I thought the Venom arc was great. I don't know why anyone feels it was forced. It's not as if all of a sudden Venom appeared. It was a good paced-out story and introduced him in a way that fit with the direction of the title.
And Bendis himself confirmed that Hammerhead would be appearing in USM #78 - 82 (I think) and would be up against The Kingpin.
As for The Black Cat, the end of that arc was very similar to the end of her first (and second, I think) appearances in 616 way back. Her attraction to Spidey, not knowing he is only 16 under his mask, should make for some interseting dynamic between the two when she next appears.