Venom #1 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the FIRST issue of Venom from Marvel Comics!
Eddie Brock is back as Venom! After a tumultuous time as Carnage, then there was the whole Queen In Black situation, he’s finally back home! So just what does life have in store for him first? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics
Venom #1 by Charles Soule (Writer), Tommaso Bianchi (Artist), Yen Nitro (Color Artist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer) & Davide Paratore (Cover)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
Charles Soule really gets this story started off with a very interesting first issue. If you didn’t read the Queen In Black story or even any of the recent run Al Ewing did you don’t need to worry. Thus far there isn’t any lingering issues or threats from that run, so you can go into this completely cold and be caught up to speed. Sure, there are some references to what happened but it doesn’t really impact your ability to enjoy the story being told inside this issue.
Right from the start of this issue you can tell it’s going to be a different type of run. Sure there are elements that help retain some of that classic Venom long time readers will be used to. However this feels like a new direction for the character. The main crux of that feeling comes during a sequence in which we see Eddie as Venom having a conversation with Mayor Luke Cage about something. I won’t spoil what it is because it’s central to the plot of the issue, but it does put Venom into a position that is different than how most might view him.
Overall the issue is great, it does a solid job setting everything up for the run with Charles Soule at the helm. There’s enough in the issue that the next couple of issues are sure to be very intriguing. It’s also going to be interesting to see if this new direction for Venom will stay, or perhaps old habits will slowly creep back in. Either way, it’s going to be very compelling reading.
The Artwork
Tommaso Bianchi & Yen Nitro are in charge of the artwork for the issue and I have to say I was really impressed with there work. They put there own style on to the look of the characters we know and love that appear in this issue, and they didn’t change things up too drastically that it seemed off putting. Sure there’s a different look from the last issue in the previous run, but it feels a lot more crisp and refined. I really love the overall look and aesthetic presented in this issue.
Overall Grade: 9/10
A strong start to a promising series from Charles Soule and the whole creative team. This issue is the perfect jumping on point if you’re looking to get into Venom, and the series is setting up for some very compelling stories going forward.
