I must admit that I did not read the Venom War event as it was coming out. I love Venom, and Carnage, and Spidey of course, but it just felt like a very big, convoluted event that I didn’t NEED to read to understand future comics. However, I have been loving reading the trade paperbacks from the Venom War event, and this trade of Venom War: Zombiotes & Venom War: Venomous is no different. It is so fun, and gives some great page time to beloved female characters who always deserve more spotlight.
This trade paperback is beefy, coming in at 200 pages (and going for $24.99 USD) with eight entire issues: Venom War: Zombiotes #1-3, Venom War: Venomous #1-3, Black Widow: Venomous, and Venom War: Daredevil. The creative talent in this trade are superb, with writing from Cavan Scott, Erica Schultz, and Chris Condon, as well as art from Juan Jose Ryp, Luciano Vecchio, and Lan Medina. The coloring in these dark, gooey stories is also super important and impressive, so I want to make sure to mention colorists Ceci de la Cruz, Rachelle Rosenberg, Yen Nitro, and David Curiel.
Marvel
This collection of tales features some gorgeous covers scattered throughout the book (but unfortunately, barely any variants collected at the back), including the horrifying cover you see above from Juan Ferreyra. Plus, the cover of the collection itself – also from Ferreyra – depicts She-Hulk brutally ripping a symbiote… and flesh… off a dead woman’s head, revealing her rotting skull underneath. It is pretty damn metal, and a great indicator of the gore and brutality displayed in these comics. I loved Venom War: Zombiotes, mainly because of the relationship between Jen and Patsy Walker, and the interesting character study on the “villainous” Shocker, a criminal who can’t help his love for his dead friend Boomerang.
Juan Jose Ryp’s artistic style was perfect for this miniseries, able to depict the truly grotesque nature of the Zombiotes, and the vile ways in which the heroes were forced to kill or subdue them. Speaking of artists, Luciano Vecchio was absolutely the right choice to illustrate Venom War: Venomous and the one-shot Black Widow: Venomous. The mini is an explosive collaboration between Black Widow, her new symbiote Sliver, and the heroic Anti-Venom, and their teamwork and opposing styles made for a fun, exciting adventure fighting against the villainy of Alchemax. I was pretty devastated when Sliver seemingly died at the end, but a final image of a goopy spider made me think that the baby symbiote may just come back, hopefully partnering with Natasha again in the future.
Marvel
Finally, there is the one-shot comic Venom War: Daredevil, which features both Matt Murdock and Elektra, with Natchios featured as the costumed Daredevil of the oversized issue, while Matt remains in his priestly attire. This issue from Condon and Medina was a great glimpse into Elektra’s dark mind, and also used her multiple resurrections alongside Murdock in contrast to the death the Zombiotes wrought… and the likelihood that the symbiotes will attack again in the future. The art is dynamic and action-packed, and the dark coloring from Yen Nitro adds to the environment’s terrifying ambiance.
All in all, I thought these eight issues were a perfect way to depict the street-level impact of the Venom War across New York City. Sometimes major things happen in NYC, and no comics are showing how regular people or street-level heroes are impacted. Even though they have all been Avengers or battled cosmic deities, heroes like Hellcat, Daredevil, and Black Widow are at their core local heroes who “fight for the little guy.” These comics were a beautiful display of that dedication and the horrors the everyday citizen experiences in the Marvel Universe.
Marvel
I am really glad that they decided to collect these issues into a full trade paperback, because none of them alone had enough for a trade. Placed together, they flow wonderfully and add the perfect grounded foundation to the cosmic nature of the Venom War event. The art is unique and gorgeous, the writing feels natural and accurate to the characters, and the stories mix the just-right blend of horror and heart. If you like female-driven stories, comics that feature street-level heroism, or graphic symbiote murder, then this trade paperback is definitely right for you!
You must be logged in to post a comment.