From 2006 to 2008, I reviewed Amazing Spider-Man for this site until I could no longer take it. That series had gotten so bad that it wasn’t even fun to write negative reviews anymore. Although the last ASM issue I reviewed was technically the annual starring Jackpot, the last regularly-numbered issue I reviewed was #574, in which Flash Thompson lost his legs in Iraq. I seem to be in the minority in thinking that issue was mediocre. Little did I know, however, that almost three years later I’d be looking at THIS. This thing, this bizarre aberration of a comic book idea. I don’t know what to say, honestly, other than:
This. Comic. Is…
…AWESOME!
Venom #1
“Project Rebirth 2.0”
Writer: Rick Remender
Penciler: Tony Moore
Inks: Crimelab! Studios w/ Sandu Florea and Karl Kesel
Colorist: John Rauch
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramanga
Cover Art: Joe Quesada
Plot: In the Eastern European country of Nrosvekistan, a militant group engages in “ethnic cleansing” using vibranium bullets. United Nations Mech-Troopers, suited in Stark Tech armor, attempt to protect the victim population, but they fall helplessly to metal-melting antarctic vibranium. The villain Jack O’ Lantern (one of them, anyway; there have been five characters to take that name) also cruises the battlefield. He searches for the scientist who developed the vabranium bullets, Doc Ekmecic. Jack O’ Lantern’s shadowy employer financed Ekmecic’s experiments and now Ekmecic’s army is using the technology to attack civilians. The mysterious boss wants Ekmecic captured and returned to him so Ekmecic can reveal the science behind the bullets.
Cue Flash Thompson. Recently, the United States military has given Flash the Venom symbiote and sent him on black ops missions. Flash drops into the Nrosvekistan conflict’s epicenter and uses the symbiote to defend civilians utterly slaughter the aggressors.
Flash was sent to the scene to capture Ekmecic, but Jack O’ Lantern gets there first. Flash and Jack O’ Lantern fight until Flash loses control and turns into Venom. Venom shoves a grenade into Jack O’ Lantern’s mouth, which doesn’t kill him. I guess this Jack O’ Lantern has magic powers or something. Jack O’ Lantern flies away with Ekmecic. Rather than let the scientist escape alive, Venom snags his head with a webline and snaps his neck.
Back at headquarters, Flash’s superior scolds Flash for disobeying protocol and warns him that a switch exists that can kill Flash at any time should he lose control. Flash gets in his wheelchair and scoots on over to Betty Brant’s place. They were supposed to attend a benefit together but Flash’s secret mission made him late. Betty assumes Flash has started drinking again and slams the door in his face. Flash hangs his head and rolls himself home through the snow.
Thoughts: When Flash Thompson lost his legs, I worried Marvel might do something lame like give him cyborg legs or have him take the Lizard formula. At the time, I didn’t think about bonding Flash with the symbiote, but that’s along the same lines as what worried me. Dan Slott’s take on the concept in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man failed to bring me around, but I kept an open mind about it because I rarely enjoy Slott’s work to begin with.
In one issue, Remender has proven that Flash-Venom is not only a good idea, but a great one. Yeah, it’s weird to imagine Peter Parker’s old school bully morphing into an extraterrestrial death machine, but think about it for a minute. Here we have a man who once based his entire sense of self worth on his physicality: he was an athlete and a soldier, and proud of being both. Yet, he sacrificed all of that fighting for his country. With no way to be the football star or a fighting man without legs, Flash’s entire self image could have crumpled. However, his country has given him a second chance: a new set of legs. During missions, he can be whole again. He can feel like himself again. Yet, the more he indulges in this liberation, the more he loses his own soul to the symbiote’s influence. Making matters worse, he must go home in his wheelchair after every mission, left to long for the next fleeting release from his misery. He cannot tell his loved ones about his double life, so they scorn him, pushing him deeper into hopelessness, inflicting more emotional vulnerability for the symbiote to toy with. The whole time, he has in the back of his mind the fact that, after a set number of missions, the army will take the symbiote away from him in order to prevent permanent bonding. Thus, Flash knows that after he’s used up his time with the demon on which he’s steadily growing dependent, he will be discarded again, broken and alone. The feeling dredges up memories of an old demon on which he once grew dependent: the bottle.
I don’t know about you, but I think that could be a hell of a story. This comic is telling that story.
