When our hero finds a man in a similar position to him, will his empathy cloud his judgement as real danger rises?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

• It’s Venom vs. Toxin in the schoolyard!

• But have these two symbiote-psychos created something far more evil in Philadelphia?!

From the get-go this comic book series has been one that’s capitalized on both strength and addiction. These powerful dichotomies have been known to bring even the most sturdy individuals down to their knees and in this case Flash Thompson and everyone’s favorite symbiote combine the two in a way that creates a “ticking time bomb” of sorts that seems destined to explode.  And that right there is what makes this title continually engaging from start to finish.

Cullen Bunn continues his work with this re-imagined but nonetheless classic character as he slowly but surely builds a necessary path for our protagonist.  The questions remaining at this point really center around trajectory and whether or not our hero will survive whatever the symbiote and the world have in store for him.  At this point none of us can answer these quandaries but thanks to the strong pacing and poignant dialogue it’s hard to worry about such little things because so far the ride has just been splendid.  Kudos to the author for delivering yet another riveting entry that may not push the overall series beyond its better issues but it certainly yields a grand adventure in its own right.

The art by Declan Shalvey continues to be as impressive as you might expect.  His depictions of both the monsters and the average citizens offer an aura of darkness that simply ebbs and flows through out this latest jaunt.  Each pencil stroke instills a moody nature in response to a script that seems to push our hero on almost every single page.  Each line and inevitable curve offers details and renditions that will easily impress eager readers while certainly satisfying even the most demanding members of the audience.

Venom #33 is yet another great entry that earns a recommendation.

4/5