Three wildy different limited series approaches make for a fun addition to the Venom War event. The self-contained stories focus on three popular anti-heroes of the Marvel universe: Wolverine, Deadpool and Carnage. Each story had its own unique personality – one a character study, one a continuation of the event, and one a prelude – and is worth your time if you want to continue diving deeper into the Venom War world.
Marvel
Venom War: Wolverine
The biggest surprise for me. I expected a typical, action-heavy jaunt with Wolverine slashing his way through a small town of zombiotes, but what I got was a quiet, almost subdued, introspective story on Wolverine and his inner turmoil.
Wolverine is minding his own business in a New York bar when a symbiote unexpectedly takes him over. When he finally can escape the grasp of the symbiote, he realizes he has been taken back to a small town from his past.
The three issue tie-in goes into how Wolverine permanently changed a family and how he continues to grapple with his role as he realizes the void he created through his previous actions.
I mean…right?!
I’m not the expert on Venom War, but I’ve read my fair share of tie-ins, and this has the most bite of anything I read.
While not a twist per se, I loved the way issue #2 ended. The entire issue had the makings of a typical “heroes swoop in and save the day” story, and the entire flow of the back third of the issue made it seem like this was a short side track. Then we’re back in NYC to start the REAL action. The final page is a sudden swerve that keeps you in the town for a little bit longer, and I was all-in.
My only complaint about the Wolverine tie-in was that the Venom War wasn’t much of an influence on the story. The symbiote got Wolverine to the location and created the zombiotes, but the other tie-ins within the trade paperback have the Venom War more ingrained into their stories. It felt like a story that they made a few changes to make it fit, and not a story built around the event. Overall, kudos to writers Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs.
Kev Walker’s art was solid. His panels were easy to digest and moved the comic at a solid pace. I loved the symbiote design. It was more Jujutsu Kaisen than a traditional superhero comic book.
Marvel
Venom War: Deadpool
THIS is what i think of when I hear major event tie-in. One degree of separation away from the main story and an extension of the event vibes.
Deadpool and his ragtag group – very ragtag if you are not keeping up with Deadpool – fight zombiotes throughout New York with some unexpected pit stops along the way.
The pace was at a breakneck speed with character introductions, one-liners, and violence filling each page. I loved the inclusion of the Marvel monsters and Monster Metropolis. I am a sucker for that cast of characters, and they fit right at home within this event.
Cullen Bunn’s Deadpool dialogue is what it is. You know going into a Deadpool comic what kind of style you’re going to get. It isn’t my cup of tea, but it never detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
Rob DiSalvo, artist on issues #1-2, and Roi Mercado, artist on issue #3, brought the over-the-top goodness. The slapstick action and exaggerated expressions fit perfectly with the story being told and connecting to Venom War.
Marvel
Venom War: Carnage
A major player in the Venom War, and he doesn’t even get a billing on the TPB cover. Odd decision aside, this was the toughest read of the three.
Serial killer or psychopath stories are inherently difficult to tell because they have to break a fundamental part of storytelling: the hero’s journey. You aren’t getting the growth of a hero, but instead a peek into madness, which makes the characters harder to connect to.
Torunn Grønbekk focused more on connecting the dots for a few major players and situations leading into Venom War. Certainly a nice-to-have, and I appreciated having more context, but I would have liked another subplot to help dilute the maniacal focus.
The final issue went to places I did not expect, from cosmic to street-level, and ended the story on a positive note.
The creative art carried the tie-in. Carnage spends much of the story “hidden” and the little clues in the panels revealing he’s still there were great to look for. The violence leaned more into horror, and fit the tone nicely. Pere Perez put together a double-page splash page wrapping up issue #2 that is a delight for gore fans.
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