Venom #31: Sins Of The Father

Venom #31 separates the boys from the men as teenager Dylan Brock is forced to fight the monster his father (and symbiotic father figure) created. Cletus Kasady has learned from Flash Thompson that young Dylan is the current host of the Venom symbiote, making him a direct pathway to his father’s mysterious place of hiding. Once he has tracked the elder Brock to whatever multiversal plane he has escaped to, Carnage plans to defeat him in combat and take his mystical King in Black powers. With this upgrade, he will finally achieve his goal of ascendancy to godhood.

Venom’s narrative focus continues to be pulled in four different directions. Swapping between the misadventures of father and son at inconsistent intervals was already becoming hectic enough before the addition of Black Widow. Dylan was deep into the world of espionage with Natasha last time the comic checked in on him, racing to stop a dastardly plot by domestic terrorists. At no point does issue #31 clarify its point in this tumultuous timeline, leaving the reader to assume it takes place before recent events.

Even so, Dylan starts off in a questionably chipper mood for an orphaned boy on the run from a shady corporation. He scores a job moving boxes at a local warehouse, unaware of the massive target on his back. Cletus Kasady, having rediscovered his passion for Zodiac-esque serial killer antics, massacres Dylan’s new co-workers before stringing up the corpse of a cop. This victim was the son of an officer Eddie Brock murdered many years ago, during Venom’s unhinged villain era. It’s a sign that this matter is personal, so Dylan takes the bait and follows the trail of blood to the birthplace of Venom. Inside the old church, Dylan puts up his best fight but is ultimately defeated; a stab through the chest sending him into the same multiversal plane his father entered several issues ago.

The art team delivers on making Cletus Kasady menacing in both human and monstrous form. The harsh angles of his facial structure, which an emphasis on his sullen brow and jutting chin, brings to mind the Joker. Carnage is drawn larger than usual, putting the reader in the shoes of their underdog protagonist. The lines of corpses occupying church pews makes for evocative set dressing. The comic also adds layers to Venom and Dylan’s relationship, distinguishing their dynamic from similar duos. The symbiote knew Eddie Brock at his worst, and it fears that Dylan’s perception of his father will be ruined by the full truth of who he used to be.