Comic Books

Venom #161 Review

Venom is back to basics in this new story kick off.

February 7, 2018

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With “Venom Inc.” over Venom can finally get back to his daily life. Sadly, that life is rather sad and lonely, but he always has his Symbiote to keep him company and chat it up. “Tangled Webs” begins today, and in it, Eddie begins to take control of his life while the Symbiote tries to do the same.

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So what’s it about?

Read our preview.

Why does this matter?

Anyone looking for a more traditional look at Venom should check this book out. Gone is the recent need for Eddie to take medicine, gone are the dinosaur people, and back is the vigilante who saves people in the night.

Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?

Here he comes to save the day!

This issue brings Venom back to basics which makes for a more traditional and appealing read for fans of the character’s roots. Eddie isn’t quite as crazy as he was in the 90s, but he’s still doing his best not to kill (or eat the brains) of bad guys. This issue cleans up the whole serum element Eddie has been dealing with while weaving in a new mystery in regards to the Symbiote’s consciences. To say any more will spoil the fun, but it’s quite clear even though the Symbiote and Eddie get along great there is trouble brewing between them. That’ll happen between lovers I guess.

This issue is infused with some fun action due to the inclusion of Spider-Woman. She’s aware of Venom’s past killings and wants to bring him in, which of course ends up getting them both fighting. In a key scene later in the issue Spider-Woman has the Symbiote attack her and with that comes an interesting montage that enlightens her.

That scene is rendered quite well by Javier Garron who impresses quite a bit in this issue. From vast cityscape backgrounds to some fantastic faces of Venom (and there are many), Garron captures the creepy and crazy of the character well. That montaged full page spread I referred to earlier is possibly one of the prettiest (and scariest) looks Venom has imparted to a hero ever. Stand out stuff.

How do you speak in that kind of font?

It can’t be perfect can it?

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This is a good jumping on point for new readers, but for those who have been reading all along this issue has too much recap and setup. I’m not very certain what the story is going to be about or even who the villain is at this point. There’s a good hint at what may come in the last few pages, but it’s not something we haven’t seen before (and something that was toyed with back in Venom vol. 3). I get the impression Mike Costa might be getting back to the story he’s wanted to tell all along after being waylaid by “Venom Inc.” which makes it hard to understand what his intentions are.

Is It Good?

This is a good issue that fan of Venom, especially his vigilante persona in the 90s, can enjoy. It’s also good at capturing the relationship Venom has with the Symbiote that’s more complex than ever.