On top of that, Venom #1 is packed with action. Remender and Moore vividly show the symbiote’s potential lethality in a field of war. I can’t even think of a time when Eddie Brock did this much damage this efficiently. Flash eviscerates an entire army by himself. He yanks enemies to their deaths from windows with weblines, uses the suit’s tendrils to fire several assault rifles at once, operates a tank from the outside with said tendrils, and impales four men at once with extensions of his costume jutting from his fingertips. Flash Thompson is death incarnate and it looks wonderful.
RATING: 4/5. Marvel’s new Venom series is better than it has any right to be. It delivers a heap of grisly action and powerful emotional moments. Go buy an issue and see it for yourself.
Reviewed by: CrazyChris
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Steve, I’m gonna go ahead and be “that guy”. Any rumblings of a Ben Reilly resurrection? Lots of references lately (from ASM655, to Web Of, to “The Real Clone Saga”, “The Clone Saga Epic”) and I truly think Ben can be a viable supporting character in Pete’s world. He’s certainly a different take on what Peter Parker could be. And my interest has me spending $25 a pop on the Epic TP for who knows how many volumes. There’s almost certainly a demand there no?
Well, maybe I’m thinking too much. In my mind I’m comparing the symbiote with Hardy… jealousy included.
@44
Well, if it does, color me surprised…
That was meant for #30.
@Enigma – Yes.
They say third time’s charm.
#42-I have no idea what that means to be honest.
Flash has troubles though, so that’s part of the character’s history.
@#36
This is actually a serious question, Steve… are we witnessing something of a “jilted lover” type complex with this symbiote? Seems similar to what felicia Hardy was doing at one time… and with the same guy no less…
Kind of an odd coincidence.
I think he’s been on 3 missions so far
1. Crashing the party at the beginning of the .1 issue
2. Attacking Flag Smasher’s people at the end of the .1 issue. I say this is a separate mission because Flash was separated from the suit between them and some time had passed
3. Fighting Jack O’ Lantern in Venom #1
So I believe there should only be 17 missions left.
@CrazyChris – I bet he goes AWOL long before mission twenty. He’s officially been on two missions so far. I give him until mission fifteen.
Hi guys im new to posting on this Amazing site “pun intended”. I had been away from comics for about 1.5 years and just recently began reading again. I started about 2 weeks ago and ask anyone around me I went crazy buying comics to catch up on Amazing Spiderman which I need issues 649 to 654 to catch up. I skipped the Shed.issues lol, but anywho, I seen review for venom and read it and it sounds interesting, I might go out and buy it, Venom has been my favorite villain mainly cause of appearance, like a previous poster stated all stories involving venom have been lack luster, now in games he is awesome. I hope to pick up future issues and I’ll keep reading your reviews. Keep up the great work.
Hey Mr. Wacker, thanks for giving us a little glimpse of your thought process. Personally, I loved Venom as a kid from the ’90s cartoon and a few video games, but I’ve rarely liked the comic’s he’s been in. ASM #300 was pretty good, but throughout the ’90s it seems like no one knew what to do with him. The only other Eddie Brock story I hold in very high regard is Aguirre-Sacasa’s Last Temptation of Eddie Brock. I thought Gargan Venom could have been cool, but he was never really used well. This Flash Venom has a ton of potential and judging by this issue that potential is going to be realized. I would really like it if this run got a good couple of years to give Flash Venom his due. I’m hoping Flash rebells somehow when mission #20 comes up and keeps the suit for longer.
@36- Wow Stephen, this post pleasantly surprised me
Thanks for giving us a bit of genuine insight into the offices, and the making of this book. PLEASE go on making posts like this in the reviews. I really enjoy reading these as opposed to some of your other posts
33-I have posted info and insight here plenty of times, but that tends to get ignored as everyone jumps over each other to play “tough guy”.
Anyway, I was never a huge Venom fan so the first–and maybe biggest– hurdle this book had to jump through was own tastes, but Rick and Tony (with help from Slott) were firing on all cylinders from day one of the project, so I’m glad some folks seem to like it. I certainly understand the draw of the Venom concept now.
Big stuff coming down the road starting with Kraven next issue a Spidey confrontation sooner rather than later.
Hope you keep digging it.
@ #31 Smartest thing you ever posted.
