Toxin

(Marvel, 2005–2006)
™ and © Marvel Characters, Inc.

The new anti–hero Toxin makes his debut in his first solo title. The spawn of the evil alien symbiotes Venom and Carnage, Toxin has bonded with a former New York City policeman named Mulligan. Like a “do over” in golf, Mulligan wrestles with the changes to his life and his new powers. Having left his wife and family, he spends most of his time in introspection with the symbiote, trying to decide how to use his new deadly powers for good. It’s slow reading, with only the quick capture of King Cobra for action. A visit by Spider-Man puts Toxin on the trail of Razor-Fist, a mercenary with razor–edged swords in place of his hands. Marvel’s distracting ad–heavy format made the action seem even slower, with only three double–page spreads of story, and 16 pages of story set on the left, with facing ads on the right. The cover touts this as being a New Avengers tie–in, referring to a mass escape of villains that hadn’t occurred by the time of the issue’s release.

— Michael Tierney

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