Venom, Vol. 2: The Land Before Crime

Venom (2016) (Collected Editions)

by Mike Costa, Tradd Moore (Illustrator), Gerardo Sandoval (Cover Art)

Collects Venom #150-153.

Reunited, and it feels so good! Or rather, feels so bad! Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote are back together, web-slinging their way around New York again - and a host of creators from the character's near 30-year history are here to celebrate! With questions still lingering about how the symbiote was separated from Flash Thompson, what lies in its future now that it's reunited with Eddie Brock? Will he be the city's lethal protector once again, or revert back to a sadistic, Spider-hating villain? There's only one way to find out!

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

117 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2017

About the author

Mike Costa is an American comic book and television writer.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still disappointed Flash Thompson is no longer Venom, but if Eddie Brock has to be Venom, this was at least decent. In the backup for issue #150, there's finally something of an explanation of how Flash lost the symbiote even though it's not great. We also get some oily Tradd Moore art that reintroduces the character. Then Gerardo Sandoval illustrates the rest of the book and it's awful. I can't tell what's going on half the time. At least he's drawing dinosaur men in Stegron and the art doesn't matter so much. I do like the relationship Mike Costa is establishing between Eddie Brock and the symbiote. It's like ex-lovers trying again but they are not sure they can trust one another. I like the addition of the inner monologue between the two.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this one; it was just the right amount of silly. Eddie Brock is adjusting to being bonded to his old symbiote again and ends up having a showdown in the sewers with Stegron the Dinosaur Man!

The 150th issue had a guest artist but he was about a hundred times better than the regular artist, so that was actually a bonus for once.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

With the venom movie I decided to read some venom comics.

This was not good.

I'm not to familiar with Mike Costa work. I've only read volume 1 of venom from him and then this. Both of these are pretty bad. So maybe he's just not a writer to tackle a character like venom. On this volume we have a little flashback of how Venom became who he is. The big 150th issue so it covers a lot of origins of eddie and also what happened to Flash when he lost the venom suit. Then we have venom face off against dinosaurs and a little cross over with Moon Girl and her dino.

Good: The 150th issue has some really badass art that I liked a lot. I also thought seeing what happen to Flash when he lost Venom was cool.

Bad: Dinosaurs verse Venom should be EPIC. It fails. It's silly, over the top, but worst of all it's not FUNNY. It should be. Also the art is really all over the place and sometimes it's downright horrible and hard to tell what happens. The storyline is just...ugh.

Overall this is another very mehish volume, kind of just crappy, but not the worst I ever read. Least the 150th issue is decent. A 1.5 out of 5.

[Des Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

You would be hard pressed to not enjoy this Venom comic. Venom has always been cool as Hell, and in this volume he fights dinosaurs for about 75% of it. Moon Girl makes an appearance, and some meaningful development happens between Brock and the symbiote. It's a whole heck of a lot of fun, and the art is consistently awesome.

The real zinger here though is the first issue: "Heart of Darkness". The writing wasn't anything special, but Tradd Moore illustrates the coolest looking issue of Venom I have ever seen, and I have never wanted him as the regular series artist as much as I do now. The world needs more Tradd, and he's remarkably well suited to Venom.

[Oneirosophos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stupid '90s nonsense in the age of diversity.

EXTREMELY dissappointed in the end of Flashy Venom. Plain awful.

Venom 150 is a major disappointment among other disappointing issues.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a little better than Costa's first volume, but it still has a ways to go to really become essential reading. The issue with Tradd Moore art was something, though I think his work is getting stylized to an almost ridiculous level. Watching Venom interact with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur to take down Stegron and his dinosaur-people was almost fun. Guess I'll keep reading this as time permits.

[Luana_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a love story.

I was so weak back then, so ready to break. I was hollow, but that was when we found each other. When I became whole. [...] There was a time when we were separated that I wanted to give up. I thought I would die. The thing about love is that it's not gentle or soft. Not at all. Love is strenght, and full of terrible purpose. Love is power, and it will never be done with you."

