Issue(s): Spider-Man #35
Cover Date: Jun 93
Title: "Team Venom"
Credits:
David Michelinie - Writer
Tom Lyle - Penciler
Scott Hanna - Inker
Mike Lackey - Assistant Editor
Danny Fingeroth - Editor

Review/plot:
This book has been without a regular creative team for a while now. During the Maximum Carnage crossover, the writer of each of the other Spider-books takes a turn on one issue of this series. The art team for all three issues is Tom Lyle and Scott Hanna (with Al Milgrom helping on inks for the third issue).

Demogoblin has been lurking around in this story but it's in this issue that he joins up with the villains (just in time for the group photo).

Meanwhile, Spider-Man wonders if he can ally himself with Venom - who is still recovering in his apartment. The question of whether or not to go lethal against Carnage and his villains - or whether it's ok to ally himself with people that do - is one that will be debated to the point of tedium in this event.

MJ draws the line at sticking around while Venom is in the house, so Spider-Man has no one to talk to. It's well past time to call the Avengers, but Spider-Man decides instead to turn to the Black Cat. It will much later be said that most of New York's other heroes are out of town, but that really is something that should have been established up front. It's already been a virtual super-war in the streets of New York, and Carnage has killed multiple civilians already. And all Spider-Man can get is the Black Cat?

Anyway, "Team Venom" locate the bad guys while they are fighting off Cloak, who had tracked them down separately.

The fight ends inconclusively, as it will for the next 10 issues or so. The building they're in crashes down around the Black Cat and Venom is supposedly weakened by flames from the Demogoblin (although the art sure doesn't show it).

Spider-Man is torn between chasing the bad guys or rescuing the Cat.

Since not much else is going on, i just wanted to put up these scans of MJ from this issue. She looks very... posed?, i guess, and the shots don't at all depict the anguish she's supposed to be in about Peter putting himself in danger again.

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part four of Maximum Carnage. Part five is in Spectacular Spider-Man #201.

References:

• Spider-Man and Venom last fought Carnage in Amazing Spider-Man #363 and destroyed the symbiote spawn at that time.
  
• Venom broke Black Cat's nose in Amazing Spider-Man #316.
  
• Dagger was seemingly killed in Web of Spider-Man #101.

Crossover: Maximum Carnage

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

It'd be about a year, but Tom Lyle will come back as the regular artist on Spider-man just in time for the Clone Saga. Always liked his work even if he had the bad luck to end up on less than favorably remembered storylines.

Hi fnord, you mention that this comic hasn't had a regular creative team in a long time. If I remember right, after Erik Larsen left, the editor decided to have a different creative team and treat every storyline like a limited series. Punisher War Zone was supposed to be the same structure.