All-New Venom # 4

 By Mark Rodriguez

The mystery continues to determine which one of the four suspects, Robbie Robertson, Rick Jones, Luke Cage or Madame Masque is the All-New Venom.  At a recent altercation at one of Masque's old hideouts, Chance shot Venom in the face, which rules out Luke Cage since he's bulletproof. Madam Masque herself was there, so that also rules her out. After getting away from Venom, we find out that Madam Masque is working with MODOK.

The issue opens in North Brother Island, in a specialized prison for symbiotes, where Flash is feeding a symbiote named Toxin some chocolate and synthesized brain chemicals. Toxin asks how Bren is doing. Flash says he's at home where a kid his age should be, and he is safe. Toxin says he was safe with him. Flash asks if he remembers what happened to his last host. Toxin nonchalantly says he died.

Toxin thanks Flash for the chocolate, saying if it were anyone else they'd let him starve. Flash says he's more of a trustee than a jailer. Toxin asks when he will be returned to space. Flash says it's not that easy, they once tried to blast the Hulk into space and it didn't work out well.

Toxin laments that nobody likes symbiotes and he should be left to starve. He says Flash is lucky since he's a stable host creature. Flash says Toxin at least has Sleeper, who has taken the form of a cat. Toxin says he hasn't said a word since the Venom War, and Flash thought he was mad at him. Toxin says Sleeper isn't angry but more like in a zen state, spending most of the day sleeping like a real cat would. Toxin remarks that Bren would have said he is 'chilling'. As Flash ponders this, the warden tells him that visiting hours are over.

 

As Carson, AKA Ripcord, escorts Flash out, she reminds him that SCAR isn't paying him to 'babysit the freaks'. Flash reminds her that the symbiotes are sentient beings and he's trying to escort them safely off the hostile planet. Carson says if it were up to her, all symbiotes would be destroyed and all their hosts would be in jail, including him. Flash is aware how she feels about him. Carson says they could arrest the kids he was signed to protect and try them as adults if she wanted to.

Carson reminds Flash that their deal is the kids will stay out of jail if he provides them with symbiote expertise. She says it's time he gets his white suit bloody. Flash asks what she means. Carson says that Flash is Anti-Venom and there's a new Venom running around. He will bring him in, or SCAR will bring Dylan Brock in.

We move on to the next day as two well-dressed guys are at a skyrise balcony in midtown. One is filming as the other as the guy will show off his pick up lines for his subscribers watching at home. He approaches a lovely blonde and comments on her necklace, asking if it's Versaysee. The woman says it's actually an image inducer. She shuts it off, revealing herself to be Madam Masque in disguise. She remarks that her mask is Versaysee. Most notably however.. is that she's holding a gun. Masque asks the guy with the camera if he can switch his video to a live-stream, and he does so. She suddenly shoots the other guy in the head and says she'll see who's watching. 

Across town at the Daily Bugle, Rick Jones asks Robbie if he's seen the headline regarding Venom putting out the fire at the warehouse while taking care of the AIM agents. Robbie says he approved the headline from his home workstation. He also tells Rick to check the politics section where Mayor Luke Cage defends the repeal of the anti-hero law, for which Roxx News gave him quite a grilling. The Mayor was live on TV the time the Venom photo was taken. So now Robbie asks Rick where he was, since he wasn't at the Bugle at that time.

Rick says he was sleeping and also comments that the suspects are now reduced to three. Robbie says he's still looking into things. Rick says he's an open book when his phone suddenly goes off. He has an app he set up when he was a super-hacker to use a web alert. He currently has it set up to detect either Venom of Madam Masque. Rick shows Robbie that Masque just killed a man on a live-stream. 

Rick says it's unlike Masque to kill a civilian in cold blood out in the public. Robbie says she's inviting a response from someone. Rick says he'll head down there and Robbie calls him out on it. Rick says he's going to cover the story especially if Masque starts showing off symbiote abilities. As he leaves, Robbie says he knows Masque isn't Venom and he wonders how much Rick really knows. He tells his secretary Glory to hold his calls as he will be stepping out for a moment.

