to the base of Bill's skull!

The Silver Surfer follows his ambush attack with a rare strike from his fist.
It is a demonstration of the power his otherwise unassuming form contains, the gift the impossible power cosmic! Repeat blows spatter Beta Ray Bill's blood into space, left to drift until an opposing force slows it down.

Burning with cosmic energy, the Silver Surfer commands a battered Beta Ray Bill to remain defeated. He asks why he would defy the inevitable, to which the hammer-wielding hero retorts with the tale of the extinction of the Korbinite people. The tale of loss is one Norrin Radd -- the man the Surfer once was -- can understand all too well, as is the plight now faced by the I'Than race. The Surfer, though clearly troubled, is rendered inert by the conflict his renewed pledge to Galactus inspires. It is a moment easily capitalized upon...

Skuttlebutt fires upon the unsuspecting Surfer, unleashing a volley of blasts that send him drifting limply. The distance allows Beta Ray Bill to be reunited with his ship with the purpose of reaching the nearby planet before his opponent.

Skuttlebutt is forced to negotiate a dense field of floating space mines, sure to be easily maneuvered through by the lithe Silver Surfer, who quickly recovers and resumes his pursuit. Skuttlebutt endures the mine's explosions, but I'than attack drones prompt the Silver Surfer to flee the airspace. It is a distanced conclusion to their battle.

The Hammer...
Ladies and gentlemen; I "ummed" and I "ahhed," but in the end, I felt I had no choice but to declare this cosmic kerfuffle a draw. A less than impressive debut for Beta Ray Bill in the Infinite Wars rankings, but none the less, accurate.

Since starting The Comic Book Fight Club way back at the end of 2005, I've been hatching different schemes to get Bill in on the action. What can I say? If you're a long time reader, you know I have a soft spot for some of the so-called "unimportant" secondary characters that popular the Marvel and DC universes. I think it's fair to say that, in the grand scheme of the pseudo league this site maintains, that these characters are also what makes ranking comic book fights a lot of fun. Afterall, we all know Superman, Batman, Spider-man and the like will dominate the upper rankings. (Or so we assume).

At the time of this writing, we're well into mid-March, so I've had about half a year to get my hands on the first issue of Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter that I initially overlooked. I'm glad I did. Like so many comics these days, it was easy to read on without the set-up provided by the first issue, but it added a little bit of texture to what led to a big ol' cosmic brawl between two classic Marvel heroes.

I have to admit to being skeptical about the depth the three-issue mini-series would demonstrate under writer, Kieron Gillen. Best known for his independent Brit-pop fantasy series Phonogram, Gillen is clearly a talented writer, but in a few interviews I'd read [namely for X-Men Origins: Sabretooth], he'd given the distinct impression that he was largely unfamiliar with the superhero universes.

I'm a firm believer that a good writer can transcend his familiarity with material by being a master of his craft, and doing a little bit of research. Assuming Gillen was indeed ignorant to the characters that appear in this series, then he's a shining example of the successful side of that philosophy.

Part of Gillen's success lies in the fact that Godhunter isn't a complicated story.
The tale is a universal one, dealing chiefly with the consequences and morality of being a hero. By borrowing from some of the simple and best known mythology from the Marvel universe -- the enchantment of Thor and Bill's hammers, as well as Galactus' status as a devourer of worlds -- the story gains an additional level of resonance and poginant context that other versions couldn't have. It's a type of storytelling that confirms other philosophies I personally hold, such as the notion that corporate comics like those at DC and Marvel are rendered inherently unique by the tapestry of context their years of publication has created.

It's nice to see the Silver Surfer back in action.
Where once the Kirby/Lee creation stood equal with many of Marvel's greatest icons, in recent years he's well and truly lost his lustre. It disappoints me that the character has fallen into such obscurity, many younger fans would find it difficult to imagine the character supporting his own series. Something he did do, with mixed results, for a couple of decades.

It doesn't seem starring as titular pseudo-villain in a commercially successful film has helped much either, probably because comic fans regard the Fantastic Four films [re; Rise of the Silver Surfer] with such relative disdain. Maybe Super Hero Squad will do some him good, particularly as the series recently ended with the big unveiling of Galactus and some of the key backstory of the character. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the renewed association of herald/master over here in the comics, but I did recently read that part of the thinking behind that decision is to leave the character idle until a strong solo direction can be conceived.

Part the Surfer's downfall comes inadvertently from the general loss of interest in comics and by extention, more complex comics, throughout the nineties. The cosmic corners of the Marvel Universe have been gradually expanding, however, since their exciting resurrection in Drax and then the cosmic mini-event, Annihilation. Marvel's cosmic connections have been maintained ever since, through rebooted titles like Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as subsequent mini-events, like Annihilation Conquest and War of Kings.

