Edge Of Venomverse #1 Review - A Brutally Entertaining Opening Issue

06/28/2017 04:54 pm EDT

Edge of Venomverse #1 certainly grabs your attention at the start, but does it manage to keep it?

Spoilers incoming for Edge of Venomverse #1, so if you haven't read the issue yet be forewarned.

Like Edge of Spiderverse before it, Edge of Venomverse takes known characters from the Marvel Universe and pairs them with symbiotes of their own. Starting with Wolverine makes sense, as her origin makes an easy host for the symbiote in a believable way.

The series kicks off with an action-packed issue, but writer Matthew Rosenberg builds a compelling supporting cast within a rather small amount of time. Laura forms a sweet yet feral relationship with her newfound friends, and it grounds the brutal and messy combat sequences found throughout the rest of the issue.

The series also presents some intriguing elements that will surely be explored later, like the fact that small amounts of the symbiote can be tethered to other hosts, something that comes in handy later in the issue. The organization that is chasing her will also form a sizable role in The upcoming main Venomverse series, and the surprise reveal at the end only raises the stakes on the larger scale battle.

Artwise the pencils of Roland Boschi are a little mixed. When a symbiote is leaping across the screen to behind someone the art is fantastic, delivering brutal and believable visuals with a fantastical flair. When the scene is more subdued the art falls a bit flat, appearing a bit muddy at times. Still, for the other sequences, it is something that can be overlooked.

Edge of Venomverse #1 is an entertaining start to a summer popcorn series, though a decidedly brutal one. If you aren't a fan of the Venom side of things, this won't change your mind, but if you like hard hitting action you'll find a lot to love.

Rating 4 out of 5 Stars.

Edge of Venomverse #1 is written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Roland Boschi and a cover by Francesco Mattina. The official description can be found below.

The series that sets up the epic VENOM EVENT of 2017 STARTS HERE! Each issue introduces another major Venomized character that will feed into VENOMVERSE itself! THIS ISSUE, the young mutant clone designated X-23 collides with a cryogenic tube containing a strange alien symbiote during her frenzied escape from The Facility, . Bonding with the alien enhances her already considerable abilities, and aids in her escape, but it begins to alter her mind! On the run from the very people that made her, can X-23 hold it together or is she doomed to give in to Venom!

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