Веном, Том 1

Venom (2018) #1-2

by Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman (Illustrator), Iban Coello (Illustrator)

ЗАБУДЬТЕ ВСЕ, ЩО ЗНАЄТЕ ПРО ВЕНОМА!

Коли стародавнє первинне зло прокидається під вулицями Нью-Йорка, у Веномі пробуджується щось таке ж тривожне! Едді Брок от-от дізнається страшну правду про «іншого себе» — і про те, якою старою насправді є ця історія! Бог уже близько — і якщо планета хоче мати шанс на виживання, зв’язок між одним чоловіком та його симбіотом муситиме пройти неймовірно важкі випробування. А коли Едді залишиться у цьому світі сам-самісінький, то зіткнеться із власними приголомшливими таємницями!

До збірки увійшли випуски "Веном (2018)" #1-12 та галерея обкладинок.

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

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2019

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cates is doing his best to turn Venom into an interesting character after 2 decades of having him thirst for Spider-Man's brains while protecting the "innocent". I'm actually excited to see where this heads in Absolute Carnage.

[Matt Quann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a real pleasure to catch up with the Marvel Universe in these 10-12 issue collections. I find it is just enough of a taste of the series to get invested in following an ongoing. Sometimes a single arc collection can be an interesting concept, but not yet fully fleshed out and that can lead to some person dissatisfaction. Luckily, Donny Cates' take on Venom is a welcome departure from the Flash Thompson-era symbiote web-slinger that establishes its premise and expands into a story I'll be following the whole way through.

Much like the Immortal Hulk , Venom takes a horror approach to an established character. Where Hulk dabbles in weird science gone wrong, Venom is more set in Lovecraftian-style horror. It's a take that works for me and sets up Knull, God of the Symbiotes, as a universal heavy-hitter with some unexpected ties to Marvel lore.

Eddie Brock, the former-now-current host of the black goo, serves as a downtrodden anti-hero with a dark past. Having read Cates' Thanos and Cosmic Ghost Rider I had expected a more ludicrous take on Venom, but was pretty pleased with Cates' versatility here. Cates effectively frames Brock's relationship with his symbiote as a proxy for mental illness, which works quite well. Though the expansion of symbiote mythos and setup for grand conflict makes for the main draw of the book, the psychological dread ends up being a unique flavour in a familiar dish.

Overall, very fun and I didn't even talk about the art! Rest assured that Ryan Stegman does a standup job with this one as he has all previous spider-related titles. I guess all that's to do now is to wait for the next instalment in Venom's cosmic-horror journey!

[Maksym Karpovets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Спочатку Доні Кейтс, нова зірка Марвел, переписує і розширює світ Венома, розкриваючи генеологію та міфологію космічної (та чи космічної?) зарази. Далі він додає таємну організацію і не менш таємничого Творця, що намагається теж щось витягти (буквально й переносно) з Едді Брока. Нарешті, Кейтс завершує першу частину свого рану глибокою психологічною кризою Едді, повертаючи його до своєї домівки й статусу кво. Далі починається подія «Війна королівств» Джейсона Аарона та декілька тай-інів (наче два), після яких Кейтс повернеться до серії та згодом почне свою власну подію «Абсолютний Карнаж».

Якщо ж пробувати розбиратись без хронології подій, бо Кейтс справді зумів зробити щось неможливе із персонажем. Насправді формула його дуже проста: Кейтс переосмислив і зробив живого, цікавого й неоднозначного героя, де Веном — не просто космічна зараза, але й частина ідентичності Брока. Щось подібне паралельно робить Ал Юінґ у «Безсмертному Галці», теж повертаючись до витоків на межі горрору та трилеру. Така трансформація надвзичайно цікава, зважаючи на попередню схематичність, навіть деяку карикитурність персонажа. У контексті постмодерного ціннісного розмиття між добром і злом, внутрішня моральна боротьба героя виглядає вкрай актуальною. Зважаючи на це, Кейтс все ж показав себе як прекрасний драматург, перетворюючи марвелівський блокбастер на сімейну й соціальну трагедію. Звісно, цього нема в екранізації, але цілком може бути в перспективі.

Інша річ, мені видались надто різними три арки, тому не може вважати усе це геніальним і недосяжним чтивом. Напевно, перша й остання арки найбільш потужні, хоча й зовсім протилежні за настроєм і темпом. Так чи так, усе це показує наскільки Кейтс уміло увібрав кращі риси ключових авторів сучасності: десь прочитується Гікман та Аарон, десь є нотки Леміра, а десь навіть старого Бендіса. Але найсуттєвіше те, що Кейтс якось зумів вималювати власний стиль, який важко спутати з іншими авторами. Це божевільна, зубодробильна й абсолютно самобутня стилістика на межі кислотного панку, бойовику та психодрами, за якими глибоко захована драма самотньої людини.

[Pavlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Маю сказати робота пророблена серйозна і з одного боку я вражений, наскільки Кейтс ретельно пропрацював сюжетні тропи, заморочився з етногенезом симбіотів, мені дуже сподобалося аргкментація та пояснення походження клінтарів, весь оцей закрут з Налом виглядає надзвичайно потужно, хоча в якісь моменти ця масса динаміки і затягнутих діалогів починає набридати та викликає рефлексивне позіхання.
Наступні номери значно різняться від оцього класичного супергеройського фльору. Кейтс наповну тисне на газ і розгортає таку драматичну арку, що мені щелепа відпала, хоча судячи з відгуків фанів це і є його авторська суперсила.

Мені, як пошановувачу Венома, що знайомий з персонажем переважно з кіно, більше до вподоби саме кіношний варіант Венома. Такий собі імпульсивний, кровожерливий, але надзвичайно харизматичний іншопланетянин, що полюбляє відкушувати людям голови. З іншого боку, я не можу не оцінити надзвичайну авторську роботу Кейтса та шикардосовий малюнок від Раяна Стеґмана, що божить і смалить напалмом на розворотах, адже в Марвелівських коміксах я нині такий рівень композиції зустрічаю не часто.

Тож «Веном» Донні Кейтса це хороший комікс, чудовий оріджин не тільки Венома, а й Едді Брока. Обох їх автор розкриває з незвичного для нас боку і виявляється у симбіотів з людьми значно більше спільного, а ніж ми уявляли.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why this run is so popular. While the artwork isn’t something I super keen on, looking like 90s Spawn to me, kind of, the plot is a lot less run-and-gun, which is what I expect and avoid from venom runs. Instead, a new villain surfaced, Knull (which, funnily enough I’m playing that Marvel Snap game and saw that card and had no idea who they were!), and they actually add a whole heck of a lot to the backstory of the symbiotic creatures. It’s a very fun tie-in to the God Bomb Thor run too, which I loved, so there’s a lot going for it.

As it goes on, I will say my interest weaned somewhat, and this doesn’t cover the full arc, instead taking a circuitous path to get back to Knull, and I can see why… the B plot was just not as interesting, especially for that many issues. Maybe half the book? Something like that. I’d probably read the next volume if it was put in front of me but won’t go looking for it. But it’s far and away the most engaging and compelling Venom run I’ve ever encountered.

[Corey Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5: Pretty good overall. I think I went in thinking this would be the greatest comic ever made due to all the hype, but ultimately came out a bit disappointed overall. Still good though! I liked the second volume a lot more than the first. The Knull storyline was just underwhelming in my opinion. Plus, I've always found Eddies backstory interesting.
Recommended.

[Vladimír · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toto je absolútna pecka. Bavilo ma to rovnako, ako keď som to čítal zošitovo. Aj keď, možno trochu viac, keďže nebolo nutné čakať mesiac na pokračovanie. Donny Cates búra mytológiu a vytvára si svoju vlastnú. Venom je hororový, drsný a je súčasťou väčšieho celku. Vzťah medzi Eddiem a symbiontom sa uberá špecifickým smerom, za ktorý sa Donnymu niektorí fanatici vyhrážali zabitím. Čo ale veľmi oceňujem je aj fakt, že tento príbeh zvládne prakticky každý, keďže nie sú potrebné encyklopedické vedomosti. Záverečný cliffhanger, ktorý naznačuje návrat veľkého zlosyna je luxusný. Vrelo odporúčam.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cates continues to create excellent stories. After loving his work on God Country with Image comics it is great to see him continue to create at a high level with established characters in the Marvel universe. I've never been a big fan of Venom but very interested in the sci-fi focused take on the character's history we are seeing develop here. Love these oversize hardcovers and will pick up the second volume when it is available.

[Tom Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

i mean... what a start to a new series.

[Xiankowaty01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobre, ale zdecydowanie coś innego niż się spodziewałem po komiksie o Venomie

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...a lot of retconning going on here and I don't know if its for the better. Donny Cates, who usually has some insane ideas that morph into fun, crazy stories, reinvents the symbiote mythos and I don't know how much I like it. In my opinion, Flash and Agent Venom turned out to be the superior character but we're back to Eddie Brock which could be fun but this is a dark and depressing book and has a lot of concepts that might not jibe together. Ryan Stegman's art (and others) was stupendous though. Overall, a different take on Venom that needs a chance to grow but starts off on shaky ground.