Venom and Eddie are back together and they have to figure out who they want to be going forward.
They were so sweet, I wanted to cry.

"Sad, Eddie?"
"No, my love. No."

"What do we want?"
"We want to be together, Eddie. Forever."
"Yes, love"

"Where am I?"
"Safe, Eddie. Safe"
"Back in the church...?"
"Where we bonded, Eddie. Just like marriage. [...] Bonded forever. No one will break that bond."

ps: there were dinosaurs too lol

[47Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cold, calculated planning from the first volume's Lee Price is replaced with the utter confusion of Eddie Brock. The setting starts on shaky ground for Venom. It goes completely downhill with Moon Girl and her pet dinosaur. I can't imagine a worse teamup. The story was a new brand of sucky, so this series with its pussy-Venom stopped being worth it.

Reunited with Eddie, the Venom symbiote tries to impress him and to help him become a hero. Eddie wants to do good and convinces the morally-dubious company Alchemax to look into his symbiote's behavioral issues. In exchange he must retrieve the scientist Stegron who has turned himself into a dinosaur with Alchemax's research resources. He also built himself an army of followers. Venom teams up with Moon Girl to save her Devil Dinosaur and defeat the evil that lurks within. Yeah, Dino-man speaks like a villain from the 60's.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Buzzword Readathon #5

Look, I get it, objectively this is below average. I didn't give a shit about the plot, ignoring the pages that were solely focused on the villain, and the entire conflict was painfully meh. But I love this dumb symbiote and their dumb boyfriend so much, and their relationship really made up for it. The conflict between them was great, and I wasn't expecting their relationship to be so explicit, so that was a happy surprise.

I truly don't have anything else to say about this. There was some cool imagery, Eddie and Venom are the best couple in the history of comics, and the plot was Nothing. I'm gonna go read the third volume and probably love that as well.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah.. 1st volume was a lot promising... but this one.. ugh.. after the whole Stegron whatevergron his name was chapter was over I was like FINALLY. And I love dinosaurs.. imagine that.

So fucking bad. So fucking stupid. Not even funny or something. Anyway... dumb.

Artwork was good. But it's a no-no.

[ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed way more than volume 1. eddie and venom are more fun than whoever that other dude was.
also, moon girl showed up! nice

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting volume. The relationship between Eddie and Venom was quite interesting to see. The art was just ok, even though some of the covers were great.

[shay૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this because of issue #150 (Eddie and Venom sweetness) and issue #153 (Lunella).

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Read as single issues]
I'm a sucker for Eddie Brock. While I wish Flash was still Venom, I'm happy to roll with Eddie being back, especially since Mike Costa's take on the character is very, very interesting. Instead of having these characters on even footing, he has Eddie and the symbiote working like ex-lovers reunited, trying to work out what their relationship should be as they try to fight crime and not murder people (which is more difficult than it sounds).

Not helping matters are Alchemax and their dinosaur experiments, which lead Eddie into battle with Stegron the Dinosaur Man, with a little help from Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur (in their most organic cameo ever). It's a completely nuts set-up, but after the dourness of the opening arc featuring Lee Price, it's exactly the shot in the arm that the series needed.

Also included is issue 150, which reintroduces Eddie as a character, and has a few little back-ups by Venom mainstays, including a story meant to bridge the gap between Venom: Space Knight and the current series (although I'd call this a bit of a failure since it really doesn't explain anything).

Gerardo Sandoval tackles the Land Before Crime proper, and I really love his heavily shaded, manga-inspired visuals for this series, especially with the dinosaurs. It's like he's trying to see how monstrous everything can look before it gets ridiculous, and it never, ever gets ridiculous. Tradd Moore steps up for the main story in #150, and his slimey visuals are perfect for that, too.

The first arc of this series was okay - this one is where it's at. Lots of clever storytelling, and a main relationship that really looks at the idea of symbiosis in a different light.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need more big bad antiheroes teaming up with little girls to save the day!
So this was a crossover with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, but I would have loved it if the actual crossover had spanned the whole volume, instead of just the last two chapters - Venom working together with Moon Girl was adorable and everything I never knew I wanted!

