REVIEW: ‘Venom,’ Issue #27

Venom #27 “Venom Beyond” part 2 continues the plot of Eddie, Dylan, and Virus being sucked into an alternate reality, specifically Earth-1610. Now, in between beating the lights out of each other, the characters have to find out where they are, and whether they have any allies in this dimension. Venom is published by Marvel Comics, written by Donny Cates, art by Juan Gedeon, colors by Jesus Aburtov, and letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles.

Previously, Eddie had taken Dylan to the Maker, and evil alternate-reality Reed Richards, to determine how his son had developed powers and what his connection to the symbiote hive was all about. The pair were interrupted however by a mysterious person wearing a powered-up suit of armor armed with anti symbiote weaponry calling themself, Virus. During the fight, a portal was damaged and ripped all four characters from one reality and threw them into another.

Now in Venom #27, Eddie and Dylan have to survive while being hunted down by Virus, and whatever else is after them in this reality. Cates has written an excellent issue, no beating around the bush here, the story and dialogue is really enjoyable for fans of Venom. The action is incredibly lively, and through the course of the fighting, we see that Cates has allowed Venom to access even more new abilities as Eddie and Venom become closer than ever before. One of the reasons for this is the hive symbiote hive organization that seems to reside in this dimension.

I really love how Cates frames Venom as tapping into the hive mind or archive comparable to a computer connecting to the internet and compiling data. Under Cates, this is the most growth the Symbiote has undoubtedly seen and it’s exciting to know a character like Venom still has room to grow and surprise us all. The introduction of the Ultimate Avengers was really interesting and the twist that’s employed really surprised me. I can not wait to see how the rest of this new arc plays out now.

Gedeon’s art while fluid, and dynamic is a large departure from prior issues under Coello where the illustrations had an incredible level of depth and intense layers. Gedeon’s approach is very different, and personally speaking, I really enjoyed his interpretation. The action sequences are a lot more chaotic, with spatter, slobber, and debris jumping from the page. The artist is able to capture more of rampant anger in the panels of his work with a high level of frenetic energy elevating Venom’s rage towards Virus.

Aburtov continues to deliver issue after issue with his coloring abilities. During one specific panel Venom slingshots himself from the groin of the top of a skyscraper and in the frame, the colorist has been able to capture this movement that reflects the speed at which Venom is flying through the air. The contrasting colors also were really well employed as sequences move from dark to light due to the action sequences.

Cowles lettering gets a big old call out from me for this issue, in the best way I can highlight their work. During a fight with the Ultimate Avengers, there was such a brilliant use of the lettering as the action is literally going off from every angle. The onomatopoeia style design is large and high octane and superbly captures the spark of the fight, with colors being associate with each Avenger. I was a big fan of this electric design!

Overall, Venom #27 is an energetic issue that grabbed me and took me for one hell of a high powered ride. The art style, while different, is not without its merits as Gedeon gets to draw Venom with some excellent new abilities. This series continues to be as unpredictable as ever and I’m excited to see what Cates has in store for us next.

Venom #27 is available now wherever comics are sold.