[Daniel Kovacs Rezsuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing's perfect, but the first 12 issues of Donny Cates Venom is the closest I've seen a comic book written in a perfect way to breathe new life into a pre-existing intellectual property. Regardless if you are a long-time Venom fan or you have close to zero knowledge about the character, this volume will have something for you to hang on to.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! I haven't read much Venom, but that didn't hinder this at all. Some of the Knull explanations at the beginning were a little hard to follow but didn't detract from the overall story. Great character development, along with plenty of action and artwork.

[GamerGirlSpy101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Incredible!! Loved every second of it, can't wait to read more.

[Fr. Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtakingly good. Up there with some of the best comic book stories in the history of comics. I read all twelve issues in one day, and even though this book edition won't be released until November, I had to rate this immediately. Complex at a human level, moving at the level of the fantastic, and just the first time in a long time I'm able to honestly label something a "must read."

[John_H92 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girlfriend got me this as a gift for Christmas and goddamn does it not disappoint. Donny Cates gives you everything you could ever want in a Venom story and gives Eddie Brock some serious depth. Here's hoping volume 2 will be just as good!

[Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's crazy how much story Donny Cates can pack into a short book. With only the first 12 issues of his Venom run, this book is shorter than his monstrously entertaining Thanos, but it's equally entertaining and monstrous.

Cates gives us a layered, surprisingly complex psychological thriller with Eddie Brock struggling with PTSD, anxiety and depression and Venom (his "other" or "shadow") acting as a metaphor for all those things. This is exactly the kind of Venom story I wanted to read for my first venture into the character's solo books, so I'm not sure if that influenced my rating but I don't care. This is precisely my cup of tea.

Elements of horror, dark Lovecraftian fantasy and psychological exploration of character through past trauma and family drama raises this book to a whole other level I really didn't expect.

[Remxo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way Cates expands and re-frames the history and mythology of the Symbiotes in the first half of the book is really great. In the second half he casts Venom as a metaphor for the toxicity of codependent relationships. I found Cates'examination of the underlying psychological mechanisms of Venom really gripping. He explores Eddy's destructive and confusing connection to his Symbiote, as well as his troublesome relationship with his father and his son. I wouldn't be surprised if he channeled some personal grievances here.

Ryan Stegman's art is just stunning.

[Omni Theus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic Reboot/Reskin!
OVERALL RATING: 4.5 stars
Art: 4.5 stars
Prose: 4 stars
Plot: 4.25 stars
Pacing: 4.5 stars
Character Development: 4.5 stars
World Building: 4.5 stars
I see all the love going to Donny Cates is well founded. Such an excellent recreation. I've heard others stating 'Why didn't I come up with that?' As the story is not all that dynamic but damn it works. Fine, fine effort. The art is gorgeous throughout too. Looking forward to continuing the series! This is a must buy super-hero/anti-hero run for any Marvel fan!

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid outing by Cates. The struggle is real, gritty art with a good story really lets you invest in how rough Brock's day to day can be. Theres a classic despair in this story as he goes finds more info about his alien friend and his brother. Bravo Cates, I will continue this storyline.

[Ferry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's difficult to review this book without thinking about what comes after this story.
This book sets up something that is so much bigger, and leads into Absolute Carnage, an amazing event that.. sets up another bigger event...

Up until recently I was a spider-man comic reader. I read spider-man and while I did get my hands on the occasional other title.. it was youtube and Donny Cates that pushed me towards other books.

Now onto Venom: Cates makes this character interesting, it gives it a purpose which isn't gimmicky it's just a dark and troubled past. I'm going to stay away from spoilers as much as possible, but things have happened in the past which is pretty standard for any troubled person story. Theres a new contact with lost family etc. But with this book there's always something extra. Every moment in the book is so weighted every panel has a purpose.

The whole book has the whole "addict" vibe to it. Yet the writer and artist make you feel for the characters in a way that you know their not the good guys, but they kinda are.
You can feel that they are mistreated and deserve better, but it shows they made some clear wrong decisions in the past.

Now is it all positive? Personally I don't like the Maker. I have not read the whole arc where this alternate reed Richards becomes the maker so I really don't know much about him. Neither do I want. What's good about this character is that he's just a character. His background is of no real relevance other than to know there's a council of reed Richards and that's it..

