ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Venom,’ Issue #1

Venom #1 is written by Al Ewing & Ram V, penciled by Bryan Hitch, inked by Andrew Currie, colored by Alex Sinclair, and lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles. It is published by Marvel Comics. Following the events of King in Black, Eddie Brock has vanquished Knull and become the Symbiotes’ new god. While attempting to repair the damage from Knull’s attack, Eddie is confronted with an omen from a mysterious being that threatens everything he ever loved. Meanwhile, Eddie’s son Dylan wrestles with his feelings of abandonment and anger, and these feelings are only amplified when circumstances lead to him bonding with the Venom symbiote.

After the end of Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s character-defining run on the Lethal Protector, I only had one thought: the next creative team has some pretty big shoes to fill. Not only does this creative team fill those shoes, but they end up busting out of those shoes and starting to craft a new pair. I seriously admire that this issue not only picks up effortlessly from where the Cates/Stegman saga left off but it also manages to forge its own path. A large part of that is due to the new sense of scale that comes with Eddie’s ascension into godhood. Once limited to the skyscrapers of New York City, he now travels the cosmos with a collection of symbiotes.

It’s also a scale that fits the writers’ tendencies. Ewing is best known for his work on Marvel’s cosmic titles including Guardians of the Galaxy and S.W.O.R.D., as well as injecting a hefty dose of horror into the Hulk mythos with Immortal Hulk; V has a steady string of horror-based titles at DC Comics including Justice League Dark and Swamp Thing. They divvy up the writing duties neatly; Ewing handles Eddie’s side of the story including a trippy tumble through time that hints at upcoming stories in the run, while V tackles Dylan’s life at school and his rising resentment at his father’s absence. I’ve always been drawn to stories that explore father/son relationships, and mixing that with cosmic horror is a winning combination.

Hitch and Currie deliver the same “widescreen action” that defined their work on The Authority and The Ultimates, drawing splash pages that feature massive spaceships drifting in the cold, starry void and characters tumbling through the fabric of time and space. They also give each of the Brocks a unique design; Eddie’s new status as the King in Black sees him donning a sleeker, more superheroic looking version of his Venom suit while Dylan still wears the traditional Venom suit-with the addition of chains (a carryover from the Cates/Stegman era and a neat nod to Venom co-creator Todd McFarlane, as Spawn is best known for utilizing chains in battle). And Sinclair drenches all of it in dark colors, with black being the primary one-even the Symbiotes’ speech bubbles carry the same black and white pattern that Venom is known for.

Venom #1 continues to explore the Lethal Protector’s cosmic horror roots while setting up a new status quo for both Eddie & Dylan Brock. If you enjoyed the previous Venom saga or enjoyed Venom: Let There Be Carnage, I definitely recommend adding this to your pull list.

Venom #1 is available wherever comics are sold on November 10, 2021.