Venom #33 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Donny Cates, art by Iban Coello, colors by Jesus Aburtov, and letters by Clayton Cowles. Spoiler warning, the events of this issue are also tied into The King in Black series, so go read that first.
Previously, Eddie had crashed into the great beyond, and his codex had been absorbed into the hive mind of Knull’s symbiote army. Upon entering through the gates of the void, Eddie was greeted by a familiar face, Rex Strickland. The old Symbiote enlightens Eddie on the where, and the how, and even the why as they appear in the hospital where Eddies’ body was declared legally dead. However, things aren’t as they seem, as the two still have their free will and plan to try and cripple Knull’s plan from the inside. If they want to go to war, though, they’re going to need another soldier. Enter Flash ‘Agent Venom’ Thompson!!
Now in Venom #33, Eddie and his comrades must strike hard and fast at the heart of the hive mind. However, things above in NY ripple through, and Eddie’s connection to his son Dylan delights him as the balance of power seems to be shifting in favor of Earth. In the streets of NY, Dylan is filled with fury at the death of his Father and unleashes a terrible rage on the Symbiotes, disconnecting them from the hive forever. An absolutely jam-packed all-action issue.
Cates has upped the intensity factor to 11 with this issue where prior issues felt like they lingered without really moving the plot along, the development of the story powers forward with this issue.
One of the moments, there are many in this issue, that really has that wow factor is when Peter Parker lays out Dylan’s situation. Cates identifies within this moment that Parker never really felt like he said a choice to become Spider-Man, he had the power and the responsibility, but Parker allows Dylan to choose. Not only to make a choice but that on behalf of Eddie, he’d protect him for as long as he could. Man, oh man, it was a bloody touching moment, which then contrasted with Dylan being the epitome of his Fathers son and just wanting to hurt something. Moments like this from Cates have been carefully crafted over 33 issues and culminating in this grand finale.
Coello’s art is just stunning to behold. The character’s facial features perfectly convey all of the emotion Cates has developed, especially highlighted on Dylan’s face and during the NY battle. Later on, in the issue, Coello delivers a magnificent new Symbiote dragon that I am positive will be the talk of new comic book day on Wednesday. Coello’s attention to detail is truly worthy of praise, and I am excited about this artist’s future and the work he will go to create.
The visuals are only then elevated by the coloring of Aburtov. There is an inordinate amount of red within the issue, but Aburtov’s work goes above and beyond, creating depth within the depictions from Coello. Most noteworthy is the slight blue hue surrounding the hive mind characters, highlighting their form’s metaphysical nature. Aburtov can be proud of the nature of creation within this issue.
Lastly, the lettering from Cowles worked well. The dialogue bubbles are well placed and keep the pace plowing forward. The design of the onomatopoeia was dynamic and eye-catching.
While The King in Black series has definitely been a brilliant highlight to this climactic event, you can not miss this recent run of Venom as it’s clear the two are going to come crashing together very soon. Cates’s fresh thinking and frenzied ideas have reminded us why we love Venom and elevated him to an elite Marvel status.
Venom #33 is available now wherever comics are sold.
Venom Issue #33
TL;DR
While The King in Black series has definitely been a brilliant highlight to this climactic event, you can not miss this recent run of Venom as it’s clear the two are going to come crashing together very soon. Cates’s fresh thinking and frenzied ideas have reminded us why we love Venom and elevated him to an elite Marvel status.
