Venom #1: Reunited and It Feels So…Good?

Having cured her trapped-on-the-brink-of-death condition and saved the world from Knull in the process, Mary Jane Watson gracefully bowed out of the symbiote business and Marvel wasted no time kickstarting the next era of Venom. While the lethal protector’s previous #1 promised a spin on the character that was all-new and all-different, this debut issue beckons longtime fans with the comforting familiarity. Eddie Brock has taken his better half back at last, this time with no gimmicks, compromises and caveats. The iconic duo may not wield kingly power over Klyntar race anymore, but after all the cosmic chaos they’ve dealt with these past few years, that’s fine with them, and most likely a relief to readers as well. Venom is content to be the scrappy anti-hero New York City needs, even if he’s not the one they want.

Much like MJ passed the reins back to Brock, writer Charles Soule has taken over Al Ewing, and his extensive history writing the character makes him the obvious choice to inherit the main title. Soule immediately gets to work sanding down the rougher edges of Eddie and Venom’s freshly mended bromance, making them more in-tune with each other than they have been for a long time. It’s admittedly a bit jarring, seeing them operate with this rebellious “screw the world” energy after several runs characterizing Brock as solemn, matured and full of regret. But after several years of self-pity getting him nowhere, it was about time he started pointing the finger at those around him.

It’s not just his personality that feels youthfully angsty, as Eddie is drawn by artist Tommaso Bianchi with a noticeably slimmer, beardless build. This redesign, along his unexpected romance with Yelena Belova a.k.a. the White Widow, which is presented as the last-page bombshell, suggest that someone felt Brock had become too old and sad of a character. Many moments in this issue, most of all him telling A-listers Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine and Invisible Woman to go kick rocks, feel like attempts to earn his “Cool Guy” factor back.

One area where that’s definitely succeeding is in Bianchi’s penciling of Venom himself. Gone is the more upright, human silhouette worn when the symbiote took a more heroic turn. Now he rocks a hunched-over posture with a craning neck and elongated maw that feel reminiscent of his design in the popular Marvel Rivals video game. There’s a lot of animalistic personality to Venom’s demeanor as he swings around NYC which his massively muscular upper body and disproportionately small legs. Just as much attitude is injected into the amazing paneling of the comic’s pages. If this creative team can keep up the wild energy they’ve debuted with, then Venom fans may be in for a real treat.