Tripwire Reviews What If….. Marc Spector Was Host To Venom?

A Darker Spector

Tripwire contributing writer Laurence Boyce reviews Marvel’s What If….. Marc Spector Was Host To Venom?

What If….. Marc Spector Was Host To Venom?
Writer: Mike Chen
Marvel

What would the superhero world be without alter egos? The ying of the bombastic saviours needs to be balanced out by the yang of the ‘ordinary’ disguise. Would Superman be nearly as impressive if we didn’t know he was also the mild mannered Clark Kent? Secret identities, dual personalities – call them what you will: they are an intrinsic part of the superhero universe. But for Marc Spector, two isn’t enough. Not only does he fight crime as Moon Knight but he also indulges two other personalities – Jake and Steven – who consistently fight for supremacy within Spector’s mind. And let’s not even get into the Egyptian god that also seems to have taken up residence as well. Still it could be worse. Imagine if you’re also taken over by an alien symbiote called Venom who looks like he wants to destroy your universe. Sadly, for the Marc Spector of one reality this is exactly what has happened. Now two realities clash with one version of Spector taken over by everyone’s favourite ball of black goo and another – complete with inner personalities – who must fight to save the world and – quite possibly – realities across all universes.

While the What If… moniker seems slightly misused here (What If…. has traditionally been reimaginings of famous moments of comic book lore) this is still a rollocking adventure which moves along a cracking pace. Of course, much of the story plays with POV and it constantly shifts between multiple personalities such as Spector, Venom and a few curious cameos that will surely become significant in the future. Sometimes these are indicated stylistically – different fonts, chapter headings and the like – but author Mike Chen does a good job in giving his characters their own voices whilst avoiding everything falling into a confusing miasma.