[Rolando Marono · Rating 2 out of 5]

El primer volumen no llenó mis expectativas, pero al terminar, el simbionte regresa a Eddie Brock y aunque soy un gran fan de Agent Venom, estaba entusiasmado por ver el regreso de Venom en todo su esplendor.
El primer número de este volumen cumple mis expectativas. Es muy interesante ver la relación que tienen Brock y el simbionte, es una relación romántica y la tratan de cierta manera. Incluso me pareció perturbador que Brock se refiriera al simbionte como "Amor". La plática que tiene con el padre es interesante y aunque el enfrentamiento contra Scorpio me hubiera gustado que fuera un arco completo, porque Mac Gargan también fue host del simbionte un tiempo, la batalla duró un par de páginas. El arte de Tradd Moore para este número es impresionante aunque lucía mucho más en Ghost Rider.
Me pareció un poco confuso los motivos del simbionte y de Brock al menos en este primer número. No me queda muy claro si van a ser héroes o villanos. Creo que van a ser héroes pero me hubiera gustado verlos siendo malvados.
El resto del tomo es una completa ridiculez y pérdida de tiempo. No hay desarrollo de personajes, se enfrentan contra hombres dinosaurios, aparece Moon Girl, trabajan para Alchemax. En serio mal. Aburrido, sin inspiración y sin ningún objetivo claro para el personaje. Si tiene dos estrellas es por el primer número.
Creo que me saltaré el resto de la historia de Costa y leeré lo de Cates directo.

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was just not good and completely cliche-ridden. I don't enjoy writing reviews like this but I thought this second volume was a major letdown. I can rattle off a few of the cliches in this story: something living in the sewers (in this case something that looks like crocodiles which is even worse), evil cult with mindless followers, the scientist character who is a completely stereotype. There is almost nothing interesting or even unpredictable about this plot and the characters which is disappointing. Even the talented artist is somewhat wasted here unless you really like drawings of dinosaurs which I'm sure a few people will. Drawing Venom in interesting ways takes a back seat and only has a couple of cool panels. All in all, this is completely skippable and has nothing interesting it it. I heard the art is better in the next volume so I'm going to try one more before I move on to something else. This series has gone from okay to just not good and I have a hard time recommending this to anyone other than younger or inexperienced comic readers but I suspect they would be bored by this as well.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, what is it with Venom and dinosaurs?

See here: Cable & Deadpool, Volume 8: Deadpool vs. the Marvel Universe
And here: Wolverine: Old Man Logan

I guess it's because people started putting Venom on everything.

This book takes a big step forward in Venom books because the symbiote really talks to Eddie. (Last book, it was different because it was talking to some guy.)

I'm torn. On the one hand: Is Liz Allen a believable mastermind? I mean, I guess she's been running OsCorp for many years. And she's got the goblin formula?

On the other hand: Why do does anyone trust her? She's pretty super evil all the time.

Also, this is the first cameo where Moon Girl is, like, just a character and not a special beloved charming genius.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eddie Brock is now back in control of Venom... or is he? The symbiote seems to be devolving, and Eddie knows he has to stop it to maintain his ability to be a hero. Alchemax develops a formula that will help, but needs Venom to find out what's going on in the sewers underneath the city. Stegron, the Dinosaur Man has gathered an army of mutated dinosaurs and wants to take over the surface world. When Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur show up to help, Devil falls under the mind control and turns against her. World's Smartest and Symbiote versus army of dinosaurs.... FIGHT!
Knowing that Venom is a more stable entity now is good, and seeing the dinosaurs fight was cool, but this Volume felt a little less than what Venom has been in the past. With "Venomverse" coming up.... looks like he'll be back in form in no time.
Recommend.