So what is this book exactly and whom is it for:
This book is Venom rising as a main character without gimmicks, it's about Eddie Brock being Venom with his symbiote. It's about his life, and his past.
During the book we're going to see 2 big evens being set up: Absolute Carnage and King in Black
Both are pretty much about Knull, the god of symbiotes.

The War of the realms part of the Venom run is left out of the Hardcovers. It's irrelevant mostly to the story.

This is not the happy go lucky being a superhero venom. He's really a lethal protector with a troubled past. This is for the fans of comics, for the Donny Cates fans, for older Venom fans.
If you like current Marvel runs like: Spider-man Haunted, Spider-man Last Rites, Immortal Hulk, Thor 2018, Dr Strange by Cates, or maybe even Thanos by Cates, you're going to love this.

I F*cking loved this book and I cant wait for Donny cates his final issue on Venom.
If you've got any understanding about addiction and you're up for a darker comic story.. pick this up. If you've not read this by now I envy you.. as you get to read the whole freaking story in one go...

[Billy Jepma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never been a fan of Venom. I’ve never gotten the craze around the character or even the concept the character grew out of. So when this new series launched and was quickly lauded across the board, I wasn’t convinced. Maybe it was ignorance, since I’ve never read many of Venom’s signature stories, but I didn’t believe a story about an angry, “grimdark” monster could be compelling.

I’m glad I was wrong.

The first story arc of this series didn’t hook me, but it was a proof of concept that convinced me a “Venom” series could work for me. The art from Ryan Stegman was exceptional; a beautiful medley of brutal physicality, grotesque imagery, and compelling layouts. And Cates’ writing, while a bit heavy-handed for my tastes, was exciting enough that I was eager to go along for the ride.

Those first six issues didn’t wow me, but I did enjoy them quite a bit. The story itself wasn’t that strong—an ancient evil comes back and wants to do evil stuff yadda yadda yadda—but the visual spectacle Stegman brought to it, and (parts of) the internal conflict Cates gave to Eddie were enough to get me to turn the pages. But I still wasn’t convinced the comic was as good as I had heard. Fun, definitely; but memorable? Not really.

Until the next arc.

Issues 7-12 are incredible. With the over-the-top stakes and spectacle out of the way—presumably to entice readers to stick around—Cates moves into a story that’s deeply psychological and genuinely unsettling. But not because Venom themselves are unsettling; because of the way Venom becomes a nuanced and unforgiving illustration of Eddie’s traumas, doubts, and failings.

Artist Iban Coello guests on some of these issues, and I *loved* his work. He has a similar style to Stegman, so the shift wasn’t jarring, but it was different enough to offer a unique visual edge to the narrative. And when Stegman comes back, he kills it again. All five issues are stunning to look at, and effortlessly convey the emotional and physical horrors Eddie is experiencing.

It’s fiercely compelling stuff, and I tore through it all so fast I was surprised when I ran out of pages. And I was even more surprised when I found myself wishing I had the next volume in front of me.

This series has done the impossible and made me into a Venom fan. I’ll probably never *get* the hype around the character. But I’m thrilled by the work that Cates, Stegman, and co. are doing with this series and am rabid for more.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lektura nowej odsłony Venoma idealnie sprzęgała mi się premierą kinowej wersji, która troszeczkę nawiązuje do swojego komiksowego pierwowzoru. I o jakości filmu można polemizować, tak komiks miażdży. Cates idealnie rozumie postać zarówno Eddiego i Venoma, wykraczając poza pewne schematy, wprowadzając niezbędną świeżość w historię tej relacji.

Początek jest klimatyczny. Pojawia się też po raz pierwszy postać, która zamiesza potężnie w świecie Marvela. Knull, który jest niepokojącą manifestacją ciemności, pamiętający jeszcze czasy sprzed powstawania jasnego Wszechświata. Starcie z nim jest nad wyraz... cielesne. Coś pięknego. A potem jest jeszcze lepiej. Spotykamy zabytek jeszcze z czasów świetności wariantu wymiaru Ultimate Marvela.

Na jaw wyjdzie szereg bolesnych faktów, dotyczących przeszłości Brocka, a które go ukształtowały. Eddie kryje w sobie wiele jadu, a Venom na pewnym etapie okaże się mało przydatnym kompanem. No i relacja z ojcem jest bardzo trudna i bolesna. A całość prezentuje się okazale także w kwestii kreski. Ciemny niepokojący początek z czasem nabierze innych kolorów, ale i tak całość wizualnie raczej dołuje niżeli daje komfort.

