If fans want two stories for one TPB price, they might want to check out Venom by Al Ewing Vol. 6: Infiltration. Out this week, the collection houses Venom #26-30, featuring a three-issue Dylan and Black Widow team-up story by Torunn Grønbekk and then a two-issue continuation of Al Ewing’s time-jumping epic involving Eddie Brock. There is a stark contrast to both stories, but knowing this leads to Venom War, there’s hope in knowing it’ll all come together.
Kicking things off is Venom #26, aka “State of Grace,” part 1. Written by Grønbekk with art by Julius Oha, we learn early on Black Widow can absorb the minds of people using her Symbiote. That’s a great tool if you’re a spy and her Symbiote even comes with tiny spiders to attack people. Sure, Black Widow typically has no powers, but the creative team makes it work with her theming.
As far as the story, Dylan’s friend Bren, who is also Toxin, is kidnapped, putting his Symbiote in danger. Soon, Dylan and Black Widow team up to save him with as much Symbiote action as they can muster. The story is a bit one-note, but it allows for plenty of Symbiote versus soldier scenes, plus the inclusion of other Symbiotes like Sleeper.
One of the more compelling elements of this arc is Dylan’s Hive. Venom can communicate with other Symbiotes in there, adding an otherworldly sci-fi element not unlike Eddie’s final oasis.
Al Ewing’s portion of the collection gets quite trippy.
Credit: Marvel
Ewing kicks into gear with Venom #29 with art by Cafu. Admittedly, this is a terrible place to start reading this story, as it has been building for well over a year now. The idea of “paths” is explored, with the issue opening with Tyro’s thoughts. He’s a version of Eddie Brock that’s green and a bit slow. He wants to learn, but Meridius is cruel to him and isn’t interested. So begins a journey spurred on by the treatment Meridius gives him on a journey that connects the two intriguingly. I won’t spoil it here, but know that Meridius and his personality come into focus much more.
It’s Tyro’s thought process that is so compelling. Ewing does a good job reminding us of the various versions of Eddie and how the Garden of Time works. You could probably go into this issue blind and generally know what is happening, which is saying something since it’s all very complex. One character with multiple personalities all living at the same time? It’s a crazy notion, which Ewing explores in a maximum way. The concept of identity, empathy, and planning for a character that lives at multiple ages of development at the same time and place is a real trippy notion.
Thrown into the mix is Kang, who has appeared in previous issues, but we get to see how he’s involved in the creation of Meridius here. Even though Tyro and Meridius aren’t the Eddie or Venom we know, seeing them interact with such a prominent Marvel Cosmic figure is interesting. While Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman propelled Venom from street brawler to alien god status, Ewing takes him further, expanding on what they built and propelling Venom into a cosmic entity and god. This issue helps explain how that comes to be.
Cafu may be one of the best artists to render cosmic entities and space scenes. Paired with color artist Frank D’Armata, these two create visuals that play with light and form to help convey otherworldly characters beyond flesh and blood. That includes Kang, who has strange glowing eyes and a bizarre skin color. Tyro’s alien nature is critical, especially when he starts transitioning from pointy teeth and Venom’s face to a more humanoid look. The creative team does a good job essentially stripping the humanity from these characters, even when it was almost nonexistent in Tyro but most obviously missing when it comes to Meridius.
If there was a repeating theme in this series regardless of who is writing it’s that it both are psychological thrillers. Ewing’s is far trippier and more sci-fi, but Grønbekk takes us there via Dylan’s hive. This is the kind of storytelling you could never anticipate, making for riveting stuff.
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