It was a lot of fun jumping back in with Beta Ray Bill and I hope we get a chance to see more from the character in the future (without any lasting damage)!

Each issue reprints a chapter of Walt Simonson's original three-part introduction of the character, which only serves to remind how well the classics did it. I must admit to being somewhat cynical about Marvel's 2010 announcement for a "Heroic Age" of Marvel Comics, regarding it as something of a response to DC's five-year strength with classical renditions of their catalogue of characters -- but if nothing else, it will be nice if some of the energy and indulgence of these Simonson issues of Thor can be recaptured!

Kano -- artist on Godhunter -- certainly lacks Simonsons's bombastic cartoon energy, but shouldn't go without a mention before I wrap this up. He exhibits a good sense of drama, getting particularly good emotion out of the horse-faced Bill on the last page shock of this issue, which reveals the Stormbreak enchantment has rendered him unable to lift his hammer -- unworthy of it's power for his decision to fight Galactus by denying him sustainance (by destroy each world he targets).

At times, Kano's space scapes feel a little sparse, and I do question some of the direction of scenes. At times, his panels appear awkwardly close or distant from the action, which seems to work counter-intuitively to the spacial nature of a fight like the one between Bill and Silver Surfer.


The last time Kano appeared in the Infinite Wars action, he was contributing some sort of embellishment to David Lafuente's beautiful pencils [Spider-man Family #2]. His rise as penciller of Ultimate Spider-man Comics probably says it all, but the benefit of Lafuente's direction in that issue becomes all the more apparent in the first-credited Kano's work.

The Issue: 4.5 The Fight: 4

Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter is a three-part mini-series published by Marvel Comics. It is also currently available in collected format and can be purchased using the Amazon links provided. You'll find plenty more collected editions based upon the issues reviewed in the Secret Archives, by checking out the Online Store. Using links provided by the site helps sponsor future entries! The Infinite Wars are running on low power in 2010, but be sure to vote in the 2009 Annual DC vs Marvel Fantasy Fight polls at the top of the right menu.

SPIDER-MAN versus VENOM
Undone (Marvel)
Where: Spider-man Family #2 When: June 2007
Why: Sean McKeever How: Kano & David Lafuente

The Story So Far...
Nightly patrol for the web-slinger turns up an unfortunate sight when the screams of a limousine driver draws his attentions to one of the deadliest of his lethal foes - the alien costume clad, Venom!
The symbiote baring madman menaces the corporate passenger, seemingly without reason, but when Peter Parker researches the significance of Ione Damasco and her associates, he uncovers enough of the truth to receive a package from the lethal protector himself!

Venom's notes reveal the truth about Damasco and the pharmaceutical company she serves as a board member for, Devlin-MacGregor. Their greed led them to perform involuntary experiments on the homeless, a fact uncovered by Venom in his life as a Bugle reporter. Now empowered by the symbiote; Eddie Brock stalks the members of the board in an effort to exact brutal justice for their inhuman experiments, and vengeance for their threats to he and his wife.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Venom 5 (Superhuman)
Intelligence: Spider-man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Spider-man 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Venom 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Power: Venom 2 (Projectiles)


- A bite from a radioactive spider should have killed highschool nerd, Peter Parker, but instead it would irradiate his own blood, granting him extraordinary powers.

After turning to a life of profit, Peter is inspired to use his gifts for the greater good when his decision to allow a burglar to escape leads to the murder of his adopted parent and uncle, Ben Parker.
Ben's sage-like advice, "with great power comes great responsibility", becomes a mantra for Parker as he becomes Spider-man!

Spider-man possesses the proportional strength, speed, and agility of a spider. Adding to his arsenal is a precognitive spider-sense that warns him of pending danger. Self-made mechanical webshooters round out Spidey's abilities, allowing him to ensnare opponents in a variety of modes; travel through the city by web-line; and form basic constructs based on the available quantities of his own formula of web-fluid.

- During the secret wars staged by the Beyonder; Spider-man's attempts to repair his costume inadvertently released a bizarre alien creature from within the Beyonder's machines. The symbiote formed Spider-man's black costume, enhancing his strength and abilities, while also subtly influencing his character with a more aggressive persona. This aggression led Spider-man to discover, with the aid of Reed Richards, the truth about the creature's intent to form a permanent bond with Peter Parker as host.

Using the immense vibrations of a churchbell to disrupt the creature, Peter Parker freed himself of it's influence, unwittingly delivering the symbiote to a man whose bitter hatred of both Parker and Spider-man would make the perfect host for the rejected symbiote. Eddie Brock welcomed the bond of the costume which transferred facsimilies of Spider-man's powers, and all the intimate secrets the wallcrawler had revealed to the creature.

