Venom #22 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Declan Shalvey (art), Lee Loughridge (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: What better way for series mastermind Rick Remender to say farewell than one final fight between Venom and Jack O’ Lantern and on Father’s Day, no less?

The Review:  This issue is a true swansong for Rick Remender’s fantastic run on Venom; it showcases so much of what Remender has managed to accomplish over the course of these 22 issues.

As such, it’s a character-driven issue and one that’s incredibly  heavy as a result.  It focuses on the humanity that Remender imbued Flash Thompson with and the lasting scars of his abuse as a child.  In this sense, the issue is as much a polemic against child abuse as it is an introverted character study of Flash.  It’s an extremely sincere issues, when that punches you in the gut, making it impossible not to empathize with Flash.  Again, that this issue has so much weight is a testament to and a reminder of how much Remender has accomplished in this series; we’ve grown so invested in Flash over the course of the series that all of these painful flashbacks feel truly, well, painful.  Despite this being the last issue of his run, Remender is still letting us enter deep into the mind of Flash Thompson, showing what makes the character tick, and it’s still excellent.

Venom #18 – Review

By: Rick Remender & Cullen Bunn (writers), Lan Medina (pencils), Nelson Decastro (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Flash races to get to Betty before Jack and the Savage Six.

The Review:  With co-writer in tow, it’s another solid outing for Venom.  Aside from the brief Circle of Six crossover, it’s pretty remarkable how consistent this book has been in both quality and style.  For instance, once again, Flash’s narration is strong this month.  Remender and Bunn manage to once again strike the balance between a clipped, efficient use of words representative of Flash’s military background and training and narration that is rife with emotion, tension, and desperation.  In other words, as Flash desperately tries to get to Betty, the narration does exactly what it should: it lets you step into the mind of the character, while I also pulling you into the story.

I’m also enjoying what Remender and Bunn are doing with the Rogue’s Gallery here.  As always, Jack is written wonderfully.  He’s cunning and creepy and having him get to Betty sans costume, playing up his old “Flash’s friend” identity under a guise of friendliness was a really great turn that’s perfect for the character.

Venom #17 – Review

By: Rick Remender & Cullen Bunn (writers), Kev Walker (pencils), Terry Pallot (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Flash attempts to kill Crime-Master to extricate himself from his situation once and for all.

The Review:  The first thing to address with this issue are the two big additions to the creative team.  Honestly, co-writer Cullen  Bunn’s impact doesn’t at all change the issue and were it not for the credits page, this issue might as well have been written by Remender alone.  That’s a very good thing, as it means this issue follows the winning formula that’s fueled it for 16 issues or so and Bunn’s input only keeps that going, rather than changing anything up.  The desperate, gritty, and tragic narration by Flash, for instance, is still very much in play and as solid as ever.

The other big addition is Kev Walker on art.  Walker is a natural pick for a series like this, but he actually seems to tone down some of his idiosyncrasies.  For instance, his trademark blocky anatomy only shows up, slightly, in his take on Megatak (which ends up looking really cool).  Otherwise, Walker holds pretty true to the aesthetic and look established for the series by Tony Moore.  Much like Bunn, he doesn’t upset the formula.  As such, what we get is a comic that looks like one of those badass cartoons that played in the wee hours of the night on Cartoon Network (or Teletoon, for my fellow Canadians).  The highest praise I can give Walker’s art,  however, is that he is the only artist to draw an issue of Remender’s Venom that I truly felt did not fall short of Tony Moore’s work on the book.

Venom #13 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Tony Moore (art), Val Staples (color)

The Story: Venom, Red Hulk, X-23 and Ghost Rider team up to make sure that what happens in Hell, stays in Hell.

The Review: This should be, by all rights, a terrible comic. The concept, “the new New Fantastic Four,” is hardly something fans are clamoring for. The lineup includes two characters whose series are being canceled, and none of these characters have actually met before this event. On top of that, the story takes place in Las Vegas, a location none of the protagonists operate out of. In short, it looks like an event that’s more about boosting sales than good storytelling, and that came out of a ’90s brainstorming session where the word “extreme” was tossed around more than once. So why then, friends, is Venom #13, the first issue of the Circle of Four event, so awesome?

Well, it doesn’t hurt that it’s written by Rick Remender, who just about single-handedly made Venom awesome again. I was expecting that Remender would try making this book classier than its premise suggests, perhaps lending some gravitas to the assembled heroes, or giving emotional significance to the central dilemma. He doesn’t. Instead, Remender sees the inherent schlock, and raises it. By mid issue, we have clone/mutant/symbiote minions, a gigantic Satanic roulette wheel, and Hell being sucked into Las Vegas. If this book had a score, it would all be ’80s hard rock.

