MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: Venom #9 REVIEW

Well, you have to give it to the Marvel family! They know what they’re doing, and their timing is impeccable. Huge announcements rocked the MCU community recently, with Kang making waves as the next big thing. And true enough, Kang is not only going to act as a major threat to the Avengers, but he’s also tinkering with characters in the pages of Marvel comic books like Venom. Kang is acting like a mentor and an old friend to Eddie Brock, and I have a very funny feeling we are going to see more of the fan-favorite super-villain all across the various Marvel comic books in the near future. What also keeps me reading this series is discovering the intricacies of Eddie’s relationship with his son. It is definitely a rocky, tumultuous bond that they share, but something tells me that they have the same kind of grit and killer instinct that will keep them alive for the foreseeable future. And they’ll be hunting down anybody that threatens them, and whoever dares to cross paths with them, with violent, and very bad intentions.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Published:

July 27, 2022

Writer:

Al Ewing

Penciler:

Bryan Hitch

Cover Artist:

Bryan Hitch

EDDIE BROCK, AL EWING & BRYAN HITCH UNITE FOR A TALE ACROSS TIME! Eddie Brock is still getting used to his place in the symbiote hive, and with new allies and familiar faces alike offering him advice along the way, Eddie remains as canny, wary and reckless as ever. Little does he know, his battle across the cosmos has only just begun, and KANG THE CONQUERER has a front-row seat for its first act!

PROS:

• The art is always going to be a major highlight and strength with this creative team, as they know how to make Venom look big, bad and scary. Venom always looks ready for war, and that is especially the case in this installment.
• It always still amuses me when I get shocked or surprised by a final page reveal or some unexpected twist at the end of an issue. And this is surely the case now, as I was legitimately not expecting Eddie to be Bedlam… for sure, not in that manner, at least.
• What the title has proven about its writing and editorial squad is that they know how to capture the complexity and tension between such a strained father-and-son relationship that Eddie has with Dylan. It remains a very personal and touching story amidst all the cosmic chaos. It also provides an intriguing contrast as we see an Eddie who is almost literally on top of the world as Venom versus a father that is so vulnerable as a human being when it comes to matters of his son. It has been a struggle to even keep his son alive, at this point, and it’s only going to get tougher these next few chapters.

CONS:

• When all is said and done, I can honestly say that nothing much really happened, though. Aside from the big reveal at the end, which is, admittedly, perfectly placed, I just feel that the entire story of this issue could have been squeezed into maybe half the number of pages.
• Maybe it is just me but I am sorely missing Venom handle street-level concerns. The book has been carrying the cosmic theme very well… don’t get me wrong. But all this time-travel and cosmic destiny talk makes me yearn for the simpler days when Venom was just messing around in good ol’ planet Earth. But maybe that’s what the Venom movies are for.

FINAL GRADE: B

It was a solid outing, but not enough for me to lose my mind over… until the very last page. So with that said, I will surely be coming back for more. I am getting a little impatient, but at least Venom or Bedlam or whoever it is… is already back in touch with his son. I wonder how Eddie is going to control his time-travels, his darker self, and his increased responsibility all on his own. What makes matters worse is that he doesn’t even know who he can really trust in this life. So, it will be fascinating to see a desperate father and son go all-in trying to heal their relationship, recover from their shared tragedies, and step up as cosmic-level superheroes. And Venom still has to truly come into his role as King in Black.