The Good
First and foremost, seeing Flash use the symbiote to its full potential is always a delight. Far too often the symbiote is stereotyped as a massive beast that loves to flail and eat squishy parts, so it's always great to see the creature used in a more tactical sense. The panel with Venom disguised and his tendrils flailing was disturbingly beautiful. Even more impressive was the following page where Flash stands confidently like a boss, constricting everyone around him with the symbiote.
The exorcism gig was quite funny and Thony Silas' pencils did a fantastic job with the facial expressions. It really added to the scene, shedding even more light on how clueless Reggie really was during the dangerous process. The brief segment in the woods had a solid internal dialogue and helped us once again connect with Flash's struggle.
It's moments like these that really make me interested in the former bully. I really hope writer Cullen Bunn will capitalize more on how deep his emotional story can go.
The Bad
Katy Kiernan is clearly a reporter that will do anything for a big story. She even jokingly says "who needs integrity?" in this issue (though to be fair it could have been purely sarcastic). Based on this, why wouldn't she want to know who the new face of Venom is? It seemed odd for her to reject an offer to find out who the man behind the mask is. Eugene's flaws and tortured aspects are what lured me into the title to begin with (okay, maybe being a Venom fanboy helped, too).
There's a lot of deep issues to dive into, but so far Bunn has mostly teased us with these elements, never really capitalizing on them like Rick Remender previously did. Some might think the cliffhanger with "The Monsters of Evil" is cool, but I thought it was pretty cheesy looking. I'm sure some will appreciate the absurdity of the army, but it was a little too ridiculous of a reveal for me.
I sincerely hope the security guard at the Bronx Zoo called out sick that night. Also, how is Flash honestly going to stand much of a chance against Daimon Hellstorm - a powerhouse with fire-based attacks - and an army of huge demons that can implement his weakness? As someone obsessed with character statistics, this is not looking good at all for Flash. He's going to need a major plot device to escape this one.
The Verdict
Obvious Demon element aside, Monsters of Evil feels a lot like Circle of Four to me. This series has seen some stellar moments, but just like CoF, this story arc is feeling mediocre in comparison. Despite enjoyable artwork and a few laughs, I can't help but feel like this will wrap up quickly and we'll move on without these events truly holding a spot in our memories.