Ultimate Spider-Man Venom Review

It is time to take a look at Ultimate Spider-Man Episode 4, which was entitled Venom. In this episode, Doctor Otto Octavius creates a symbiote based on Spider-Man's most deadly traits, pure rage and pure venom. Spider-Man and his fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees are going to have a bout, on the Marvel Comics Animation Block aired on Disney XD.

Ultimate Spider-Man Issue 4 Venom Review

So we have the third week of this show, with the fourth week and this show remains a rather prominent mixed bag. I think that by now, you should get an idea what we should be expecting and this is a show where its target audience skews a bit younger than normal. There are some rather funny moments, but this is the new Marvel more or less. The Disney version of Marvel.  Things are not as cerebral in many ways.

That being said, the cutaways were hit and miss as per usual on this cartoon. I just have a feeling that there will be a lot more misses than hits. Venom mowing the lawn, that gave me a slight chuckle. Then of course, the Wheel of Excuses.

Deep down, I think the biggest problem is that this show seems conflicted about what it wants to me. Ironic considering that it suffers the same problem that teenagers themselves will meet. They want to be serious at times but at other times, that will be rather immature and crass at other times. I think we all knew this in many ways.

Venom's origin, well its something that is not traditional that is for sure. It is just a monster created in the lab of Doctor Otto Octavius on the orders of Norman Osborn after a robot created a DNA sample from Spider-Man.

Speaking of mixed bag, this team in this cartoon, perhaps I am being premature of judging them but we have two annoyances(White Tiger and Nova), one character who really is just there(Power Man), and one character that is fine for what he is(Iron Fist). Spider-Man's characterization can be rather decent at times but when it is not decent, this cartoon shows it.

If you think I'm being critical, than this is nothing really compared to a lot of the reviews I have seen on the Internet for this show. I think we live in a day and age where people don't want to think. Or at least that's the perception that those who put together these shows think.

Is it a bad show? No. Is it the worst thing that happened to Spider-Man? Hell no and I'm sure you don't need to delve too far into comic books. Could it use some improvement? Yes. Was the concept a good idea? Ask me at the end of the season.

This episode much like the show, is a rather mixed bag. Of course with many fans, that mixed bag is a barf bag.