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Venom Modern Era Epic Collection
Venom by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection
Daniel Way's tense and thrill-packed Venom run is collected in one volume! Somehow separated from Eddie Brock, the Venom symbiote has resurfaced near the Arctic Circle - hopping from host to host with the greatest of ease and on the run from enigmatic forces with their own agenda for the elusive alien. Ravenously hungry and craving adrenaline to satiate its appetite, the symbiote seeks out people experiencing intense, base emotions like rage, jealousy and hatred. As it cuts a bloody swath toward civilization through Canada's northern regions, it sets its sights on a short, hairy guy with a bad temper: the X-Men's Wolverine! And as the action moves to New York City, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four are forced to play damage control as...TWO bloodthirsty Venom creatures cause havoc?! Heeere's Eddie! COLLECTING: VENOM (2003) 1-18
424 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 27, 2025
This volume kept getting me to feel all kinds of Ways, but indifferent was never one of them at least.
Wow. Sexy.
There were sequences of art I absolutely loathed but also issues where I thought the art was great. The not even attempted to conceal rip off of John Carpenter's The Thing was jarring, as was some of the over the top moments (Logan survives a direct nuclear strike. No word of a lie.) and High Concept story framing (they're all clones! only they're not? plus Nanotechnology has been among us this whole time!!! and so forth), not to mention the somewhat haphazard and sudden introduction of Eddie Brock about 80% of the way through the proceedings.
On the plus side I felt the cameos were pretty well done (overlooking the Wolverine incident mentioned above) with Way doing well to nail the voices of well known Marvel characters as disparate as Spidey, Nick Fury, and Reed Richards.
You can't call "twist" when your entire arc is a tornado, bro.
I don't regret reading it, but I am in no hurry to seek out the continuation of the story.
Wow. Sexy.
There were sequences of art I absolutely loathed but also issues where I thought the art was great. The not even attempted to conceal rip off of John Carpenter's The Thing was jarring, as was some of the over the top moments (Logan survives a direct nuclear strike. No word of a lie.) and High Concept story framing (they're all clones! only they're not? plus Nanotechnology has been among us this whole time!!! and so forth), not to mention the somewhat haphazard and sudden introduction of Eddie Brock about 80% of the way through the proceedings.
On the plus side I felt the cameos were pretty well done (overlooking the Wolverine incident mentioned above) with Way doing well to nail the voices of well known Marvel characters as disparate as Spidey, Nick Fury, and Reed Richards.
You can't call "twist" when your entire arc is a tornado, bro.
I don't regret reading it, but I am in no hurry to seek out the continuation of the story.
February 1, 2019
Kinda seemed like it was ripping off the "thing" movie. And honestly even though I normally like Skottie Young's art wasn't a big fan of it here.
October 7, 2018
10-06-18: Re-read of an underrated Venom story arc.
July 21, 2014
I'm really leaning slightly below a 3, but it wasn't really bad as much as it was just obviously flawed and incomplete. The plots here obviously owe a huge debt to horror films--in particular, the first and second arcs. But the entire series has art done in a cartoony style that detracts from that effect. I can think of a lot of artists who would have been better suited to this material. So the plot has a good "feel", but the art kind of undercuts it.
And there are some minor scientific annoyances like insisting the symbiote is inorganic (and hence immune to acid (?)), but then describing its DNA only a few pages later. Things like this make it obvious that this is not for people who want to take things seriously. Or who pay much attention.
But despite all of that, the series is a lot of fun--the arcs are tight, there's enough mystery to keep you engrossed without leaving everything perpetually unexplained. But then the whole thing just ends! Where's the last plot arc to resolve the thing? It just doesn't appear. It's like the first three acts of an obviously-four-act play, with the last part missing. I even have a pretty good idea what the last arc would have been, but it just doesn't exist. Very frustrating. (I guess the bad guys take over the world immediately after the last issue? Oh, what, they don't?)
So, if the series was 5 or 6 issues longer, with a nice resolution, I would probably give it a 4/5 despite it's obvious flaws. (With better artists and a good ending, I would give it a 5, even. (Maybe.)) But as it is, it's *barely* a 3. It's worth reading, but only if you're really a fan of Venom, or the artists, or have some specific reading. There are certainly better "ultimate collections" out there, and even ones that actually collect a whole story, but there are also much worse ones.
And there are some minor scientific annoyances like insisting the symbiote is inorganic (and hence immune to acid (?)), but then describing its DNA only a few pages later. Things like this make it obvious that this is not for people who want to take things seriously. Or who pay much attention.
But despite all of that, the series is a lot of fun--the arcs are tight, there's enough mystery to keep you engrossed without leaving everything perpetually unexplained. But then the whole thing just ends! Where's the last plot arc to resolve the thing? It just doesn't appear. It's like the first three acts of an obviously-four-act play, with the last part missing. I even have a pretty good idea what the last arc would have been, but it just doesn't exist. Very frustrating. (I guess the bad guys take over the world immediately after the last issue? Oh, what, they don't?)