As Venom; Brock possesses superhuman strength, speed, agility, wall crawling, web-slinging, and a host of abilities unique to the symbiote, like; adaptive camouflage and basic morphing, multi-forming tendrils, and the ability to bypass Spider-man's danger warning spidey-senses.

When Brock learnt of his development of cancer not even the symbiote could cure, he opted to sell the alien at a supervillain auction with the hopes of using the profits to attone for his criminal activities. Deeply conflicted, Brock attempted suicide after opting out of a plot to kill May Parker, but the once lethal protector survived once again to fullfil a second chance at redemption. A chance meeting with the mysterious Mr. Negative cures him of his ailments, and transforms the remnants of symbiote matter in his blood to turn him into the white Anti-Venom.

Math: Spider-man Ranking: Spider-man (#2)

What Went Down...
Spider-man beats Brock to the swanky apartment of Max Fischer, where the web-slinger confronts the corrupt businessman with the intent of interrogating to a confession. Enraged by the unscrupulous practises for the development of a hair growth formula, Spidey accidentally places Fischer in the sights of Venom!

Venom reveals to Spider-man the last pieces of the puzzle, which ended threats on he and his wife's lives. Spidey makes attempts to appeal to the moral fibre of an Eddie Brock who refused the company's bribes, but finds only the murderous intent of a lethal protector.

Unable to pacify Venom's vengeance, Spidey prepares to challenge his physical superior in battle. The symbiote-enhancements of Venom offers him no spidey-sense warning as a black blur charges toward him, smashing his body through the structure of Fischer's apartment. Spidey strikes back with an uppercut, but suffers the blow back ten-fold from the super-strong Brock!

Venom snatches Spider-man by the ankle and tosses him through a wall, sending Spidey helplessly tumbling through a hail of plaster, tile, and rubble! The web-slinger comes to rest in the bathroom where he launches a counter attack on the raging bull that is Venom, thrusting his kick into the jaw of his counterpart!

With the powerhouse on the backfoot, Spider-man takes full advantage with a hammer lock and drives Venom's fanged face into a nearby mirror! Spidey loiters deep within his own mind, contemplating the constant threat posed by his dark shadow, but before he crosses any moral boundary, a cry for help snaps him back.

The carnage wrought by Venom's charge had ignited an electrical fire in the apartment, threatening the safety of Max Fischer, who was helplessly webbed to a wall by Spider-man in his interrogation. The web-slinger turns his back on personal grudges, diving through the flames to rescue the vile businessman.

Venom marches furiously behind his arch-rival, but finds the intensity of the flames too damaging to the fire-sensitivity of his alien costume. As the flames engulf more of the apartment, Venom is forced to make a hasty escape, diving through a window to avoid the licking sting of growing inferno!

Spider-man successfully rescues Fischer and turns him over to police, while also delivering Eddie Brock's research to Bugle reporter, Ben Urich. The headlines tell the damning story of Devlin-Macgregor with a credit to the fallen reporter for his groundwork on the story, but for Venom, it is a hollow victory.

The Hammer...
Mmm, it was a tough call this week, folks!
Both got their licks in, but we're going to equate Venom's retreat to a forfeit, and hand the eventual conclusion to Spider-man!

Regular readers will know this win comes two-fold as we put an Olympic pause to our post-One More Day Spider-Boycott, which has seen the top ranking 2007 character absent since the beginning of the year [last seen in the Infinite Wars' Marvel Knights: Spider-man #1 review].
This story was actually right at the top of the to-do list before we opted out of the Spider-business, so it seemed like a fitting choice, even if there isn't any particular connection to the themes we've explored around the Olympic Games.

Throughout August we've been watching developments in the three-times weekly Amazing with our regular instalments of the weekly shipping lists. It's been interesting to observe a swing that might very well have been planned from the beginning of Brand New Day, but seems to undermine much of the described intention to re-establish Spider-man with a new vibe and relatable world.

The reintroduction of Spider-man into the Marvel Universe has been a pleasant change, to be sure, but I'm not sure snipping the ties of matrimony have made Spidey's battles with Venom and Anti-Venom any more relatable. In fact, as welcome as the reintroduction of old foes into the mix is, it seems somewhat counter productive to the BND initiative to throw in a concept like Anti-Venom - which builds upon and defies so much of recognisable mainstream Spider-history.

So much about Brand New Day stirs debate about the validity of reboots in modern American comics.
I recently came across European sentiments which bordered on bemusement when attempting to decypher the history of Wonder Woman, which, really, is no more garbled than the Spider-man saga and it's clone-related twists, and Mephisto-dealing turns [for the worse].

DC Executive Editor, Dan DiDio, recently acknowledged the folly of constant reboots that had served to reinvigorate franchises for short periods, at best, and largely alienated the core audiences that support and care for characters. It was an admission that was welcome, even if it lacked sensitivity to the creative requirements of these lasting properties. Requirements that, as found by our unnamed European friend, could really benefit from some kind of tempered consideration for consistency.

