Venom has been getting plenty of attention with the recent Epic Collection reprintings of Marvel’s huge catalog, with each month bringing a new book that contains an assortment of lesser-known minis. What’s amazing about the Venom books is how Marvel has relentlessly tried to find new ways to place the Spider-Man anti-hero into new environments, styles, and narrative approaches. This trade is not quintessential, but Venom Epic Collection: The Hunger does have some familiar Eddie Brock adventures that fans of the character would likely find something to appreciate in these comics.
This Epic Collection is a slew of minis from the 1996-98 era, including Venom: The Hunger #1-4, Venom: Tooth and Claw #1-3, Venom: On Trial #1-3, Venom: License to Kill #1-3, Venom: Seed of Darkness #-1, Venom: Sign of the Boss #1-2, Spider-Man: The Venom Agenda #1, and Venom: The Finale #1-3. Marvel clearly felt that the character best worked in this format during this time, with various creative approaches smeared across the comic canvas.
Marvel Comics
This collection is an interesting window into Venom’s adventures from the ’90s. We have Eddie Brock confronting his ongoing struggle to control the Venom symbiote’s violent tendencies as it battles a literal hunger for brains. Eddie teams up with Wolverine for an interdimensional adventure, faces legal trouble where Matt Murdock defends him, and confronts Ghost Rider and J. Jonah Jameson. The collection also sees Eddie’s long-standing feud with Spider-Man reignite, culminating in a showdown with the webslinger.
There are some real positives in this collection. For Venom fans looking for the classic, insane Eddie Brock being corrupted by alien symbiote, this trade will serve you well. It’s easy to see fans of the film franchise being able to pick this up and discover new narratives for the character they recognize on the screen. “The Hunger” is a rather recognizable Venom storyline, and I always love to see Wolverine and Brock together which “Tooth and Claw” provides.
Unfortunately, it’s also going to disappoint in many ways. All of these stories feel derivative of earlier Venom story arcs, providing very little growth or insight into the character. The plotting can be repetitive and lacking in real excitement beyond the cameos. The art from this era of Marvel was a real slog as well, with very bland visuals and coloring making the panels feel lifeless and flavorless. I remember reading these issues back when they were released, but I simply forgot how uninspired the art and design was. The Hunger run has the best art of the lot thanks to Ted Halsted, but the rest is rather forgettable.
Marvel Comics
There are some standard supplementals, but what’s truly commendable is the inclusion of the Venom art contest held at this time. The fact that Marvel dedicated many pages to reproducing amateur art made by committed fans is enjoyable on two fronts. One, it gives a window into the fan engagement that was once common in the comic industry, perfect for those looking to use these Epic Collections as history books. Two, it gives these aspiring artists a place to honor their work, years after they initially appeared in the monthly issues. Props to Marvel for putting these in this trade.
While these Venom stories fail to rise above earlier iterations of the character, fans of the iconic anti-hero should find something to appreciate in this collection. They may not be the most iconic storylines from his storied history, but they are reflective of where Marvel situated the character in the mid 1990s.
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