This isn’t to say that Circle of Four is just mindless camp. Remender begins the issue with an introduction to each character, and they all have logical and personally motivated reasons for being in Vegas. Laura is searching for a man who has, for some reason, stolen a sample of her blood. Rulk has been dispatched to recover the AWOL Agent Venom, while Flash has, understandably, relapsed back to drinking after his road trip with Jack O’Lantern. I won’t get into why Ghost Rider winds up with the rest, but it deals with her need to prove herself to the Spirit of Vengeance Emeritus. Even our antagonist, Mr. Degli, is given more motivation than “he’s evil.” He is driven by father issues, and they actually reflect Flash’s troubled paternal relations. I’ll admit that the actual moment the foursome finally come together feels about as organic as a Big Mac, but it still is so Metal that I’m almost tempted to put my hat on backwards and throw up some horns. Almost.

Venom #12 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Lan Medina Nelson DeCastro (artists), Marte Gracia (colors)

The Story: What happens in Vegas…could get all your loved-ones killed.

The Good: I have a confession to make: this is the issue of Venom I have been waiting for. Don’t get me wrong, I love what Rick Remender has done to rehabilitate the character. Making the main source of tension the interplay between symbiote and host allows Venom to have a purpose outside of being a Spider-Man support character. Flash’s complicated past and stressed relationships give him compelling motivations and a pathos Eddie Brock never achieved. But honestly, I have really wanted to see Venom absolutely rage out. In this issue, Lan Medina finally gives us that release, and it feels like a dam has been broken. After surviving a road trip with his nemesis, Venom is forced to break into a casino and steal an item for the Crime Master. Unfortunately for everyone, the symbiote guesses what the package is, and that sends it into a rage. We’ve seen Flash lose control of Venom a few times in this run, but never like this. Here, Jekyll is completely stripped away to give us raw, unadulterated Hyde. Venom looks monstrous, grotesque, and more intimidating here than he ever has since this ongoing began. When Jack O’Lantern sees that Flash has lost control he steps in to try to bring Venom to heel; boy, is it gratifying to watch Jack realize he’s bitten off more than he can chew.

It’s fascinating to watch Flash resist, struggle, and finally succumb to the symbiote. There’s a moment where Venom is gracefully smashing down an armored door that encapsulates beautiful contrast between rage and serenity in this takeover; as he soars through the air, Flash thinks, “Something in my system…a reward…an opiate…the symbiote is putting me to sleep.” Then the door comes down, and all hell breaks loose. It’s truly an operatic moment. From there, the narration stops, and it’s Venom’s show. When the narration returns at the very end, saying nothing but the words, “Do it,” it’s hard to say who’s issuing the command.

Venom #10 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Len Medina (pencils), Nelson Decastro (inker), Marty Gracia (colorist)

The Story: Flash attends his father’s funeral, and mourns his losses.

What’s Good: I’m a big fan of Tony Moore, so when I heard that he would be doing the art for Venom, I started picking up the book basically to see more of his work. Likewise, when Tom Fowler was first brought in as a substitute artist, I was pleasantly surprised by how close Fowler stayed to Moore’s aesthetic without compromising too much of his own sensibilities. But in this issue, Len Medina brings in fine, smooth pencil work and clean, open settings that present the biggest departure yet on the art front. It’s a risk for a book previously noteworthy for dense, rich textures, and it pays off beautifully.

“Austere” best sums up the atmosphere of this issue. From the opening in the cemetery, to Crime Lord’s den, to Project: Rebirth itself, everything feels cold and unwelcoming, and even eerily quiet. The fight on the snowy cliffs actually had me feeling chilly as I read it. For an issue with less nail-biting action and more verbal confrontations than we’ve seen in previous issues, the effect is great.

On the writing side, I’m similarly impressed. Matching a one-note villain like Venom with the complex character of Flash Thompson has turned out to be mutually beneficial, as I suppose befits a story about a symbiote. But given how stale most incarnations of Venom have been, this is a truly welcome change. Rick Remender uses this issue to deal with the fallout of three plot threads: the death of Flash’s father, Jack O’Lantern and Crime Master’s knowledge of Flash’s identity, and Captain America’s discovery of the true purpose of Project: Rebirth. Remender does a great job with each thread, and weaves them together deftly. Particularly well handled is the very cruel and very clever way Jack returns to the scene. In the face of the ensuing confrontations, Flash makes some decisions that really shatter the status quo for the series, and take our hero on the first steps toward the upcoming “Venom Event” in February. I can’t wait.

Venom #4 – Review

by Rick Remender (writer), Tony Moore (pencils), Danny Miki (inks), John Rauch (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: It’s Venom vs. Spider-Man in the race to save Betty Brant.

