Al Ewing and Ram V have big shoes to fill after Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman breathed new life into Venom. Taking what they started, their first story arc pushes forward and advances things greatly. Now out in trade paperback, Venom by Al Ewing & Ram V Vol. 1: Recursion kicks off a new direction for Venom as Eddie Brock’s son takes center stage.
That is, after the first issue. Make no mistake, the first issue is an epic change of pace from what Venom was before. Readers were introduced to Eddie becoming the King In Black after defeating Knull only for that element to be taken to a different place. The first issue, which is written by Ewing and Ram V, blends the spectacle and awesomeness of Eddie policing entirely different planets with his Symbiote soldier hosts with Dylan trying to grow up. Alongside Dylan are his protectors largely because Eddie can’t be a good father to Dylan while also policing the cosmos. This all gets upended at the end of the first issue as Dylan must go on the run.
From there, this series blends elements like the young boy Dylan needing a protector from unseen threats and the growing doom of a mysterious Symbiote character who can travel through time. As I said earlier, the Symbiotes as we know them are far more powerful as they can transport minds distances and, apparently, through time too. That is further explored in the fifth and final issue of this story arc to great effect. If you like trippy movies like The Cell, you’ll adore what the creators are going for with the next evolution of the Symbiotes in the Marvel universe.
This collection is drawn by Bryan Hitch to perfection. He handles the action scenes, and the glorious muscled Venom body, along with sci-fi weaponry with great detail and confidence. The mysterious Symbiote who can travel through time has an evil and somewhat demonic look that’s also otherworldly and creepy. You get the sense he can’t be trusted even with a smile on his face. He’s like a god who has never known defeat and thus can’t be bothered with caring for life outside his own.
Don’t trust this dude.
Credit: Marvel
When things get trippy, Hitch brings his A-game, especially in the fourth issue. Backed up by Alex Sinclair on colors and inks by Andrew Currie, a very strange creature makes contact with Dylan. That creature is quite disturbing and looks like something out of a David Cronenberg film. Much of this series leans towards superhero action, not trippy weirdness, but Hitch and company pull off both.
There are other themes at work here that are compelling. Dylan is without a father and his isolation is an interesting aspect to explore. The idea of the Venom Symbiote being prodded to allow it to evolve is also compelling. It’s obvious Venom and Carnage are different types of Symbiotes from the usual ones that live across the universe. Exploring why they are special seems to be something the series will figure out.
Possibly a weakness of the pace never letting up is a lack of exploration of Dylan himself. He’s a plucky loner trying to stay alive, but never gets a lot of time to develop or show a deeper side. He definitely wants to show he can take care of himself, but largely he comes off as a child that needs protecting. Maybe that’s because he has multiple protectors, so the narrative tends to fawn over his safety rather than Dylan taking charge at the moment.
Venom by Al Ewing & Ram V Vol. 1: Recursion is a strong start for a series that has incredible potential. That potential lies in developing what we know about Symbiotes, Venom, and ultimately how Dylan fits into a narrative when Eddie Brock exits for large chunks of time. After reading this book you’ll feel confident Venom is not only in great hands, but there is far more worth exploring.
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