Marvel’s What If…? line is one of the most fun times you can have in comics, but what if it honed in on one character for a multi-issue story arc? That’s the case with What If…? Venom, now available in trade paperback. In a story that weaves in multiple heroes, Venom masters the minds of Moon Knight, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, and She-Hulk, but to what end?
Headlining the series is writer Jeremy Holt, with a different artist for four of the five issues. Judging by how good the first issue is, it’s clear we’re in good hands. Kicking things off is She-Hulk in What If…?: Venom #1. The opening chapter has a few clever plot elements that make this more than just a typical one-shot.
The issue opens with She-Hulk working a desk job in an office and getting no respect. Leaving work later than anyone, she stumbles upon a church where Eddie Brock considers suicide. Soon, a conflict arises that convinces the Symbiote that maybe She-Hulk is a better host, and away the narrative goes.
Holt utilizes the somewhat evil nature of the symbiote to show that She-Hulk is losing the battle for control of her own body. Through captions, they argue back and forth, which adds a nice layer of conflict. Along the way, she fights crime, stops it from outright murdering innocent people, and even stumbles across a familiar Wolverine villain. There’s a decent amount of seeding going on for where this story goes next issue. One can see there may be some pinballing for the Symbiote as it keeps meeting superheroes.
This version of Venom is a lot more evil.
Credit: Marvel
That evil nature continues with Wolverine, who ends up being the second host of the symbiote. In a clever turn, the symbiote puts Wolverine in a mind prison, depicted as the Weapon X facility. Tadam Gyadu draws a solid issue with an enormous Venom dolled up in a new Wolverine look.
For Venom purists, I could see this story not quite jiving with their tastes. This Venom is far from similar to the 616 universe as it’s nature is more like a common symbiote. It makes the title character less accurate, on some scale.
Artist Jesus Hervas draws the first and fifth issues. His art is steeped in dark shadows. It gives the book an evil take on the process of being taken over by a Symbiote. The style here reminded me of Daniel Acuña’s work as it’s colorful yet highly realistic when it needs to be. Color artist Ceci De La Cruz adds a lot of realism to the scenes, punching up the dark corners. Together, they pull off a visual feast for the eyes.
Next up is Doctor Strange gaining the Venom symbiote with art by Manuel Garcia. The use of magical abilities is highlighted by the color choices, with much of the issue taking place in the Sanctum Santorum. Garcia gets to draw a very horrific version of Venom, which gets quite scary at times.
Following that issue is a Loki-centric issue with art by Diogenes Neves. This issue also heavily uses Moon Knight, who plays a big role in bringing the story full circle.
My biggest gripe with this series is how little it delves into the heroes; as a What If tale, it’s more about the symbiote creating havoc in their lives than showing each hero change meaningfully. The first issue also has a lot of setup for Wolverine, while the second issue doesn’t cleanly lead to Doctor Strange’s story. How all the heroes get to one place is also a little too convenient for my tastes.
The concept surrounding What If…?: Venom is a good one, even if it’s a little ham-fisted how the stories connect. The fact that it’ll naturally spin into different characters taking on the Symbiote is exciting, and this issue is proof enough that Holt and the art team are making sure we have a blast.
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