Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble #3 Presents A Hilarious Mind Swap For The Ages

Venom has swapped bodies with Spider-Man so he can enter a super hero competition and win a cool futuristic weapon. You can imagine how the wall-crawler is reacting to this. Spidey has to get his body back before Venom does irreparable damage to his reputation.

Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble is definitely a lighter take on this duo than what we’re used to, especially since we just saw them together fighting against all kinds of monsters in Absolute Carnage. This is cartoony and fun from beginning to end. It’s like a super hero version of the Odd Couple because they literally live together.
I absolutely love how writer Mariko Tamaki captures the personalities of both characters. Spider-Man is high-strung, yet noble while Venom is brash and inconsiderate. Sure, these are amplified versions of the some of the subtle aspects of these characters, but it totally works in this setting.

Artist Gurihiru takes those aspects up to eleven. Since they’ve swapped bodies, we need a way to understand who is driving in both cases. For Venom-in-Spider-Man, Gurihiru has added a swirl to the lenses of the mask, mirroring Venom’s signature look. Also, the teeth are now razor sharp. Spider-Man-in-Venom is a little more subdued, but you can tell there’s something different with how he carries himself. Peter Parker is a bit awkward and unsure in most cases, but throw him into another body like this and you take that to a new level. He doesn’t have Venom’s bravado or swagger in this form.
The comedic timing in Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble is impeccable. This book is packed with gags that flow at a great pace and will definitely leave you with a smile on your face. Letterer Travis Lanham is a major factor in this with some great caption box placement that reminded me of Arrested Development at times. This omniscient narration comes in to clarify and spoil some of the fun of our characters.

Just when you thought the creators had done everything they could with this story, a new twist is added to ratchet up the hilarity. It’s totally silly and I love it. This is the sleeper Spider-Man comic that readers of all ages will enjoy.
Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble #3 from Marvel Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.