Venom War #1: Declaration Day

The long, tumultuous, and occasionally overwhelming ride to Venom War has finally arrived at its ultimate destination. After a year of planting narrative seeds throughout the pages of Venom, Carnage and even Amazing Spider-Man, the time has come for father and son to gather their allies and battle over ownership of the original venom symbiote. Both Eddie and Dylan have foreseen terrible futures on the horizon and believe that goalkeeping the symbiote from each other is the only way to prevent them. Said prize is not in the possession of either side though, as it currently rests in the hands of its original host: Peter Parker.

Al Ewing delivers pacing that feels cinematic in its snappiness, frequently switching between three or four subplots to cover every faction at play in this conflict. There is an inherent sense of urgency to this pacing which sells the feeling that these events are ramping up towards something bigger than the typical superhero scuffle. Yet the comic is never scatterbrained in its focus, and Iban Coello’s art, crisp and clean in its linework and page composition, makes the visual storytelling equally easy to follow. The villain Meridius, last abandoned in the age of the dinosaurs, has salvaged enough power to reemerge in a present-day human form. He has allied himself with the Alchemax corporation, claiming that he has created a chemical capable of killing all symbiotes. Given how heavily his power relied on the subjugation of symbiotes, it’s clear that a major double-cross is on its way.

Peter Parker emotionally grounds the issue with his everyman charm, being well characterized as the good-natured hero doing his best to help despite having almost no knowledge of the situation at hand. It is he who delivers a rousing, inspirational speech about life and responsibility to the Venom symbiote, giving it the motivation to return to its friends-in-need. Coelle manages to jampack a ton of emotional expression into a sheet of goo draped over a chair, creating the wonderful type of comedically played-straight sequence only found in comics. Peter undoubtedly has the wisdom necessary to decide who should wield such power, and he seems intent on deciding as he blasts onto the final spread of Venom War #1 to make the perfect cliffhanger.