After an issue full of new discoveries about his abilities and his place in the grand timeline of the Symbiotes, Eddie Brock is once again in the land of the living — but what exactly is he? This latest issue by Al Ewing, Cafu, and Frank D’Armata begins to untangle that very question with extremely entertaining results.
Given that the preceding chapter once again gave Eddie’s life and mission new context, it makes sense that this issue would feel a bit like a bridge between those world-shattering revelations and what comes next. That doesn’t mean this is a boring chapter, however — far from it. We get a dramatic resurrection, a face-off with a motorcycle our hero on a motorcycle and pulling some Terminator shenanigans, Eddie exploring his new abilities in some extra-goopy ways (and embarrassing some cops in the process), and a whole lot more.
There’s enough wackiness to fill up at least three issues here. I’ve been enjoying this series since it launched, but this is easily the most fun Venom has been in several issues. Things dip a bit during a prolonged standoff with some thugs, but judging by the final page, things are about to kick into high gear once more.
At this point, this series has essentially redefined Eddie’s history/destiny and overhauled his power-set multiple times. It seems like every other issue forces the reader to rethink what came before as the creative team rewrites the rule book. And somehow, it never feels like a cheap trick, or like the team doesn’t know where this is going. It’s clearer than ever that Al Ewing is playing the long game with Venom, and readers are absolutely spoiled to be getting a run that keeps topping itself like this.
Hopefully the next few issues will continue to flesh out Eddie’s new state of being and what exactly it means for the future we’ve glimpsed in previous issues. I am a bit concerned that he may have just leveled up to a point where he’s an unstoppable machine, and while that can be fun in its own way, it hopefully won’t remove tension from future battles. But even if it does, it’s hard to complain when Eddie’s journey continues to be so damn wild.
I mean, what other comic book on the stands features its lead character rocking a t-shirt saying “Himbo Frankenstein?” It rules.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login