For a few years now, Venom fans have had multiple ways of enjoying the character. Case in point: David Michelinie’s Venom: Separation Anxiety, a five-issue series detailing a “lost” tale from Eddie Brock’s past. He is no longer King in Black or All-New Venom, but the justice-seeking hero is still working out where he fits in the Marvel Universe. This series takes a swing at Purple Man while delivering classic Venom art, thanks to Gerardo Sandoval.
Michelinie and Sandoval use this miniseries to pit Venom against the Purple Man, but he’s amped up on Venom’s symbiote. If you’re a fan who likes Eddie Brock back to how he was, this series will keep you fed. The Purple Man is also a creative way to loop in characters like Thing, who can be controlled and pitted against Venom. That also includes Rhino. who pops up more than once.
Venom: Separation Anxiety opens with Venom raging over wanting to kill Spider-Man for what he did to the Symbiote. Michelinie firmly establishes when this story takes place before diving into some shady work being done under the geis of government research. This research involves big-time supervillains, the main one being Zebediah Killgrave.
Look at those toes!
Credit: Marvel
This story does something a little different. It ties in the classic character Betty Brant and gets Eddie back on the reporting beat as a photographer, although that’s jettisoned rather quickly as the issues progress. That said, in one key scene, Eddie rejects helping her, reminding us he’s not going back to his old ways so quickly.
The first chapter suffers from an overabundance of setup, but once it gets going with the Purple Man, which is now powered up with a symbiote, the story becomes a race to stop him. Michelinie ties the Purple Man’s abuse by Doctor Doom into the narrative and the device Doom used to control him. It’s sort of like a retread of that tale while honoring it.
I won’t lie – the idea of Purple Man with a symbiote is pretty cool. Imagine all that power; the character can make others do what he wants. The concept keeps you on the edge of your seat, especially when Venom enters the frame.
Sandoval’s art is excellent, upping the value of action and entertainment. Whenever Venom is on the page, he’s hulking and huge, with plenty of Symbiote tendrils and wisps to boost up his alien nature. The way the mask consumes Eddie’s face with jagged teeth is quite cool, and Eddie has a hulking demeanor. This Venom could take on the Hulk on a bad day. This is a version of Venom that’ll stroke your nostalgic side with plenty of teeth and attitude.
Fans of classic Venom will get their fill of action, Eddie angst, and trippy Symbiote action in Venom: Separation Anxiety. The Purple Man getting a piece of the Venom symbiote adds just enough variety to make this feel new enough, even though it retreads old tales in the process. There’s no denying this back-to-basics version is fun, bringing you back to your childhood when Venom was the enemy of all bullies with a big, toothy grin.
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