Venom by Rick Remender: The Complete Collection Vol. 1

Venom (2011) (Collected Editions) #1-2

by Rick Remender, Joe Quesada (Cover Art), Tony Moore (Artist)

Flash Thompson is Spider-Man's biggest fan. That hero worship inspired him to join the Army, where he became a decorated war hero. And though he lost his legs, Flash never lost his dignity - or his desire to serve. Now, the government has offered him a chance to don the alien Venom symbiote and be a hero once again! Now, Flash Thompson is Venom, the government's most lethal special operative. But Flash soon finds himself losing control of his own mind to the symbiote! And when his nemesis Jack O'Lantern blackmails Flash into serving the merciless Crime-Master, can Venom complete his mission and save his loved ones? Plus: What if the Venom symbiote bonded with...Deadpool? Collecting: Venom (2011) #1-12, Venom/Deadpool: What If? #1.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Spider Man, Superheroes, Fiction, Comic Book

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2015

About the author

Rick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the writer/co-creator of many independent comic books like Black Science, Deadly Class, LOW, Fear Agent and Seven to Eternity. Previously, he wrote The Punisher, Uncanny X-Force, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel Comics.

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one kind of blew me away. Not because it's perfect, but because I expected very little from it and came out loving most of it. Venom here is Flash Thompson. The best idea to happen to this character...like ever. You remember flash right? Peter's bully in High School? Later on he joins the army to fight for his country to protect people like his hero who is...you guessed it! Spider-man! So he is here with the Venom suit but to use it to help people. If he keeps it in control and takes it off before 2 days time he is able to wield it as a weapon to save people. This volume has 3 different arcs but are they all good? Let's find out.

What I liked: Loved Flash. Just in 12 issues you get a rollercoaster of emotions from the man. First arc (and weakest) deals with him coming to terms of who he is and a little brawl with Spider-man himself. Then you get him dealing with his father and his dying days. In the middle of Spider-island, which I didn't love. However, it was really well done here and Flash truly came out as a complicated and interesting character for these 4 issues. The last arc is more offbeat but still fun. Venom and Flash are on the run and they forcefully join up with someone who evil as fuck! Jacko Lateran. He's a piece of shit and you get his backstory. It really begins to build up and there's a great showdown at the final issue.

What I didn't like: The start felt a little shaky. Especially issue 1-2. I didn't think I'd love it. And then it began turning around by the end once Spider-man came in and we get to see a side of Flash that's interesting.

Overall Venom Complete Collection is VERY much worth reading. I'd actually place this around a 4 or 4.5. I was so surprised that is just simply blew me the hell away. I hope the second volume can keep this up.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last weekend, my husband and I were at our local comic shop admiring the lead figurines (I bought Nightcrawler and Flash) and he mentioned that he'd like an Agent Venom in the future. I'd only read a little bit of the character in Guardians of the Galaxy and didn't think there was anything special about the character.

He told me about Flash Gordon's backstory and how he lost his legs in war, but jumped at the chance to be be like his hero Spider-Man. How could I say no to an origin like that?

This story did not disappoint and I'll be picking up volume two as soon as possible.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remender does a solid job of bringing an interesting story to life about someone with a difficult past trying to be a super-hero/government agent. He has to deal with not letting his family know, not letting superheroes (like Spider-Man) take him out thinking he is a bad man, protecting his family, and getting the job done.

This might have been better in omnibus format vs two thick paperbacks. This one seems to be on the verge of going out of print.

[Traumal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okej. Odkládám.
Začnem tim, co funguje:
První 5 sešitů. Naprostá bomba. Tony Moore se narodil na to aby skládal pocty Ditkovi a uskutečňoval Remenderovy fanboyovské vize. Dynamika hostitel/symbiont je sice ještě v pleně a až Cates ukáže její plný potenciál ale takovej Otec/syn vztah... Ojojoj, tady Donny určitě dával pozor a psal si poznámky, jak to Remy zvládl na jedničku společně se správně uchopeným Parkerovským dilematem vztahy vs povinnosti a to nemluvim o šťavnaté akci.

Jenže ono se to nějak divně rychle rozplyne. První stopka je třídílný Tie-in ke spider-islandu, druhá je odchod Tonyho Moorea a pokles v celkové kvalitě příběhu. Jako by zmizelo vše, co jsem chválil o pár řádků výše.

