Venom War #1 Review: An Event For All the Marbles

Venom War #1 kicks off from Marvel Comics this week.

By Spencer Perry

The good news about Venom War is its accessibility. Series writer Al Ewing has been building to this moment since taking over Venom and leading its post-King in Black era into a galaxy-brained science-fiction epic. Trails of that narrative have fallen off along the way which have partially made this story easier to follow for newcomers, but even if the last thing you read was King in Black, or even another era of Venom, there's something for you to grab onto here. With that however comes plot threads where your mileage may vary, and this being a culminating event means it has a lot of stories to tie together.

The short version of Venom War #1's plot is that Eddie Brock has aligned with versions of himself from the future, and is on the search for his original symbiote, Venom. One of the forces standing in his way is his son Dylan, who has assembled his own army of symbiotes too. Finally, Venom himself has attempted to retreat from their battle and has sought refuge in a place that readers may suspect would be the last place they'd find him, Peter Parker's closet (unsubtle symbolism there). If that's a lot to process, series artist Iban Coello manages to make it all fun to look at throughout with abundant style.

For a series where the narrative thrust is in a father vs. son throwdown, each believing themselves to be in the right because of visions of seemingly inevitable futures where the other has fully harnessed Venom's abilities, one may be surprised to find that the tender moment of a reunion between Venom the symbiote and Peter Parker is the best part of the entire first issue. As much fun as Al Ewing and Iban Coello are having in the opening pages of this issue, wherein Eddie Brock leads his Symbiote team into a sold out wrestling show to make their presence in the world known, the tender conversation that Venom himself ends up having with Peter Parker in his home is this concept at its best. Ewing injects so much pathos into Venom as he reflects on his entire existence, showing remorse and confusion even about everything he's had to do, and who better to be the shoulder to cry on than Peter? Even though it's largely a conversation, Coello manages to find unique ways to keep it visually engaging be it Venom-centric paneling or a splash page that will have longtime fans hollering.

That said, the flipside of this narrative thread being not only emotionally resonant but visually appealing is that it must come alongside a thread that isn't either of those things. The Dylan Brock angle of the new Venom series has struggled to be as noteworthy as any other part of the story, and that remains the case here. Dylan is lackluster at best and has no identity beyond his famous father, which makes his place in the larger narrative feel static. Though he doesn't take up a lot of real estate within the first issue, Dylan's story just isn't compelling, and the expository moments he has to sit in carried a washed out look that makes them feel phoney.

The hook that starts and ends Venom War #1 is the kind of momentum-holding art and storytelling that fans love to see though, and which makes comics the most fun medium to bask in. Eddie Brock throwing down in a wrestling ring sounds like something from a dream, but Ewing has earned the right to bring him to this place. Iban Coello and color artist Frank D'Armata are also clearly having a blast with this stuff, injecting energy and flair into these moments that will make some of the other pages feel boring by comparison.

Venom War is the rare event series that really builds upon everything that came before it. Not only are all of Venom's hosts over the years acknowledged to a degree, but the many facets of his own characterization in that same time is understood to have been pivotal to reaching this point. That's not only decades of continuity that is being taken into consideration, but vastly different takes on the character as well. Artist Iban Coello does his best to keep his own visual stamp on the character throughout the issue but also makes sure to balance a mix of what fans have come to expect. Ewing mostly makes the balance work throughout the issue, which kicks off the event in a fun way, but its less interesting elements remain stuck in second gear.  

Published by Marvel Comics

On August 7, 2024

Written by Al Ewing

Art by Iban Coello

Colors by Frank D'Armata

Letters by Ariana Maher

Cover by Iban Coello and Frank D'Armata

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