Spider-man Family, from which our review is taken, is an anthology comic that reprints Spidey classics and presents new stories that don't appear to have any ties to a particular era of Spider-man.
This, embarassingly enough, along with titles like Marvel Adventures: Spider-man and Ultimate Spider-man seem to present the obvious counterpoint to any argument that suggests Brand New Day was a good, or necessary idea.

I could not argue against the fundamental principles of a reboot, or revamp.
Many fine examples exist to paint a positive reflection on a creative shake-up, but more often than not, I believe we see the great examples deliver something informed and based upon the logic established by history.
Grant Morrison's work on New X-Men is one such work that comes to mind, building upon the overdue progress of many facets of the X-brand, including; human-mutant relations, field operations of the team, the next generation, and personal struggles for characters like Cyclops, Beast, and Wolverine. Despite it's many asthetic shifts, everything about Morrison's work on X-Men, if not his superhero work in general, was firmly routed in logics derived from other references. It was change - but with an informed basis and exciting energy.

In the Monthly Punch-Up, we've watched as sales figures for the droll Spider-Reboot continue to gurgle downward. Early plunges mean the revamped book is already approaching figures that would traditionally be associated with yet another reboot, as has been seen in recent years with the erratic direction of the X-Men franchise, which has long since deconstructed anything contributed to the canon by Morrison and his collaborators.

I'll be very interested to continue to watch with some scepticism as we absorb the statistics for this month's issues of Amazing Spider-man. I wonder if the reappearance of familiar characters will sponsor a slight upward turn in sales, and if this will at all contribute to the inevitable return to pre-OMD Spider history.

The Infinite Wars is typically a site reluctant to summarily dismiss companies or creators, but with their recent history, that lingering lure of a time before Mephisto really does seem like an all too familiar construction for sales boosts. If it isn't a radical change from the norm, it's a radical change back to the norm.

In recently digesting massive amounts of Akira Toriyama's classic martial arts epic, Dragon Ball Z, one notes the joy of a simple formula of accumulation. While the organic nature of some devices might be questioned, Toriyama's approach to writing that he admits was an unplanned flow of consciousness, allows characters to develop relationships and mythology with a delightful consistency. Forward momentum allows for change, but constantly calls upon in-built logics.

Toriyama's work suffered from the crippling effects of rapid escalation, but with Marvel's disappointing promotions-heavy output, their problem feels far worse as consequence and history fade from relevance.

The happy medium was a foundation for my hopes to enter independent creation with Nite Lite Theatre. Robert Kirkman is now calling upon similar principles to encourage more big-name creators to turn to self-promotion and original intellectual properties.
Lost on some creators was the unspoken logic of Kirkman's call to arms, not just an effort to inform the obvious of many writers and artists who have already embarked on self-publishing, but as an effort to create a mass movement that would force change within the industry and fanbases that have been reluctant to sufficiently support independent enterprise. He suggests a movement not unlike the alliance of artists that allowed the birth of Image Comics in it's original inception/insurrection, from the shadows of the Marvel offices.

Creators like Brian Bendis; who in interviews showed no awareness or consideration for this subtext; have been reluctant to speak-out in favour of these efforts that buck against the treadmill trends of stories like BND.
It's undeniable that Kirkman's point relies heavily on mass commitment from already prominent names. It needs that level of dedication to steer away from the churning mass market of the Spider-mans and Batmans, but, if self-preservation can be put aside by some very bold men and women, we may yet see a new era that forces the kind of consideration we've described upon the companies that are again all too often relying on cheap tricks and poorly considered gimmicks.

Suffice to say, Amazing Spider-man and Brand New Day is yet to win us over, but as the book continues to return to the familiar, we hope this might eventually lead toward a stronger creative direction for Marvel overall. Anti-Venom? Believe it or not, I actually think this is a real step in the right direction!

The Fight: 4.5 The Story: 7

Symbiote naysayers need to pick this comic up!
Sean McKeever delivers one of the finest Venom stories I've ever read, balancing the lethal anti-hero qualities of the character, with the villainous aspects that antagonised Spider-man in Brock's early career! Our brief glimpses at the artwork provided by master penciler David Lafuente (with flourishes by Kano) cannot begin to communicate how beautiful the artwork in this story truly is! Everything comes together - even the unique lettering treatment from Nate Piekos - to tell a truly atmospheric tale that's both creepy AND mysteriouso! Shades of noir detective work make this not only a great Venom story, but also a terrific outing for Peter Parker! You'll find the collected digest in the Amazonian Gift Shoppe which also includes other fantastic tales - and - by using purchase links provided you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars! Check it out!