Kolejna petarda, może trochę ustępująca Nieśmiertelnemu Hulkowi, ale to moje prywatne odczucie.

[Diego Belaunde · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an EXCELLENT jumping on point for new Venom readers! Donny Cates gives readers a fresh, modern, and gripping look into the complex psyche of Eddie Brock, and his more than complicated relationship with his symbiotic partner. Cates introduces great new characters that will stay with you long after you close the book. I’m loving where the plot is going so far, and Cates’ writing style will keep you turning the pages faster than you realize. Ryan Stegman’s artwork is top tier stuff, and a real testament to what good artists can do when given the right character. Stegman was absolutely the right man for the job. His horrifyingly lush penciling makes the tendrils and faces of the symbiotes look like something out of a horror film, which matches the tone of Cates’ story perfectly.

TLDR: Great story, gripping characters, beautiful artwork, literally everything that makes a good comic book. You will NOT be disappointed!

[John Hartford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cates continues to impress.

I have heard a lot about Donny Cates Venom run in recent years and after devouring the first hardcover it did not disappoint.

The first arc is an action packed dive into a new origin for the symbiote. We get a lot of new lore for the symbiotes and it's truly captivating. Not to mention a guest appearance from Spider-Man (MM) which is a lot of fun.

The second arc takes its aim at the current and original Venom Eddie Brock. This story isn't as action focused as the first but has some amazing twists. It also does some real work in connecting the reader with Eddie.

The art by Ryan Stegman is absolutely stunning. Hands down the best comic art I've come across lately. This makes the fill in artists seem lackluster but they do put in some solid work.

10/10 would read again.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex (#1-6). Cates does a great job of expanding the Venom mythos, introducing a Venom dragon, Knull, and the idea that Venom symbiotes have been used in warfare throughout history. (Unfortunately, a lot of this is just going to be regurgitated in King in Black, so it no longer has the power that it might once have.) On the downside, the characterization of this volume is almost zero. The Venom symbiote and Eddie finally get some characterization in the very last pages of the last issue, but even that's shallow. We need characters for these neat retcons to mean anything! [3+/5].

The Abyss (#7-12). In some ways, a kind of weird story because of its use of The Maker, whose sociopathic scientific interest is a pretty dull MacGuffin. However, you get beyond that and you have great stories of Eddie's family and the actual personality of the symbiote, resulting in a story that's pretty great by the end [4/5].

[Casper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't really care for Venom before, but Cates and Stegman sure have made me care.

I first listened to their podcast a couple weeks ago, and I had already read the first issue as some free promotion thing from Marvel, but I was reading so much else I didn't bother finding the rest of it.

I'm almost glad I waited till I could hear the pure passion and joy this comic was made with through the podcast. It's gruesome, it's personal, it's so good! Knull is an incredible addition to the Marvel cosmic beings and I'm a strong supporter of making Venom his own thing, instead of a Spider-Man villain. This book is trying and succedding in doing exactly that.

I highly recommend is book, if for nothing else for the symbiote dragon.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have a huge background in Venom's back story, and that actually serves as an advantage here, as Donny Cates appears to be doing a fair bit of heavy lifting in reinventing not just the symbiote's purpose, but building a larger universe around them. I don't know how well that reinvention fit within the currently existing mythology, but it seems serviceable to a novice.
That being said, the world-building takes up large portions of the book, leaving less space for character development and action. The art is perhaps too detailed, especially when it comes to some of the gore, but it definitely serves the characters and the action.
Ultimately, this was fine, but probably not a great place to jump into the Venom side of the Marvelverse.

[ReadingRelar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, man. This was such a good start to this Venom run! I read this as a prelude to Absolute Carnage to get some context as to what is going on in that storyline. Now I'm struggling to not just read through all of this run first.

Anyways, this is a really good storyline for Venom. It's not too complex for the medium, but it's also not too thought provoking. There is a lot of good action, some amazing character development, and quite a few new characters introduced that really just bring extra depth to Venom and Eddie Brock as characters. The art is also just phenomenal!

[Andrew Seaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was intense.

Donny Cates has the magic touch. I’ve yet to read one of his books that didn’t completely engross me in the characters. Particularly the way he builds on the characters through others in Marvel history. There are some great tieins with recent stories that add a ton of complexity to the continuing saga of Eddie Brock. And Stegman is the perfect compliment to his writing for Venom. A master class through and through.