Between Class Beatdown!
This issue brings the Toxic Arc to a close, and predictably (as the cover shows) Venom and Toxin come together to fight the newly formed symbiote slayers. Eddie confronts Flash mid-day at his high school he teaches at, the day after their big throwdown. I find Flash's and Eddie's dialogue good here, as Eddie keeps in line with his old "lethal protector" persona, that he's willing to fight around innocent kids because he perceives Flash and Venom that big a threat to their safety. Then the slayers show up, and of course both the hero and anti-hero (is that what we should consider Toxin? I am not quite sure what to label him as) suit up to defend the children and teachers of the school. Here is where we see Eddie start to realize some of his pre-conceived notions about Flash may very well be wrong. The ensuing beatdown is satisfying, and the arc is wrapped up neatly. Oh and we get to see Flash go into old-school Venom mode, always a plus.
What can I say about the art that I didn't touch upon in my Venom 34 issue? Or that any other Venom reviewer hasn't said? Shalvey is a symbiote master. Read it, you'll understand. I need not say more.
I do have some issues, however. I felt the team-up was a bit of a cop out. It made sense, and they executed its reasoning well, but I believe Flash and Eddie could have had the same dialogue while exchanging blows and reached the same conclusion. I wanted to see more of Flash thinking on his feet, to overcome a stronger, faster, more experienced foe. Speaking of stronger and faster, I felt Toxin got beat up by the slayers a bit too easily, and likewise the slayers were thrashed too quickly as well. Given the trouble the original had given Flash and Toxin several issues before, I felt it would be more of a struggle. But it does provide us with an entertaining showing of Venom doing what he does best, so it's a minor issue.
Overall it is a good ending to the Toxic arc. While certainly not the best, it is a satisfying read and I would recommend it to any Venom or Spider-Fan. I look forward to Venom's next story, as I think Bunn is really starting to hit a flow and will give us some memorable Flash-Venom stories.