Fakt to nechápu.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remender is probably my favourite writer but this just didnt do much for me. Not sure if It was the rapid fire story telling or the characters or the plot but something just didnt sit well. I enjoyed most of the action and venom was horrific at most points.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story arc. I'm becoming more and more of a Venom fan as I read the different paths he's been put on.

[Josh Broccolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to be nice and give this one 5 stars; I was very pleasantly surprised. Sure, it may be a little "comic-booky" with a handful of one-note characters, but I like the dilemma that was setup with this origin story. Codependant with the symbiote to bring his life meaning, I think (the now legless) Flash Thompson is an interesting character as Venom. I think the government operative angle works, too. It wasn't at all what I expected, but I liked what I got.
I will say--this one definitely isn't for kids. It's quite gruesome and touches on some dark subject matter.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rick Remender writes a pretty good Venom comic here minus the tie in Deadpool issue and some of the moments where Flash was not wearing the symbiote could have been written a little better his origin was kind of a cliche alcoholic story but thankfully that’s not a lot of this book. The action was great all around, I just hope the rest of the series will be better in those aspects

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

An amputee war hero, Flash Thompson gets recruited to wear the venom costume.
Throw in an ill father, relationship issues and alcoholism among others into the mix.
Along the way, he constantly needs to control his anger so that the symbiote doesn't take over.
This certainly adds tension. But after a while, it gets old and repetitive.
Overall, I only enjoyed the Tony Moore issues. The rest kinda suck.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting. I have always found venom and the Symbiote fascinating, so naturally a story focused all around them was something i wanted to try.

This particular story should be called "Agent Venom" more then Venom, as for about 80% of the story Flash has the symbiote under tight control.

I found the concept of the government using this being to do covert operations interesting. It is obviously a recipe for disaster, but that doesn't make it any less of a fun ride.

Some highlights, Kraven the Hunter makes an awesome apperance. Flash is given a interesting backstory and exploration. The main villain behind the scenes has some real promise.

Things that didn't quite work. There are several moments where we just have to accept things, that made little sense. Vibranium bullets shred thru metal, but don't hurt the symbiote... The symbiote figured out one of the government's control devices on it, but doesn't really explain how. The symbiote is supposed to be permanently bonded to a user if in the suit past a certain time, not allowing use over this time is one of their safety precautions, so you can guess what thing they ignore....

In addition, we don't every really get to see agent venom match up against someone, most of the fights are introduced when they are half over, and every fight against someone who can stand up to Venom is ended by Venom running away for the more important objective. Not bad, but after over 100 pages I was hoping for one full fight.

All said and done I enjoyed this and will keep my eye out for volume 2, but I am not anxiously awaiting it.

[Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lives up to the hype. I do love Remender and Venom, so I expected to enjoy this, but it really did impress me. Remender always writes soldiers extremely well, and he got deep into Flash's head and made me really empathize with him; some stuff really hit home for me. The threat of Venom taking over was always present and always kept me at the edge of my seat. It really captured that Venom horror feel in a book that otherwise feels like a departure from classic Venom themes. Remender has Flash really go through the ringer, as he usually does with any character he writes. A lot of really crappy stuff happens to him in the span of 12 issues, but it all humanizes him extremely well. I expected the Spider-Island tie-ins to be lame, but they ended up feeling really natural, continuing Flash's arcs smoothly. I also loved the way Remender writes Spider Queen and Jack O'Lantern. Jack specifically got a lot of character development.

As for the art: I love Tony Moore's art, but holy shit Tom Fowler came out of nowhere and really impressed me. Very clean line work and good panel pacing; and his Spider-Queen is really hot, and tastefully so. Medina was also quite a treat.

The "What If" issue was neat; it had some funny concepts and clever pop culture references, poked fun at the Marvel universe, but overall felt more like a Deadpool story where Venom and Carnage were just there. Still a lot of fun.

Looking forward to the rest of this series. 9/10 so far.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first issue of this is not well paced and generally mediocre. The second issue is slightly better, but it is the third issue onward in this collection that balances quality storytelling with a superhero adventure story. This book is darker than most Marvel publications than I have read, with the treatment of the Jack O’Latern here seeming as if he emerged out from the diner scene in Gaiman’s The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes. Despite the imperfections present in this anthology, the way Flash Thompson’s/Venom’s character is handled overall here is compelling as he occupies a liminal space that is not quite hero nor villain. We see them torn in different directions, and this tearing allows this/these character(s) to grow across the subsequent adventures that recontextualize these events in the larger Marvel universe.