At the scene, Masque monologues as the one guy films her on live-stream about which hero will show up first. Masque says Iron Man might show up first, since she's one of his villains. She remarks that she was once romantically involved with Tony and asks the guy what he thinks. The guy asks her not to kill him. Masque wonders what heroes are online currently. She wonders if Captain American still has a hotline or if Punisher still has a computer buddy.

Masque says heroes are always in flux, but villains are predictable, as suddenly Forson and his crew of AIM agents appear, surrounding her and the bystander. Masque aims her gun at Forson, saying she figured they'd find her before any of the heroes did. Forson mocks her for choosing to face a squad of armored assassins with only a revolver, considering that their suits are bullet-proof. Masque fires her gun and says she's not using a bullet. As she fires, the bullet-like projectile starts to grow until it forms into MODOK.

Venom steps in, taking the MODOK-bullet for Forson, right in the eye. Venom complained about getting shot in the face twice now, when suddenly his head expands to a large size and explodes. MODOK grew to full size and angrily says that a vial of Pym Particles are very difficult to come by. Forson and his AIM goons take this chance to leave. 

MODOK says he was planning to get lodged into Forson's skull and control him, getting the access to his looks, his charisma, and his loyal army, all with his genius behind it all. MODOK says he can't have nice things, and since he's Only Designed for Killing, then killing he will do. He fires a blast towards Venom and several bystanders. 

The guy that was live-streaming decided to make a run for it. Masque shoots him, saying nobody is leaving unless it's in a box. Venom calls her a twisted maniac as he webs up MODOK's face. Masque says that words hurt, so just for that, she'll kill another bystander. Venom webs her up and says the game is over and she's tagged out. Masque says there's another playground saying she always liked. Masque says 'made you look' as MODOK fries Venom's entire body with a huge death blast.

MODOK says the new Venom is inexperienced, premature banter can be fatal. As he gets the webs off of Masque, she points out that Venom is still twitching. MODOK comments that his Psionic Murder Beam usually works so he'll double the dose. Suddenly Rick Jones appears and wonders if he can ask the villains a few questions. Masque says she sealed the elevators and by now the building should be getting evacuated, so she asks how he even got there. 

Rick scratches his head and says it's a good point as he wonders how he got up there. Just then he starts to cough up symbiote goop and it starts to engulf him. Venom sees this and is surprised to see the other symbiote. Rick says he's the Sleeper Agent.

My Thoughts-

As I mentioned in other articles, I got this comic late and by now Venom's identity has been spoiled, but let's kinda pretend we don't know yet.

So Masque is still running around, and even though it's clear she isn't Venom, she is still a very big part of the story. I loved the scene with her killing some on live-stream. It's something I would expect a villain to do in an action movie to set up how cold and ruthless they are. Though I have to say, live-streams must work different in the Marvel Universe. Usually if someone gets killed on a live-stream the live-stream provider will cut the stream as soon as they can, but it looks like she's been live long enough to monologue after the fact.

We gets new stakes as SCAR is demanding that Flash goes after Venom or else they'll go after Dylan. Corson REALLY hates Venom and all symbiotes. 

As we pretend to still not know who Venom is, both Rick and Robbie act suspicious as they always seem to duck out whenever the all-new symbiote show up. With Rick with this Sleeper Agent, that leaves Robbie, so I guess we'll see how that gets explained next issue.

I am confused about Sleeper though. So he takes the form of a cat (or is bonded to a cat) in that symbiote prison, but Rick somehow has access to him, supposedly hundreds of miles away? I hope that gets explained next issue. I was caught off guard though. Someone cut into the battle before MODOK was going to fire another blast, but when we turn the page we get Rick Jones. I was really expecting it to be Anti-Venom Flash, but I guess he'll eventually show up later on.

Can't wait to read the next issue which will be soon, hopefully. Another thing this comic revealed to me was that my buddy Rikki Roxx had a side hustle I didn't know about. Roxx has his own news station? Way to go, Roxx Star!