So, if the series was 5 or 6 issues longer, with a nice resolution, I would probably give it a 4/5 despite it's obvious flaws. (With better artists and a good ending, I would give it a 5, even. (Maybe.)) But as it is, it's *barely* a 3. It's worth reading, but only if you're really a fan of Venom, or the artists, or have some specific reading. There are certainly better "ultimate collections" out there, and even ones that actually collect a whole story, but there are also much worse ones.
February 1, 2017
Super-stylized Venom volume. Won't please every fan. But as a non-Venom fan it pulled me in. Loved that it played off John Carpenter's THE THING as a starting point. Only complaint is that it ends with dangling threads. Need to find out where the story goes from here. Very fun quick read. Worth a re-read - think I'll pick up more on a second time through as I am a bit of a Venom novice-ish. At least for this time period.
Did a quick look on Venom Wiki. Apparently this storyline has yet to be continued or resolved. Very odd to me considering the ending. It's begging for a wrap-up. Marvel really needs to hire Way to finish this up!
Did a quick look on Venom Wiki. Apparently this storyline has yet to be continued or resolved. Very odd to me considering the ending. It's begging for a wrap-up. Marvel really needs to hire Way to finish this up!
January 8, 2025
Well this was awful. I wanted to get into the modern era of Venom and thought volume 1 of something called, "Venom Modern Era Epic Collection Volume 1" would be a good place to start. I was wrong. From the bits and pieces I know about Venom I don't think any of this has anything to do with anything later on for the character.
But hold that thought, this is a graphic novel, so I want to start with the artwork. There are three artists that contribute to this. Hererra, Medina, and Young. And the absolutely nicest thing I can say about this book was they did manage to be consistant with the artwork. All three look similar enough. But with that said, I don't like this artwork at all. I've never liked any of these artists works, and what is worse is that they are all very exaggerated and cartoony, which in no way fits the tone of this book which is obviously supposed to be a horror story.
So the story. Boring. I just finished reading this and am already forgetting it. There is this weird choice to make the third story arc a prequel to the first story arc which killed whatever pacing this had. We find out that it isn't even Venom we are following for most of it, I think I saw that this character is going to be a totally different character called Mania? But, spoilers, we don't even reach that point by the last issue of this. It's left off with basically a cliffhanger. But I really don't care enough to want to see what happens next. Venom shows up as an antagonist in this book at almost the very end of the book.
But hold that thought, this is a graphic novel, so I want to start with the artwork. There are three artists that contribute to this. Hererra, Medina, and Young. And the absolutely nicest thing I can say about this book was they did manage to be consistant with the artwork. All three look similar enough. But with that said, I don't like this artwork at all. I've never liked any of these artists works, and what is worse is that they are all very exaggerated and cartoony, which in no way fits the tone of this book which is obviously supposed to be a horror story.
So the story. Boring. I just finished reading this and am already forgetting it. There is this weird choice to make the third story arc a prequel to the first story arc which killed whatever pacing this had. We find out that it isn't even Venom we are following for most of it, I think I saw that this character is going to be a totally different character called Mania? But, spoilers, we don't even reach that point by the last issue of this. It's left off with basically a cliffhanger. But I really don't care enough to want to see what happens next. Venom shows up as an antagonist in this book at almost the very end of the book.
February 2, 2021
READ: Venom (2003-2004) | 3.0/5.0
Author: Daniel Way | 18 Issues
Way’s “Venom” run offers a mixed bag of convoluted storytelling, confusing illustrations, and a final chapter that lacks direction and closure. It starts out strong and remains mildly entertaining throughout, but I found much of the story to be too inconsistent and rarely exciting in the way it wants to be.
Venom’s introductions channel the horror of Carpenter’s “The Thing,” and while I found it to be pretty engaging, the lack of originality could set some readers off. The protagonist makes an impression, but she is quickly sidelined with an arc that lacks focus. A subplot involving clones fails to develop in any meaningful way, though Venom’s run-in with familiar foes like Wolverine and Nick Fury prove to be a hell of a lot of fun.
The art direction is wild and I’m split on it. I love, LOVE the designs for Venom, but the human characters are often weirdly shaped and particularly unattractive. The panelling left me confused on a number of pages, and I struggled to follow the action at times.
Spider-man pops up near the end of the run, but I can’t help but think that he was entirely unnecessary. Venom works best when he’s hopping hosts and filling pages with his alien spunk, but the gimmicky plotting and general lack of direction makes this a difficult recommendation.
Author: Daniel Way | 18 Issues
Way’s “Venom” run offers a mixed bag of convoluted storytelling, confusing illustrations, and a final chapter that lacks direction and closure. It starts out strong and remains mildly entertaining throughout, but I found much of the story to be too inconsistent and rarely exciting in the way it wants to be.
