Review: Saturday Morning Cartoon Level Antics Play Out In ‘Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble #4’

If you’re just joining us, Spider-Man and Venom are roommates. The latter used a device to switch bodies with the wall-crawler so he could win a competition and now, through a series of wacky events, they’re in the bodies of animals. Spidey is in a squirrel and Venom is in a cat. Also, the squirrel and cat are in their bodies. Comics, everybody.

Yes, this final issue of Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble sounds complicated and a bit crazy, but that is exactly what makes it so much fun. It’s a cartoon in comic book form, getting increasingly absurd the longer it goes on.
This goes hand-in-hand with artist Gurihiru’s style, creating a light atmosphere that’s more Saturday morning than box office blockbuster. I love how the essence of each character shines through even as a squirrel and a cat. One look at either of them and you know that they’re really Spider-Man or Venom.

The opposite is true as well when the characters catch up to the animals in their bodies, going crazy at Pizza Fest 2020. We’ve seen Spider-Man do so many things over the course of his storied career, but have we seen him hunched over a pizza counter devouring a few slices? This is just one of the many hilarious images packed into this comic.
Letterer Travis Lanham keeps that connection going throughout the issue too. There’s a great sequence where someone comes up to pet Venom kitty and quickly regrets it when the feline screams at him. The font used is big and monstrous so you can imagine the gravelly voice that comes with it.

This unlikely duo calls in help in the form of Ghost-Spider to finally put this insanity to bed. She comes in cool as a cucumber and immediately accepts the lunacy of all of this. Of course, her buddy Spider-Man is a squirrel now. Just an average Tuesday, right? She is the voice of reason between these two, providing a valuable middle ground. It’s unfortunate she was only brought in during this issue and not earlier.
When every other comic touts a world-ending threat full of doom and gloom, it’s refreshing to read a comic like Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble where characters we know and love get into increasingly bizarre and hilarious antics. Writer Mariko Tamaki brings the funny here while also staying true to the characters. This is a great comic that’s sure to delight readers of all ages.
Spider-Man & Venom: Double Trouble #4 from Marvel Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.