Savage Six ends here, but is it a worthwhile finish or a disappointing conclusion?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

Toxin vs. Venom! Flash Thompson’s Last Stand! The Crime-Master Triumphant! – It’s the Savage Six Finale the comics world will be talking about!

CRIME MASTER’S IDENTITY IS REVEALED – and Flash Thompson and Betty Brant’s lives will never be the same!

The brutal finish to this savage arc is here, and Flash Thompson will never be the same!  From the writing to the panel work, this opus brings inevitable confrontations while yielding a satisfying conclusion.  This wasn’t a perfect issue, but it fit the series well enough that when the final page hit, it got me really excited for the future of this title.

Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn both do a solid job on the script, using the newly revealed identity of the Crime Master to frame how far our hero will indeed fall to protect the ones he loves.  It’s a potent tale that takes some unecessary side-steps, but succeeds in setting up quite a few interesting narrative strings.  My only gripe is that the ending lacked any true narrative punch.  The conversations that rounded out the issue just felt a bit abrupt and I think if there had been some room to breath, their lasting impact would have gone a long way to sell the deeper themes contained in this series.

Lan Medina does the art in this issue, and the line-work done here succeeds in allowing the chaotic nature of the symbiote to fly free.  The panels are structured well, yielding some dynamic shots that make our hero and the villains look intimidating and incredibly detailed.  The artist succeeds in bringing this conclusion to a strong visual finish.

Venom #21 is an extremely solid read with a mostly competent script and some very nice art.  Recommended.

4/5