Artist Ryan Stegman is getting in on the Venom 35th anniversary celebration with a new collection of covers homaging the Lethal Protector. The 35th anniversary of Venom comes as part of Marvel's Summer of Symbiotes event, which puts a spotlight on the Venom extended family through new series, character-defining story arcs, and more. Ryan Stegman collaborated with writer Donny Cates on Venom back in 2018, propelling the character to new heights in storylines like Absolute Carnage and King in Black. Select comics starting in May will join the Venom The Other Variant Covers program illustrated by Ryan Stegman.
Marvel first announced Ryan Stegman's participation in the Venom 35th anniversary at the Breaking into Comics the Marvel Way Panel at MegaCon Orlando. There will be a total of 16 designs, alternate versions, and hosts from Venom's history in Stegman's covers. The covers are a love-letter to artist Mike Wieringo's 2000s Spider-Man The Other Variant Covers, as well as a funny callback to how Eddie Brock used to refer to his alien symbiote during their early days.
Four of the covers have been released so far (which you can find below), but we also have 17 of the variations that Marvel plans to showcase:
- Classic Venom
- Eddie Brock
- Gwenom
- Venom (Mac Gargan)
- Anti-Venom
- Agent Venom
- Superior Venom
- Venom Spaceknight
- Venom (Lee Price)
- Corrupted Venom from Donny Cates and Stegman's run
- Cosmic Venom
- Space Venom from the current ongoing VENOM series by Al Ewing, Ram V, Cafu, Bryan Hitch, and more
- Venom (Dylan Brock)
- Venom 2099
- Pork Grind
- Mary Jane Watson as Venom
- Earth-X Venom
Marvel Reveals More Summer of Symbiotes Titles
The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) brought word of new titles being added to Marvel's Summer of Symbiotes. The Venom-centric event is in celebration of the Lethal Protector's 35th anniversary. Characters such as Venom, Red Goblin, Miles Morales, and more of your favorite (and new) symbiotes will be heavily featured in Summer of Symbiotes, and fans that were in attendance at the Spider-Man and the Venomverse Panel at C2E2 got new details regarding the event, including the announcement of series launching during it. Even better, some fan-favorite Venom creators are also returning for Death of the Venomverse.
Death of the Venomverse is the capstone of the Summer of Symbiotes. Death of the Venomverse reunites Cullen Bunn and Gerardo Sandoval, who will bring forth the downfall of the Venomverse. Venom co-creator David Michelinie will also pen a tale in Death of the Venomverse, which is a five-issue miniseries that will release all of its issues in August.
"It's been far too long since I've written any stories about Venom and company," Bunn said. "About Eddie, about Flash, about Andi, about Carnage. This story--this completely bonkers epic--feels like the right time to throw my symbiotic hat back in the ring. Returning to a multiverse full of Venom symbiotes, maybe (but hopefully not) for the last time, I knew I had to do something big. Thus, the title—DEATH OF THE VENOMVERSE--was born. Perhaps that title is a bit of a threat for our favorite symbiotes, but I promise you it is not empty! Get ready for plenty of surprises, some heartbreak, and more symbiotes than you can shake a stick at!"
You can find the Ryan Stegman Venom The Other Variant Covers below.