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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
It's crazy how much story Donny Cates can pack into a short book. With only the first 12 issues of his Venom run, this book is shorter than his monstrously entertaining Thanos, but it's equally entertaining and monstrous.
Cates gives us a layered, surprisingly complex psychological thriller with Eddie Brock struggling with PTSD, anxiety and depression and Venom (his "other" or "shadow") acting as a metaphor for all those things. This is exactly the kind of Venom story I wanted to read for my first venture into the character's solo books, so I'm not sure if that influenced my rating but I don't care. This is precisely my cup of tea.
Elements of horror, dark Lovecraftian fantasy and psychological exploration of character through past trauma and family drama raises this book to a whole other level I really didn't expect.
Cates gives us a layered, surprisingly complex psychological thriller with Eddie Brock struggling with PTSD, anxiety and depression and Venom (his "other" or "shadow") acting as a metaphor for all those things. This is exactly the kind of Venom story I wanted to read for my first venture into the character's solo books, so I'm not sure if that influenced my rating but I don't care. This is precisely my cup of tea.
Elements of horror, dark Lovecraftian fantasy and psychological exploration of character through past trauma and family drama raises this book to a whole other level I really didn't expect.
Some really good character stuff between Eddy and the symbiote, explorations of abusive relationships and codependency and shit. Cates famously expanded the Venom "mythos" with this, which I'm not really sure is necessary, but it's interesting, I guess. Unfortunately this isn't as gay as I think Venom stories should be, which is disappointing.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I saw that venom design and I dropped the entire comic through the window.
Maybe my expectations were not in check before reading this, everyone said that it was one of the best histories in modern marvel but I felt the super hero burn out through my veins, the cat and mouse chase game where I fall into the endless cicle of new villains and cataclysmic events under sells what I like the most of the genre.
The fact that It started with promises of something coming only gave me a bad feeling and it started because I saw the entire arc on a YouTube channel and now there is nothing of value here to me.
Superheroes are not bad but this has to end and I hope my watchlist full of pre secret wars stories fulfill my desire of finding another comic that made fun of a medium that is full of potential.
One comic away of ditching anything made by marvel if I read another run where its only purpose is to sell me an infinite amount of tie ins that can be summarized as "look at what this superheroe doing nothing of value to the main story and still being ass even when having the coolest power set"
Maybe my expectations were not in check before reading this, everyone said that it was one of the best histories in modern marvel but I felt the super hero burn out through my veins, the cat and mouse chase game where I fall into the endless cicle of new villains and cataclysmic events under sells what I like the most of the genre.
The fact that It started with promises of something coming only gave me a bad feeling and it started because I saw the entire arc on a YouTube channel and now there is nothing of value here to me.
Superheroes are not bad but this has to end and I hope my watchlist full of pre secret wars stories fulfill my desire of finding another comic that made fun of a medium that is full of potential.
One comic away of ditching anything made by marvel if I read another run where its only purpose is to sell me an infinite amount of tie ins that can be summarized as "look at what this superheroe doing nothing of value to the main story and still being ass even when having the coolest power set"
I can see why this run is so popular. While the artwork isn’t something I super keen on, looking like 90s Spawn to me, kind of, the plot is a lot less run-and-gun, which is what I expect and avoid from venom runs. Instead, a new villain surfaced, Knull (which, funnily enough I’m playing that Marvel Snap game and saw that card and had no idea who they were!), and they actually add a whole heck of a lot to the backstory of the symbiotic creatures. It’s a very fun tie-in to the God Bomb Thor run too, which I loved, so there’s a lot going for it.
As it goes on, I will say my interest weaned somewhat, and this doesn’t cover the full arc, instead taking a circuitous path to get back to Knull, and I can see why… the B plot was just not as interesting, especially for that many issues. Maybe half the book? Something like that. I’d probably read the next volume if it was put in front of me but won’t go looking for it. But it’s far and away the most engaging and compelling Venom run I’ve ever encountered.
As it goes on, I will say my interest weaned somewhat, and this doesn’t cover the full arc, instead taking a circuitous path to get back to Knull, and I can see why… the B plot was just not as interesting, especially for that many issues. Maybe half the book? Something like that. I’d probably read the next volume if it was put in front of me but won’t go looking for it. But it’s far and away the most engaging and compelling Venom run I’ve ever encountered.
