Venom: First Host #1
Matthew David Clarke
Recap
The first half of the issue reveals (*cough* retcon *cough*) the origins of the symbiote before it was Venom. It follows the symbiote’s estrangement from its “original” Kree host (*cough* sorry my throats really bad today) during a war with the Skrull.
Y’all know EB, still the same O.V. (Original Venom.) He’s doing the violent vigilante thing while raising a newly spawned symbiote. Liz is interested in the pharmaceutical applications of the young symbiote, which Eddie Brock is less than pleased about.
After leaving the lab Eddie is ambushed by a Skrull warrior but who comes to his aid? Why it’s that blue guy from before, I thought he was dead? I guess he got better. TO BE CONTINUED…
Review
The issues starts with a nice ominous and mythic (in the Jungian sense) opening page somewhat reminiscent of the new Alien films. I had hoped that this was a sign of some thematic depth to come but unfortunately this doesn’t really materialize. Instead, we’re soon thrown into a lot of bad exposition which recurs throughout the issue. However, this is a fun book and it does have its strong points.
The action in the book is nice and meaty, in fact, it’s positively brutal in several panels. Clayton Cowles’ lettering effectively implies the violence which is too nasty even for this book.
I like Mark Bagley and Andrew Hennessy’s Venom. He’s terrifying and huge, but not absurdly so. The liquidity of the symbiote is beautifully realized. Venom’s dialogue is appropriately scary too.
Mike Costa does a good job of quickly making Tel-Kar, the Kree host, likable. This is important to win over any readers who are irritated by the retcon (*cough*).
The last panel is effective, my reaction was to say out loud “oh snap.” So I’ll be checking out the next issue. Even though I’ve genuinely given myself a cough now…
Final Thoughts
A fun and incredibly violent action book once you get past the blatant exposition in the dialogue. Just don’t expect much in the way of intellectual or emotional stimulation.
Venom: First Host #1: Fothermuckers Act Like They Forgot About Brock
- Writing - 6.5/106.5/10
- Storyline - 7/107/10
- Art - 7.75/107.8/10
- Color - 7.5/107.5/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10