What’s Good: Hurray, Tony Moore is back.  Tom Fowler is a solid enough artist, but there really isn’t any replacing Moore’s likable, characterful, and slightly goofy style.  His work is naturally fun and both his characters and action scenes look solid.  That said, a lot of credit is due to the inking and coloring of Danny Miki and John Rauch, respectively.  Together, they’ve really helped give Venom it’s distinctive look, one that’s feels dirty, smudged, and sci-fi pulpy.

As far as Remender’s writing goes this month, his strongest work is done with Flash’s narration.  It’s intense and really close to the action and it’s rather nice to see how the action actually has a direct effect on the narration and Flash’s stream of thought.  It’s a nice change from the usual detachment that narration usually has.  More than ever, Remender also does an awesome job using the narration to show the symbiote’s effect on Flash’s psyche.  It’s most effective when Flash himself doesn’t realize small things like his referring to himself as “we.”

What’s especially cool this month is how Remender is giving the symbiote itself an increasing amount of its own sentience.  Flash essentially has a running conversation with the symbiote, who responds primarily with wordless emotion that he intuitively senses.  More creepily fun still is how the symbiote subtly does things, unbeknownst to Flash, such as how it deals with the failsafe device.  Remender is slowly building the relationship between the two and the symbiote’s attachment to Thompson.

Venom #3 – Review

by Rick Remender (writer), Tom Fowler (artist), John Rauch (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer)

The Story: Trying to stick it out to halt the shipment of Antarctic vibranium, Flash starts losing control of the symbiote.

The Review:  I had a really strong sense of foreboding when I saw that Tony Moore didn’t draw this book.  He was such an integral part of the book and, while I know the man isn’t the fastest artist, seeing him gone after two issues is really disheartening.

That said, Marvel could do a lot worse than Tom Fowler, that’s for sure.  Fowler tries his best to stay consistent with the style Moore had established for the book and, by and large, he succeeds.  The tone and look that have worked so well are pretty much intact.  This is thanks in no small part to colorist John Rauch staying on, as he continues on with his smudged, Euro pulpy style.  Fowler also does a great job in showing the symbiote’s gradual gain of control, as Flash’s suit grows increasingly inhuman, spiky, and weird looking.

Unfortunately, Fowler seems to struggle with the high-octane fight scenes.  There are several panels here where it’s a real struggle to figure out what exactly is going on.  At some points, it looks like a chaotic mess of black stuff.  It took away quite a bit from the comic overall, given how much action there was this much.

Which is a damned shame, because while it’s not quite the masterpiece of last month, Remender turns in solid work here.  I really liked his reveal of Jack O’ Lantern’s boss, which is another semi-obscure, old school, cheesy villain.  Between this guy and Jack O’ Lantern, I love the goofy, retro rogues’ gallery Remender is fashioning here.

Venom #1 – Review

by Rick Remender (writer), Tony Moore (pencils), Crimelab! Studios, Sandu Florea, & Karl Kesel (inks), John Rauch (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Flash goes on a mission to stop an arms-dealer, and the doctor behind his weapons, amidst genocide.

The Review: Venom #1 is a very interesting issue insofar as it shows, truly, what a great creative team can do and how one such team can mine greatness from what looks, at first, to be a tapped reservoir.

Certainly, at it’s base level, Venom #1 has a lot that could make for a very mediocre comic.  There’s the fact that it’s about Venom, already a ho-hum franchise.  Then there’s the fact that it’s yet another superhero spec-ops book.  Meanwhile, having a faceless arms-dealer as a villain?  It doesn’t get much blander than that.  Yet, Venom #1 is a tremendous comic book that sees Rick Remender succeeding once again with the odds stacked against him.

One of the reasons is Remender’s outstanding character-work.  Flash Thompson, for instance, is an absolute star and, within pages, instantly recognizable as an incredibly compelling and sympathetic main character well worth his own ongoing series.  He’s a fully three dimensional human being and in 22 pages, Remender touches upon so much of what makes him tick: his devotion to his country in the face of political naysayers, his courage and natural heroism, his struggles with alcoholism and his own flaws and vulnerabilities, his constant conflict with the old high school jock football hero inside of him, and the toll his military career and heroism takes on his personal sphere.  There is just so much about Remender’s Flash that intrigues, and placed in such a balancing act as this one, where absolute emotional equilibrium is required to control the beast that is the symbiote only heightens everything that makes Flash interesting.

Remender also does great work when it comes to Flash’s narration.  It feels personal, heroic yet human, and fully captures Flash’s unique voice.  It’s not over the top in any way, but it’s great to see Flash having a distinct tone.  Remender also does ingenious work in manipulating these narrative textboxes to show Flash’s loss of control to the symbiote.

Cackling villain Jack O’ Lantern is a joy.  He’s maniacal and a hyperactive, exaggerated bit of murderous black comedy.  He’s a lot of fun and reminds me of something Grant Morrison would write, albeit a bit more comprehensible.