Hmmm...a lot of retconning going on here and I don't know if its for the better. Donny Cates, who usually has some insane ideas that morph into fun, crazy stories, reinvents the symbiote mythos and I don't know how much I like it. In my opinion, Flash and Agent Venom turned out to be the superior character but we're back to Eddie Brock which could be fun but this is a dark and depressing book and has a lot of concepts that might not jibe together. Ryan Stegman's art (and others) was stupendous though. Overall, a different take on Venom that needs a chance to grow but starts off on shaky ground.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Donny Cates does wonders with Venom, reinterpreting his history in really inventive ways alongside Ryan Stegman and several other artists. Only criticism I can level against their take on Venom is that sometimes it veers heavy into mindless action territory albeit that actually suits the character well. The horror elements offer a good juxtaposition. I love too how it connects up with Jason Aaron’s Thor run (a personal favorite of mine)
I’ve never been a fan of Venom. I’ve never gotten the craze around the character or even the concept the character grew out of. So when this new series launched and was quickly lauded across the board, I wasn’t convinced. Maybe it was ignorance, since I’ve never read many of Venom’s signature stories, but I didn’t believe a story about an angry, “grimdark” monster could be compelling.
I’m glad I was wrong.
The first story arc of this series didn’t hook me, but it was a proof of concept that convinced me a “Venom” series could work for me. The art from Ryan Stegman was exceptional; a beautiful medley of brutal physicality, grotesque imagery, and compelling layouts. And Cates’ writing, while a bit heavy-handed for my tastes, was exciting enough that I was eager to go along for the ride.
Those first six issues didn’t wow me, but I did enjoy them quite a bit. The story itself wasn’t that strong—an ancient evil comes back and wants to do evil stuff yadda yadda yadda—but the visual spectacle Stegman brought to it, and (parts of) the internal conflict Cates gave to Eddie were enough to get me to turn the pages. But I still wasn’t convinced the comic was as good as I had heard. Fun, definitely; but memorable? Not really.
Until the next arc.
Issues 7-12 are incredible. With the over-the-top stakes and spectacle out of the way—presumably to entice readers to stick around—Cates moves into a story that’s deeply psychological and genuinely unsettling. But not because Venom themselves are unsettling; because of the way Venom becomes a nuanced and unforgiving illustration of Eddie’s traumas, doubts, and failings.
Artist Iban Coello guests on some of these issues, and I *loved* his work. He has a similar style to Stegman, so the shift wasn’t jarring, but it was different enough to offer a unique visual edge to the narrative. And when Stegman comes back, he kills it again. All five issues are stunning to look at, and effortlessly convey the emotional and physical horrors Eddie is experiencing.
It’s fiercely compelling stuff, and I tore through it all so fast I was surprised when I ran out of pages. And I was even more surprised when I found myself wishing I had the next volume in front of me.
This series has done the impossible and made me into a Venom fan. I’ll probably never *get* the hype around the character. But I’m thrilled by the work that Cates, Stegman, and co. are doing with this series and am rabid for more.
I’m glad I was wrong.
The first story arc of this series didn’t hook me, but it was a proof of concept that convinced me a “Venom” series could work for me. The art from Ryan Stegman was exceptional; a beautiful medley of brutal physicality, grotesque imagery, and compelling layouts. And Cates’ writing, while a bit heavy-handed for my tastes, was exciting enough that I was eager to go along for the ride.
Those first six issues didn’t wow me, but I did enjoy them quite a bit. The story itself wasn’t that strong—an ancient evil comes back and wants to do evil stuff yadda yadda yadda—but the visual spectacle Stegman brought to it, and (parts of) the internal conflict Cates gave to Eddie were enough to get me to turn the pages. But I still wasn’t convinced the comic was as good as I had heard. Fun, definitely; but memorable? Not really.
Until the next arc.
Issues 7-12 are incredible. With the over-the-top stakes and spectacle out of the way—presumably to entice readers to stick around—Cates moves into a story that’s deeply psychological and genuinely unsettling. But not because Venom themselves are unsettling; because of the way Venom becomes a nuanced and unforgiving illustration of Eddie’s traumas, doubts, and failings.
Artist Iban Coello guests on some of these issues, and I *loved* his work. He has a similar style to Stegman, so the shift wasn’t jarring, but it was different enough to offer a unique visual edge to the narrative. And when Stegman comes back, he kills it again. All five issues are stunning to look at, and effortlessly convey the emotional and physical horrors Eddie is experiencing.
It’s fiercely compelling stuff, and I tore through it all so fast I was surprised when I ran out of pages. And I was even more surprised when I found myself wishing I had the next volume in front of me.
This series has done the impossible and made me into a Venom fan. I’ll probably never *get* the hype around the character. But I’m thrilled by the work that Cates, Stegman, and co. are doing with this series and am rabid for more.