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Venom #2
Publisher: Marvel
Story: Donny Cates
Pencils: Ryan Stegman
Inks: JP Mayer
Colors: Frank Martin
Letters: Clayton Cowels
Cover: Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin

Last issue ended with a deathblow effectively setting us up for something even more colossal here. So with plenty of action and a kaiju sized monster on the loose the creative team does not disappoint in the sophomore issue of Venom. Cates delves deeper into the Venom mythos with an intense flashback that hits all of the right beats and keeps the pace of the story going strong. He also keeps it fresh by tying it to Rex and throwing in several more surprises to Marvel’s past which give us a glimpse of how the experiments began. There’s also the opening sequence which is a perfect syncing of art and narrative in which the strength lies in Cates giving the symbiote just as much characterization as Brock. This gets to the heart (no pun intended) of the tale as it seems more about the creature’s story which isn’t a bad thing. Cates still delivers an Eddie Brock worth reading about and has introduced a new threat that is unlike anything either has faced.

I’m pretty sure that Cates’ jaw hit the floor when he received pages of Stegman’s art and most likely stayed there after he saw the finished work when Mayer and Martin dropped the inks and colors. Needless to say, this is one damn good looking book from start to finish. That opening sequence I mentioned earlier was worth looking at several times because it was just an emotional moment. The top down view of the symbiote embracing Eddie’s body then the slow close up just kicked the narrative into overdrive here. Though it was such a great moment that the dialogue actually got in the way but that was only a minor infraction. That shot from inside of Eddie to Venom’s face captured all the emotion needed to put that entire thing over. The art team also makes the flashback a visual spectacle from the panel layouts to the story’s movement. Pretty sure that the only gripe would be that in certain panels, Brock looks like Sabretooth.

If you’re on the fence about this title I’d say go ahead and dive in now. The new Venom series continues to be a welcoming entry point to those not familiar with the character’s back story while also going into all new territory, giving the old school crowd something to stick around for.

Infinite Speech
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