IDW’s Marvel Action Origins #3 retells the origin story of two iconic characters within the Marvel Universe: Hulk and Venom. Issue #3 is written by Christopher Eliopoulos, who many comics fans may know as a longtime letterer for Savage Dragon and many other children’s books with fellow writer Brad Meltzer. In Marvel Action Origins #3, Eliopoulos and Lanna Souvanny continue their dynamite work on this series with an issue that takes us on a journey to discover how Bruce Banner became the big strong green guy, and when Eddie met Venom. It’s genuinely a heartfelt comic that readers of any age will love, but especially if you’re getting into Marvel, this comic is a great place to start.
Marvel Action Origins #3 was a lot of fun to read. The story is broken into two parts: the first half about Bruce Banner, the Hulk, and the last part Venom. Both characters have had many different origin treatments during their existence, but to tell the tale to a younger generation, I think what was given was a wise choice. I love how Eliopoulos and Souvanny incorporated panel moments like when Bruce Banner saves the kid from the gamma bomb to pay homage to the legends like Jack Kirby’s early work.
But their creativity didn’t stop there. There are many excellent panels that look like they are straight out of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk film with Edward Norton and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. The dialogue is cheesy as expected, but it works beautifully with classic lines like, “You wouldn’t like it when I’m angry.” Plus, Souvanny’s cartoonish art style makes the action and intense moments pop off the page.
In terms of both stories overall, I felt a stronger connection towards Hulk’s than Venom’s, as Venom’s didn’t pack quite as big a punch to me this go-round. Still, Marvel Action Origins #3 is another terrific entry into Eliopoulus and Souvanny’s already great run on this series. There are some fantastic variant covers, including one that features Venom and Hulk on the front. Make sure to pick this one up during your next trip to the comic shop.
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