@ #6 Yhe, Thas’t whta I thikn ;-P
@31: It’s cool that a Marvel editor has posted a comment on a review I wrote about a comic he edits! But why not post a non-sarcastic comment every now and then? That way, we could all get excited about Marvel comics together.
@32: The military certainly sees the symbiote as a weapon rather than a living being. Flash seems to see it as a way to experience release. We don’t know much about how the symbiote sees itself in all this. Does it enjoy the adrenaline rush these missions give it? Is it an unwilling prisoner? That could be an interesting question for future issues. I hope Remender explores that.
Re 30: I’d say Eddie’s smarter than Flash…but I don’t think it’ll work
Btw CrazyChris: Is the symbiote portrayed as a weapon or more of another being, like it has been recently?
#27-I wouldn’t read Punisher or Moon Knight either if I were you.
Or this post.
@Two-Bit Specialist
I’ll say it again… it didn’t work then either… You REALLY think it’s gonna work this time?
@Miles_Warren (and Herbie, too) – I would suggest you either byrne the issue or read it from a buddy. I got it, and it was pretty good.
@Enigma – If I remember correctly, Eddie performed surgery on himself with the symbiote to remove that bomb the government put on him. I don’t think they’ve gone into detail about how this killswitch for Flash works, have they?
“Back at headquarters, Flash’s superior scolds Flash for disobeying protocol and warns him that a switch exists that can kill Flash at any time should he lose control.”
Someone tried this with Eddie Brock… it didn’t work then either…
@15
Thanks George. I’ll pass in that case. Probably a good thing since there are a few comic books coming out that I wish to buy such as Moon Knight and Punisher. I’ll continue reading the reviews though 🙂
@#24 Huh. That title must be a typo then. 😉
@Brian Bradley – The symbiote knows that “Spider-man” is a former host, but it apparently forgot that Spider-man = Peter Parker. This is what I gather from New Ways to Die. I don’t expect Flash to learn Spidey’s identity any time soon.
That’s not Venom, that’s the symbiote bonded to Flash.
And I’m still not interested.
Was waiting for a review before I picked up a copy. Just read the intro and I’m going to pick up a copy and give it a read
Remeader is one of the best things at Marvel right now. I have yet to pick up a Remeader book that I’ve disliked and Venom was no exception.
Good review too =)
Good review! I was pretty surprised by how much I liked this issue, I think this series has a lot of potential!!
Does the Venom symbiote know Spider-Man’s real identity? Or was that wiped out because of the mental block? Could the symbiote eventually reveal to Flash that he’s been cheering on Puny Pete all along?
@Chris, CrazyChris’ post in #10 shows the “Venom” version of Flash as just a more intense version of his commando look. If that’s how they keep it, I think it’d be fine. Although I don’t think its too far of a stretch to have the hulking, scary venom because when the symbiote takes over it probably adapts a look like that to be more intimidating, something Gargan and Brock were more than willing to indulge. As we see Flash lose more and more control I wouldn’t be surprised to see his features change, but since Flash is a good character he’ll somehow find a way to control it in the end and we’ll probably see the commando venom more often and possibly even teaming up with some other heroes. If the sales of the comic prove worthwhile at least.
I wasn’t a fan of putting Flash in the suit, but if you think about, Flash really is an interesting choice for Venom. In a lot of ways he’s the original anti-Peter Parker: Flash was known for his brawn while Peter was known for his brain, Flash was popular while Peter was picked on, Flash has wanted attention and glory while Peter has wanted a normal life, etc. Even as Flash is being heroic in this issue, he felt the best way to keep the doctor from falling into the villain’s hands was to kill the doctor, something Spider-Man would never do. But at the same time both Peter and Flash are both looking to do the right thing, make saving innocent lives a priority, and struggle with the non-superhero parts of their lives. Throw in the fact that Flash and Peter have had both friendship and animosity towards each other, add CrazyChris’ point that the symbiote could very well become an addiction for Flash and you’ve got a character with tremendous potential as either hero, villain or something in between.
I think the symbiote itself could be just as interesting. How does it feel about being a weapon for the government? Is it making any kind of effort to be free of the government’s control? What does it think of Flash, the first host it has that not only doesn’t hate Spider-Man, but is enamored by him? Will Flash be a positive influence on the symbiote, or will the symbiote soley be a negative influence on Flash? Will it change the way Flash sees Spider-Man at all?
