The Amazing Spider-Man #654.1

There's a new Venom in town and this issue reveals quite a bit before the debut of his new series next month. 
 

The Good 

I've mentioned before that I am on board with Flash Thompson being the new Venom. We saw in the back up last issue where Flash first puts on the suit and is told he could go on twenty missions before a replacement is needed. The reason for the limited number of missions is the longer he is exposed to the Venom symbiote, the bigger the risk of permanent bonding. 
 
Flash Thompson as a government-controled operative gives us something we haven't seen Venom do. Seeing him on his mission was great to see. Dan Slott carries over threads (no pun intended) from the last issue and the little cameos from other characters serves to remind us that Flash is still part of Spider-Man's world. But what about that limited number of missions? Don't worry, that is addressed here. 
 
Along with Slott is Humberto Ramos handling the art. Fresh off his recent Hobgoblin arc, it's great to see him back so soon drawing these characters. It will be interesting to compare his version of Flash/Venom to Tony Moore's when the series debuts.  
 

The Bad 

Let me say I did love the issue but this was supposed to be an Amazing Spider-Man POINT 1 issue. That means it's supposed to be a great jumping on point for new readers of Spider-Man. The focus here is all about Venom. That's not a bad thing at all but new readers of Spider-Man will not know what's going on. There's also the fact that last issue gave the first appearance of Flash as Venom and explained why he has no legs (for those readers that missed his heroic tale). 
 

The Verdict 

I was excited to see Flash as Venom before but now I'm really excited for the new series. I don't know if this was all Dan Slott's idea or Rick Remender or the Spidey editors but I couldn't be happier. I was a fan of the Eddie Brock Venom before he went all nicey-nice and Mac Gargon never really did it for me. Flash as a government-controlled Venom is something different and seeing him on missions is an experience. Slott and Ramos deliver an issue that feels like it's part of the Spider-Man universe even though it's taking on a different angle. The only complaint is this is not a good .1 Initiative story for new readers of Spider-Man. It is something you definitely should read if you plan on getting the new Venom series.