Venom Co-Creator David Michelinie Writing New Series Set During Eddie Brock’s Early Days

They’re baaaaaaack! David Michelinie — who co-created Eddie Brock with artist Todd McFarlane during their run of Amazing Spider-Man in the 1980s — is reuniting with the brains-eating anti-hero in Venom: Separation Anxiety. Set during Eddie’s early days as a lethal protector, the five-issue limited series pits Eddie and the symbiote against a different kind of brain eater: the sinister mind-control powers of Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man. 

“I’m always delighted to write a new Venom story in a retrobackground,” said Michelinie, who previously returned to Marvel for another retro-set series, 2022’s Venom: Lethal Protector. “With Separation Anxiety as therequired theme, the problem became how to do something that’s alreadybeen done — have Eddie Brock separated from his symbiote ‘other.’ So Ithought, what if there was a deeply creepy villain with a decidedlybloodthirsty agenda who was able to take bits of Eddie’s symbiote awayevery time the two touched, with that enemy slowly growing stronger asVenom slowly grew weaker? And that was the nugget that became ‘The KingIn Purple.’”

Long before Eddie Brock becomes the King in Black, he’ll face the King in Purple. Marvel describes Venom versus Purple Man: “When the iconic villain uses his terrifying mind control powers totorment Eddie and steal his symbiote for himself, everyone’s favoritesymbiote slugger may need to ask for unlikely help to get it back ANDsave his sanity!” 

Marvel Comics also released the Venom: Separation Anxiety #1 cover from artist Paulo Siqueira (Venom: Lethal Protector, Carnage), paying homage to Charles Vess’ classic Web of Spider-Man #1 — the iconic issue where Peter Parker separated himself from his alien costume, spawning a hatred that would ultimately bond the symbiote and Eddie Brock.

Venom: Separation Anxiety #1 (of 5), written by Michelinie and penciled by Death of the Venomverse artist Gerardo Sandoval, is on sale May 15 from Marvel Comics.