Also included in this collection is a three part series from Marvel’s What If? comics that pertains to what if Venom bonded with Deadpool instead. The resulting Venompool is hilarious, although I can easily see the humor present in this story being difficult to access if someone doesn’t have knowledge of American Pop Culture circa 1980-2000s. I first encountered Venompool in a video game, Marvel Contest of Champions, so it is an unexpected treat to encounter the source material behind this otherwise bizarre hybrid of characters.

[Peter Zackowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

When writing this, I've read about half of the volume. The reason I'm reviewing it now is it gives a one page description how the Spiderqueen story wraps up in a Spider-man story.
My grievance is the omissions of the Spider-man issue. It is not to much to ask to have that issue included. Instead they drop a Deadpool\Venom "What if" story at the end of the book. Which I'm sure is good(haven't gotten that far yet), but I'd rather the conclusion to the Spiderqueen story.
On the positive side, I enjoy the character exploration of Flash. I wasn't on board with the book until the end of the first issue where it is revealed that flash is a recovering alcoholic, so am I. So it earned its place on my bookshelf.
Its interesting how they look into his relationship with his abusive father. His relationship with Betty Brant is interesting too. Its the spider-man trope of life as a superhero threatening your relationship with another, yet somehow fresh threw Flashs eyes, and yet, familiar.
I purchased this book to have something with the letter V in my bookcase so the fact that a venom book (a character I have zero interest in) is actually turning out, so far, to be intriguing is wonderful

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up in the 60's and 70's so you'll have to forgive me if I still think in terms of the old movie ratings system. The current one confuses me. It was much simpler 50 years ago and much more idiotic.

Reading Remender's Venom brought it to mind. This is definitely an X-rated comic book. Maybe even XX-rated. It's super violent and gory. And very ugly and vicious. That's the main attraction. If that's not what you're wanting- look elsewhere. This book is morally bankrupt and repulsive and that is it's joy. Which works very well when Remender is working with his longtime partner Tony Moore. Unfortunately, Moore only works on a four or five issues in the whole series. It's worth reading for those. The rest? Is not so pretty. In both senses of the word.

There's is a pretty great What If? issue added on to the collection. It's a highlight of the book.

5-stars for the Tony Moore issues
3-stars or less for the non-Tony Moore issues

[Juushika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was skeptical of the new concept of Venom as a sanctioned weapon, which I worried wouldn't feel as dangerous or alien, but this has its own interesting tensions, moving the focus from consent to autonomy and control. But the trappings are uninteresting: bad communication with a civilian girlfriend, cycles of abuse, blackmail/gray morality, and the dubious ethics of the government are such predictable tropes for comics in general and this premise in particular, and their executions are lackluster. The style is too: modern comics are sleeker and more consistent than their classic counterparts, but they're also dense, taxing reads with interchangable art styles; and Remender loves a sentence fragment, which makes the inner monologues stiff and samey. There's potential in this revised, long arc, but I find myself thusfar unmoved--and I'm not sure if that's because the run is still getting its groove and/or because I'm burned out on comics. (2.5 stars, tbh.)

[Crazyjamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one time that I’m going to plant my flag in the ground and say that the Goodreads community average for this (which is 3.85 at the time of writing) is wrong. I haven’t read Cates’ run yet, but this is far and away the best Venom run I’ve read, and is an excellent graphic novel in its own right. Flash is a well written, compelling, complex character, and frankly the sort of character that Venom never had up until this point. The art is great and fits perfectly with the more gritty and mature elements to the story. The only knock is that because a few of the issues cross with Spider Island, this version just tells you what happened at the end rather than you being able to read it (the conclusion is in Amazing Spider-Man). I think the upcoming Agent Venom Omnibus has the ASM issue in it, but either way, it’s not enough for me to knock a star off. For this is a top tier graphic novel, and the best Venom arc up until this point by a country mile.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story should have been the story for the movie.

Flash Thomson is a war hero who lost both his legs. He is also a secretive co op agent. Who uses the Symbiote, making him the Spidey villain Venom. This take is really fresh and cool making him a anti hero strugling to keep the symbiote on his good side and not taking over completely. It als deals with his own demons, alcoholism and his dad who also is a drunk. This is where the story excells. With some fun action, some cameos from Spidey ! And a cool fight with cap, this one was alot better then expected. Loses a star for the included story with deadpool which was so mediocre it hurts.

