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The final issue in the Venom: First Host series is out today and it features Eddie fighting aliens in space and his baby Symbiote clinging to life. It’s a finale that comes with some surprises, some interesting turns, and a nice period on Mike Costa’s run.
So what’s it about?
Read the preview.
Why does this matter?
Not only did this series introduce a new Symbiote, but it also added a new layer to Venom’s character since he’s a daddy now. It also revealed new things about Eddie’s Symbiote and unlocked memories for it that may pay off in future stories.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Not looking good guys. Credit: Marvel Comics
This issue is very effective in denying your expectations. The first third goes about as you might expect, but this lulls you into a complacency; then writer Mike Costa drops Venom into interesting situation after situation until it all ends with Eddie coming to grips with what really matters to him. If you read any of Costa’s run with the character you’ll note how this feels like the end to the story be it Eddie’s relationship with Alchemax, the baby Symbiote, as well as the adventure started here.
One of the strongest elements of this issue is how it reasserts the fact that Eddie is a loner. Over the course of the issue he gets help from surprising sources, becomes a father, and even goes on a space adventure potentially saving an entire culture, but by the end, he’s back where he started. The ending doesn’t fail to remind us who this character is even if he goes on wild space missions.
The art by Mark Bagley and Paco Diaz capitalizes on the various location changes and aliens running amok on the page. Venom has a fangy yet humanoid look here that isn’t too stylized and should keep 90s fans happy. The new Symbiote continues to look impressive and I can’t stop thinking about getting it in Marvel Legends form.
Omg, we even get to see the new Symbiote in female form! Credit: Marvel Comics
It can’t be perfect can it?
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I somewhat mentioned above the opening of the issue plays out relatively as you’d expect. It’s an ending to the space drama that wraps things up quickly so we can get back to Earth and wrap up the dramas there. It’s rather convenient and requires new information we didn’t know to make sense which always feels slightly disingenuous.
Is it good?
A great ending, or rather many smaller endings, to the story and to a few dangling plot threads in the Venom storyline. This series may have felt like a bit of a cash grab, but based on this ending it’s safe to say it added something to Venom’s journey and even made him more interesting while doing it.
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