[Misbah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait Venom is a good guy? My first Venom comic, so Im very new to the character. In this one Venom is back with Eddie and Eddie learns that he's developed antibodies to Venom and it's causing Venom to act weird. He goes to a company that does genetic engineering and they give him a serum so that he can unite with Venom without issue. In exchange they want him to deal with a huge lizard problem that they've created. One of their scientists has turned himself and a bunch of other people into giant lizards and he wants to take over the world. Venom, along with a little girl and her pet dinosaur, go down into the sewers and fight the lizard king and free all the lizard people.
I love how the girl is unloaded by Venoms face. He creeps me out everyone I turn the page lol. Definitely going to read more Venom comics.

[Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to pretend I did not enjoy the campier aspects of this issue. Moore and Sandoval's art are gorgeous and really brought out different aspects of the character. The fluidity of Moore's lines brought out Venom's attributes really well, and Sandoval's character design is reminiscent of old comics but maintains enough of a modern flavour and dynamism to not feel outmoded (he makes angry Venom look wonderfully savage). Costa's writing leaves me undecided - on one hand it isn't the best example to use if convincing a first-time reader of comics to take the form seriously (the dialogue can be so comical, pun unintended), but on the other there are instances that were truly enjoyable on an emotional level.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bringing Eddie Brock back feels like a bit of a mistake. We're back to familiar territory and a bit of a shift in art direction as well, which makes everything feel odd. Maybe it'll get better as there is a bit of an effort to play with stuff from the first volume in terms of how the symbiote is being presented. And we have him getting tied to the contemporary version of Alchemax under Liz Allan, but the actual reasons for this feel a tad off.

Even the crossover for this story arc felt fored and out-of-sync with the sort of tone you expect from a Venom comic. But maybe it'll grow into itself in time.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know the changes to the character of Venom were far from popular but I kinda liked them so seeing the poorly written de-evolution thing just makes me sad and instead of some interesting changes between it and Eddie it a really creepy parallel to an abusive relationship almost expect which way round it is gets muddled between issues, which the only thing that could be said about it is I’d rather read that than venom being a stand-in for addiction in a story.

[Adan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is pretty awful. There is an attempt made at explaining why Flash is no longer Venom, and why the symbiote has reverted to “angry, snarling” mode after being cured in space, but it doesn’t make any real sense. Venom instead spends most of this collection not trusting itself and beating up dinosaur people. Even a cameo by Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur can’t save this horrible mess. Also, the art is not very good.

[Crazed8J8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent art, but doesn't really advance the story. #150 at least shows the transition from Flash back to Eddie. The remaining three chapters of the book were mediocre, Venom vs. Stegron. The idea is okay, and the use of Devil Dinosaur at least added a little intrigue, but overall, the story was just mediocre. I feel like it sets groundwork for the future, but these three books (#151-153) are easily skipped.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Venom is back to his original self...or is he? Eddie and Venom are both dealing with things and this series feels like a Venom, or even Spidey book again. We gets some answers on how we got to where we are but I still feel like there needs to be closure. The antagonist here is pretty lame as he is every appearance. The art was somewhat subpar, as I'm not a big fan of Tradd Moore. Overall, another solid Venom book in a series with a lot of potential.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Venom symbiote is back with Eddie Brock, but they're still figuring out their couple status. The first issue is mostly introspective. And there's a couple of short stories. Then a three-issue arc with Stegron, Alchemax, and eventually Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

This felt like the old days of monthly comics where not everything had to be an epic story arc. The art was hit and miss but bits of it are pretty awesome.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venom has become one of my favorite character in the Marvel Universe. Good or bad he has a sense of humor, and the craziest attitude. This was entertaining with the different characters that participated in this collection. I love Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. It was a tag team!! Moreover a good explaining of what happened in the inbetween for the Venom.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn't live up to expectations. I was expecting little more now that Eddie Brock is Venom once again, but this was just Venom vs. Stegron and a bunch of dinosaur people. Stegron has never been what I'd call a top villian, and this storyline didn't do anything to change my opinion. The art wasn't bad and this wasn't terrible, but really I think the creative team is capable of better work.

[José · Rating 4 out of 5]

Después de Flash Thompson, pensaba que la vuelta a Eddie era un error.

Pero estaba equivocado. Estos números han sido una perfecta introducción para una historia con algo que contar. Espero que llegue pronto, porque la espero con ganas.