[Eric Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story and twist on the Venom storyline. The symbiote is no longer with Eddie Brock. It had been captured and is being used by the US military in missions throughout the world. Enter Flash Thompson, #1 Spider-man fan and wounded Veteran. He lost his legs in Iraq (although in earlier comics I'm pretty sure he served in Vietnam - but comics don't follow any logical timelines) but he still wants to serve his country. Best part? As long as he keeps it a secret, he gets to walk again with Venom's help. The comic is action-packed, with enough backstory to keep the character interesting and engaging.

[Lohit Sastry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dope book. Really makes you feel about the disabled protagonist Flash Thompson. Takes a deep dive in his psyche - His relationship with his father, his girlfriend Betty Ross and of course his new found symbiote as well. Also focuses his struggles with alcoholism, addiction , his work life balance and problems which we can relate to. Great book and must read if you can find it. Very hard to find. Maybe Marvel will release an omnibus soon. Anyway I always thought that Eddie Brock could never be replaced as Venom but this book changed my view on it.

[Ta0paipai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked everything about Agent Venom. The art, the plot, the pacing - everything is top-notch. As a longtime fan of G.I. Joe and the Spider-Man universe, this series couldn't help but make me feel nostalgic for both, as if Duke (or pretty much any Joe) were given super powers. In a nice, depth-adding (Hulk-like) twist, Flash, the central character, has to resist the suits will, while taking advantage of its power.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on the genre… Flash is not a new idea. Beaten, approval seeking. His redemption is unexpected, and his role as Venom is a cool twist, the one that got me to read this series at all, of course.

I’d say it works,especially the first few issues. The end is tragic and full of too much internal monologue. I’m going to read vol 2 right away, I’m guessing it’s more like the start of this volume.

[Cristhian · Rating 3 out of 5]

El Agente Venom es uno de los mejores personajes creados (¿reimaginados?) en éstos últimos años. Flash Thompson tiene muchísima más profundidad que Eddie Brock y se nota al poder darle un hilo conductor a sus historias.

Este volumen se ve afectado por Spider Island que cortó mucho de su empuje quedando un poco sin piernas.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Collects Venom (2011) issues #1-12 and Venom/Deadpool: What If?

This collection really didn't hold my attention. I was interested in the "Spider Island" stuff, but that's because I enjoyed that story in "Amazing Spider-Man" and Venom's part of the story gave me valuable, additional information. Other than that, this was not worth the time.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really didn't think I'd like this.

Venom has always been Eddie Brock to me, and I wasn't very interested in Flash Thompson, but this ended up being really engaging. Good character/relationship development, interesting motivations. I'm much more interested in those bits than the action bits, but eh, that's comics. I'll keep reading.

[Hayley B Halliwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeeessssss

So much love. So much heartache. So much Venompool. Loved Flash as Venom and the storyline. The villains were great (loving Jack), and it left me ready for more! And the Venompool bit? Loved it.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun series. I have to admit that I was never very emotionally tied to the story, although I think I was supposed to be. However, it has a great bad guy, interesting plot points, and a new take on the Venom symbiote.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this all the stuff to do with flashes dad, the very brutal deaths and Flash straight up killing people this was great. Spider island kinda rakes over in the middle but the venom issues were really good. Great stuff cant wait to read the 2nd half. N

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the villains, agent venom is interesting and I am not a huge symbiote fan. I would read more of this character. Remender writes a great dark character, I feel like this feels restrained compared to his other work.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was really unique and interesting but.....uhhhh....'now what'?

I'm having a harder time finding Volume 2 and this didn't DO enough on its own for me. It's a super interesting set up and idea though. I'd read more of Agent Venom.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story arc is centered on the Flash Thompson Venom. Flash Thompson is a double-amputee soldier assigned to work in the Venom symbiote on government-sponsored missions. For those who've seen the movies with the Eddie Brock Venom, this is different. Thompson is not constantly merged with the symbiote, and -- in fact -- is only supposed to be merged for limited times to avoid a lapse into madness.

Thompson is a friend of Peter Parker's going back to their time in high school, when Thompson was a huge fan of Spider-Man. And Venom ends up going head-to-head with Spider-Man, as well as with actual villains.

It's an action-packed set of stories around Thompson's double life and the web of intrigue that his life as a secret agent draws him into.