I wasn’t as enraptured with the issue as CrazyChris was but I liked it and it was MUCH better than that Amazing Spider-Man .1 story. This should have been Flash’s debut as Venom. I still think Venom was at his best as a Spider-Man villain (BEFORE the lethal protector crap), but depending on how the next few issues unfold this could be a pretty good series.
Flash Thompson as the NEW person to own the alien-symbiote suit is interesting, BUT flawed: as “Venom”, when He transforms, he turns into “Mag Gargan-esque Venom” by looking like him and having that grotesque, disgusting cannibalistic behavior ( I don’t like that and it’s too redundant, repetitive, and the same old thing). What the writers and people in charge of “The Amazing Spider-Man” and the new “Venom” comic book series should have done is just have Flash Thompson as a really good Venom with super-hero qualities that looks nothing like Eddie Brock’s/Mac Gargan’s personalities and physical features as Venom. In a way, Flash is somewhat different because he’s a special co-ops agent that looks similar to Spidey in the black suit with military weapons and rifles which is really cool, but there should be more differences than just that and morphing into a hulkish-Venom with a mouth of sharp teeth and a tongue. The new character of Venom/Flash Thompson should maybe have a super-soldier serum-treated body and origin, with the Venom suit and then be a hero for the nation of America with some of James Bond’s qualities without turning into a evil, bulkish “Eddie Brock”-Venom sometimes with a “trying to kill Spider-Man” motto again (You see, that’s a unique take on Venom, not just another idea that’s been already done). Plus, Flash’s character is screwed over now because his legs have been blown off; it’s realistic but shows a hidden result or “reaping what you sow” way of Flash taking on the curse of the evil that is the old cannibalistic Venom. What does anyone think about my comment?
I would’ve saved that inevitable bit with Betty for a few issues down the road, but other than that I’m liking Venom so far.
Maybe we’ll get a Punisher/X-Force cameo at some point. I’ve enjoyed both. (really liked the Spidey cameo in the Punisher Annual).
Miles – yes, it’s edited by Wacker.
Nice review Chris. Quick qyestion though and it might seem weird when I ask it lol but who edits the title? I refuse to buy a book edited by Stephen Wacker. His behavious on the various message boards is despicable.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the army considering I’m an army brat. When I first heard they were making Flash the new Venom I was happy though I didn’t like the thought of him having the possible Gargan-Venom look. Here, it’s awesome. I’ve had faith in Remender since I personally started picking up his Uncanny X-Force stuff and that’s been pretty good. I have to say the writing took a better turn then how Slott was writing Flash in the .1 issue.
Great issue overall.
As for the price I believe it is suppose to drop down to $2.99 starting next issue. They’ve started doing that with some titles for a while now.
Interesting, I like that Venom better than the cover Venom as well. It’d be kind of cool if he got more and more Venom-y, big and gruesome like, the more Flash loses control as the series progressed. Subtle changes so you barely notice it as the issues go but just a hint that the symbiote is taking more and more.
Now I’m seriously debating getting this…
When Flash is in control, he looks like black-suited Spidey in a commando suit: http://justanothergeekblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/venom-by-tony-moore.jpg
When he loses control, he looks a little different than what we’ve seen before. He looks like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_7QQPWxg_JyM/TUjt5fR7t1I/AAAAAAAAA50/UMekbqOkQzY/s1600/Venom+preview+3.jpg
The hulking Venom on the cover is nowhere to be seen. I am happy about that because I hate that look for Venom.
When you say that Venom takes over… is he drawn like a big hulking Venom? And when Flash is in control, is he the more normal, commando looking Venom?
Yeah Chris, only the first issue was $3.99, its down to $2.99 then, just checked the solicts are your review has me considering some reading….
It’s marvel….can’t be bothered.
@Brian
Only the first issue is $3.99, I think.
It’s all good, your plot and story descriptions are pretty solid, they aren’t super necessary.
Oh, and I don’t have any pictures, sorry.
That Remender sure knows his stuff. I thought Franken Castle was going to suck, and it ended up being awesome!
It is a $4 comic, unfortunately. It’s good enough to keep me reading at that price, however, assuming the creative team keeps up this level of quality.
Ha, awesome review. I was pretty lukewarm on the idea of this story, but Flash does seem like the perfect fit for this role. This a $4 book? Don’t think I can afford adding it to the stack now, but I’ll at least follow it here. Any chance of getting some pictures to go with it?