Venom’s introductions channel the horror of Carpenter’s “The Thing,” and while I found it to be pretty engaging, the lack of originality could set some readers off. The protagonist makes an impression, but she is quickly sidelined with an arc that lacks focus. A subplot involving clones fails to develop in any meaningful way, though Venom’s run-in with familiar foes like Wolverine and Nick Fury prove to be a hell of a lot of fun.
The art direction is wild and I’m split on it. I love, LOVE the designs for Venom, but the human characters are often weirdly shaped and particularly unattractive. The panelling left me confused on a number of pages, and I struggled to follow the action at times.
Spider-man pops up near the end of the run, but I can’t help but think that he was entirely unnecessary. Venom works best when he’s hopping hosts and filling pages with his alien spunk, but the gimmicky plotting and general lack of direction makes this a difficult recommendation.
November 13, 2024
The story here was fun enough, but for a Venom story it was pretty disappointing. It's more like a horror movie that could have been done without Venom.
Also, the artwork kind of sucks? I get that they were doing a different take on Venom but this stringy teeth machine is not the anti-hero I know and love.
It was an interesting take, and I enjoyed the horror of it, but it was also hard to follow at times and the messy art really didn't help that.
I would have preferred this more as a completely unique graphic novel, rather than a bastardised version of Venom.
Also, the artwork kind of sucks? I get that they were doing a different take on Venom but this stringy teeth machine is not the anti-hero I know and love.
It was an interesting take, and I enjoyed the horror of it, but it was also hard to follow at times and the messy art really didn't help that.
I would have preferred this more as a completely unique graphic novel, rather than a bastardised version of Venom.
July 27, 2024
The story was poorly conceived and executed, with a boring arc that lead nowhere really. Added to this, the art was really lazy with many panels reused over and over. Overall bad, don't waste your time.
July 25, 2019
Nice comic book about Venom...
January 9, 2022
It’s an interesting idea but what a mess. The first half was kind of interesting but by the end I cared nothing about what’s going on it.
January 2, 2024
Wasn't for me.
July 9, 2024
First two stories are 5 stars, the rest meh.
July 12, 2025
Real Rating 3.25
October 29, 2025
La historia a lo Alien y con invitados de lujo es muy divertida, y el dibujo muy personal de Paco Herrera, pero la edición es tan pésima que se deshace el tomo.
January 19, 2019
It starts off in the antartic and much like John Carpenter's The Thing the alien symbiote, separated from Eddie Brock, causes death and destruction.
I did like the horror angle to the stories but I didn't really like the clone characters. Wolverine doing an appearance didn't do anything for me either. The artist are Francisco Herrera, Sean Galloway, and Skottie Young who have a similar style but this book is earlier in their art careers. They are my favorite artists now but not so much back then. I picked this up because the movie was out and I haven't read anything about Venom since the Todd McFarlane days of Amazing Spider-Man. I really can't recommend this.
I did like the horror angle to the stories but I didn't really like the clone characters. Wolverine doing an appearance didn't do anything for me either. The artist are Francisco Herrera, Sean Galloway, and Skottie Young who have a similar style but this book is earlier in their art careers. They are my favorite artists now but not so much back then. I picked this up because the movie was out and I haven't read anything about Venom since the Todd McFarlane days of Amazing Spider-Man. I really can't recommend this.
April 3, 2022
The art is, at times, horrendous, but some artists do a good job in keeping matters crisp, while showing Venom as a disgusting blob of goo and teeth. Daniel Way's story is obviously inspired by the horror of The Thing , but emulates it too strongly to have any impact. Eventually the story turns into a biblical parable and ends without any resolution, so for a "Complete Collection" it does not feel finished. Some parts were entertaining, especially when Spider-Man enters the fray, so two stars are merited for that.
June 3, 2020
It's not that bad. They're are a lot of redeemable qualities. The horror movie vibe was nice. The artwork was not my cup of tea.
And I don't like how he wrote Spider-Man. Peter came off as a sucker. Kind of "in the way" most of the time. A good read though
And I don't like how he wrote Spider-Man. Peter came off as a sucker. Kind of "in the way" most of the time. A good read though
January 5, 2015
Not a fan of the art. But an interesting and engaging story nonetheless.
December 15, 2019
Story, hit and miss
Art, underwhelming
Wolverine, why?
Art, underwhelming
Wolverine, why?
February 9, 2021
Art made it difficult to read. The story is ok nothing special.
July 20, 2021
Perfectly readable but not great by any stretch. Artwork too ‘Monkey Island’ as in too cartoonish for my liking also
April 20, 2023
I was so confused at the beginning but I really liked the story by the end and now I'm sad because I don’t know how I'm going to find the next issues.
November 6, 2023
Awful on every level
November 14, 2023
I was so confused in the beginning, but i liked how everything tied together. Also liked the “The Thing” stuff.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews