Glenn and Steve review all books King in Black: Venom, Gwenom, Symbiote Spider-Man and the King in Black himself.
Courtesy Marvel Comics
Venom 32
Creators: Donny Cates, Iban Coello, Jesus Aburtov, VCs Clayton Cowles
Story: Eddie Brock has lost his symbiote Venom and has seemingly fallen to his death at the hands of Knull. What now?
Steve: Eddie wakes up in the hive. He is met by Rex Strickland, who gives him a tour and explains his predicament. All seems lost, but Eddie refuses to give up even in the face of his own death. Relying on the fact that he has worn a symbiote longer than any other, he believes that he can break free. All he needs to do is find Venom, who is now the lap dog of Knull himself. In the end, Rex and Eddie find another ally- Flash Thompson, Agent Venom.
What is great about this issue is that Cates is using everything he has planted throughout his run. The Codex system is front and center and is used to great effect here to build this limbo style after-life. And, based on that, Rex and Flash being there to assist makes complete sense. It’s clear that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes won’t be the answer; it will be left up to those with a close connection to symbiotes. The Venom issues are a great supplement to the larger event book, and are building the details that make this story so rich.
Glenn: So Eddie FINALLY landed and is now somewhere else, assisted by an old friend from earlier in the run. Clever Cates reminding us about this fellow in the last issue. This issue takes place on a mostly metaphorical plane where everyone who has been taken over by a Symbiote resides which is seemingly pretty much everyone including a few heroes. The whole thing is kind of like the human farm scenes from the Matrix meets Inception as Brock tries to figure out a way to get his ‘other’ back so even in ‘death’ he can help the heroes win the day or at least give them a chance. It’s some great character work from Eddie as we’ve come to expect from Cates and a last page return of a character that made me oh so happy. This side story is going to be essential when all is said and done I think and I really can’t wait to see where our three characters who are journeying through this bizarre and disturbing afterlife are going to be up to next.
Art:
Steve: Iban Coello is such a great compliment to Ryan Stegman on the main book. His art is perfect for this event. He draws character work and monsters equally well. And, he really shines here creating an eerie environment for the Hive, especially the panel with the Marvel heroes lined up as part of the Hive. Just a beautiful job. I hope he gets a big book following this event because he has earned it.
Glenn: There’s some disturbing imagery in this issue which artist Iban Coello nails, this odd afterlife filled with hanging bodies is more than a little creepy and I love it. I also like the look of Eddie’s surprising friend who greets him here and fills him (and us) in on how this all works. As usual the book is a visual delight and I think much like I said for Symbiote Spidey above we’re going to see some fantastic action set pieces next month that Coello is going to nail in spades.
After landing with a hoard of symbiote dragons, Knull rips Eddie from Venom leaving him in free fall as issue 31 begins.
Steve:
The issue is titled 32 Seconds which is exactly the length of the issue. For real, the entire issue is built around Eddie free-falling after being dropped by Knull. Interesting idea for sure- reminds me of the Ultimate Spider-Man issue that Bendis wrote with no dialogue. Sadly, that Ultimate Spidey issue was done better. Don’t get me wrong, the art was strong, the concept cool, but the story was not moved forward at all.
I suppose if you hadn’t been reading Venom all along, you might enjoy this issue more. There is an exposition dump that runs alongside the visuals of Eddie in flight. It brings the reader up to speed with how Eddie got to where he is. I would argue that the blurb at the beginning of the issue on the inside of the cover is enough to do that. Reading it here, as someone who has been reading, is overkill and slows the pace of the event. Seriously, the issue begins as Eddie is tossed from Knull and ends with Eddie nearly hitting the ground. I can assume that Dylan has picked up on this through his attachment to the symbiotes and will somehow save the day; there was a midpoint scene with Dylan in his bunker where he became aware of the happenings.
Having said all that, I do like when writers take clever risks like this; however, a large event was not the place for this. Let the blurb handle the backstory details and move the story forward.
Glenn:
So it seems that while the main King In Black mini will deal with the larger Knull story, Venom, in the meantime, will be dealing with Eddie personally and how this whole mess is affecting him. This tie-in is narrated by a character from early on in Cates’ run who was one of the first people to introduce the concept that everything we knew about Symbiote’s being wrong. His narration covers his opinion of Eddie while our protagonist falls a sizable distance while New York falls apart around him. Having an entire issue take place over a couple of seconds is an interesting idea and can underline how such an experience that Eddie is undertaking can feel like an eternity. It’s a good look into Eddie’s mindset and how someone on the outside of the story would view him. Not a lot happens this issue apart from maybe the hint that Dylan might have given his hiding location away, but it’s a good character driven issue that explores who Eddie Brock is, was and could be. Interestingly enough the issue ends without concluding the cliffhanger Eddie was left in at the end of King In Black. So again, this is more of a character piece than anything that significantly moves the larger story along. All eyes now on the second King In Black issue for what happens to Eddie and the rest of the Marvel universe next.
Art:
Glenn: Iban Coello has been drawing Venom now off and on for a good period of time. Somewhat unfairly I’ve always thought of the artist as a fill-in guy in-between arcs drawn by Ryan Stegman, when in truth, he’s probably drawn just as many if not more issues of the series. He’s a great artist who Marvel clearly has a lot of faith in by highlighting him as one of their ‘stormbreakers’. Since so little time passes in this issue, it’s a hard task to keep the reader engaged visually, but Coello does a great job doing just that. There’s some great spreads of New York fully corrupted by the symbiote invasion that are suitably dark and disturbing so he’s got the scale down, but he also delivers on the introspection in regards to Eddie’s mind as he falls for both too long and too short a time. I’m not sure how many issues Coelle has left in Venom as he’s supposed to be drawing the MIA Tom Taylor vehicle, Dark Ages, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he continues to draw a large portion of this title post King In Black in the meantime. Drawing what has become Marvel’s biggest ongoing isn’t a bad gig, and it seems that Coello has proved himself more than up for the task.
Steve:
I agree with Glenn here. Coello is an outstanding artist. He makes a 32 second fall seem interesting for what it is. His background work is strong, but his movement really shines here. After all, he puts Eddie through the ringer to make the issue interesting for what it is. This is probably the first time where the art completely outshines the story. In a partially failed effort by Cates, Coello nearly brings it home.
Grade:
Glenn: B-
Steve: C
Namor #1- King in Black Tie-In
Bonus Review:
Namor #1 (KIB)
Creators:
Kurt Busiek, Benjamin Dewey, Triona Ferrell, Joe Caramagna
Story:
The story is a tie-in to the King in Black storyline, but under the clever pen of Kurt Busiek. This is a sneak peek into the early life of Prince Namor. Gone is the arrogant prince. Enter a prince who is less assured, yet eager to succeed. It’s not clear how the Knull invasion fits in here, but it doesn’t matter. This is a cool story that takes place prior to the events we all know of Namor in Marvel’s timeline.
The story begins with a current time framing device, yet most of the issue takes place in the past. Prince Namor is a young man. His friendly rivals are the Lady Dorma and Attuma, both of which have huge impacts on his future. It’s fun to see them as kids prior to the history set before them. Much of this story revolves around the politics of Atlantis- different factions coming together for the betterment of society. Of course an unruly faction among the Chasm folk is bent on breaking up the peace. Our heroes join the Swift Tide to fend them off. Following the attack, the group leaves on an important mission.
The best part of this tie-in is that it doesn’t feel like a tie-in. My fear with tie-ins to an event like King in Black was that they would all be crazy, invasion issues with the heroes fighting off dragons and symbiotes. Not the case here. This issue is filled with politics and intrigue. Can’t wait to see how the story unfolds and ties to the main story.
The art was handled masterfully by Ben Dewey. I was not familiar with his work, but will definitely seek him out in the future. He draws the intimate moments as well as the action, and his facial expressions are emotive. He totally compliments Busiek’s script.
Grade: A
For more reviews on the King in Black, check out the Pop Culture tab at Wanderings and Woolgatherings.
Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, VCs Clayton Cowles
Story:
FInally, Knull has arrived. Cates began this journey back in issue 3, introducing Knull to the world. Since then, Venom and the gang have faced an onslaught of symbiotes, trips to other worlds and the burgeoning powers of Eddie’s son Dylan. Marvel’s heroes prepare for battle, but will it be enough to stop the King in Black?
Glenn: It was weird reading the back material in this issue and see how much build up this story has had. Not only has Cates been building this for roughly 30 odd issues of his Venom run, but there is also his various Web Of Venom one shots, Absolute Carnage and other books he’s written like Silver Surfer: Black. This event has a lot to live up to, and I think it delivered in spades. Things kick off right away and don’t let up for a second. The heroes of earth seem to think they’re ready and prepped, but they are soon taken completely off guard by the scale of the threat they are facing. This one issue packs more of a punch than some full length events and there’s a long way to go. The sheer scale of the events on offer here are crazy and things go from bad to worse very quickly. We’re already adding to the death toll and things are looking like the heroes have lost with no hope on how they might recover. I don’t want to get into too many specifics about the story here because a lot happened and it was all brilliant. This is one of the best kick off to an events I’ve read in a good long day and the feel and the scale and the threat is probably how the coming of Galactus would be treated if it was done today. The problem is I have a feeling Knull would eat Galactus for breakfast.
Steve: I must echo the sentiments of Mr. Matchett here. This event has most definitely started off with a bang. It is difficult to talk about this issue without spoiling certain events. One of the interesting choices that Cates made was the safeguard in place by the Avengers, their so-called ace in the hole. (think a certain World War Hulk battle here) However, we quickly find the level of threat that Earth is facing, and they clearly weren’t ready for the King in Black.
Of more interest to me is how Cates is going to deal with Eddie Brock’s son Dylan. Over the course of his run, Cates has slowly developed Dylan’s character and relationship with Eddie. Further, as Dylan’s powers have increased, it’s obvious that he will play a major role in defeating Knull ( or so I think). So, this issue begins with Eddie hiding Dylan so he can’t be destroyed and/or used by Knull. (Feels a bit like the time Naruto was hidden so the Akatsuki couldn’t get their hands on him or it could spell doom for everyone- reference for my manga pals) Well, events unfold quickly with Knull and Eddie/Venom which should lead to a quick need for Dylan to rise to the challenge.
My only concern with this event right now is a possible battle fatigue with the tie-ins. If all of the tie-ins handle the invasion as a huge battle scene, I will tire of the books quickly. Hopefully, there is a clear plan in place to develop characters and not simply throw them into an endless battle. I plan to read them all, so check back to find out.
Art:
Glenn: Seeing Stegman’s art grow during his time at Marvel has been a real joy over the years. From Fantastic Four to Amazing to Renew Your Vows to Venom and Absolute Carnage, the guy has gotten better and better. Here he maybe delivers the best art of his career as every page, heck every panel is drop dead gorgeous. It’s clear that Stegman has been pouring everything he has into these pages which requires a lot of skill to pull off due to the scale on offer, but he delivers in spades. There are some stunning pages in here and Knull and his invading horde are hard to imagine as being more terrifying than how Stegman draws them. This team has been working together for a while and have worked together to not only deliver high quality, but seem to be that rare combination in comics that seems to bring out the best in each other. Stegman had already proven his worth as one of the top artists at Marvel, but here he now makes a play for being one of the best artists in the industry period.
Steve: I hate when I keep agreeing with Glenn, but he is spot on again. The relationship that Cates has with Stegman reminds me of Snyder/Capullo, Lee/Kirby, Bendis/Bagley, Morrison/Quitley, etc. There is a synergy between the two that turns each page to gold. I wonder how much direction Cates gives Stegman on the battle scenes. I would imagine that he lets Stegman go wild; artists seem to see things in a way a writer may not, and these pages are frenetic, tense and flow beautifully from panel to panel and page to page. His character work is especially strong, especially his designs on Knull. I can’t wait to see where this goes.
Since I mentioned the tie-ins above, I will with the art as well. It will be interesting to see how other artists deal with the symbiotes. Stegman has set a high standard; it won’t be easy to follow those footsteps.
Back by popular demand…well, not actually demand per se, but no one actually ever said we should stop. Anyway, here we are- Webshooters, Glenn and Steve, ready to tackle thee comics event of 2020- the King in Black. It is a testament to the talent of Donny Cates that he has been able to build upon last year’s event Absolute Carnage and bring us another Venom centric event. Typically, a big Marvel event explodes from the pages of the Avengers or the X-Men; this time, though, Venom is the tent pole and the tale spins into the other books of the MCU. While the actual event hasn’t started yet, Symbiote Spider-Man gets us started with an ancillary tale involving a symbiote. Sit back and enjoy Webshooters as they get back to work.
Symbiote Spider-Man
Creators:
Peter David, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Frank D’Armata, and VCs Joe Sabino
Story:
As the name indicates, Peter Parker is in the black symbiote costume. Writer Peter David spins a yarn from yesteryear in which Knull’s machinations are already in motion. Filled with shadow demons and lots of cameos, Peter must deal with a symbiote crisis….and working for J. Jonah Jameson.
Glenn:
So the much anticipated King In Black event masterminded by Marvel’s current MVP Donny Cates is finally here. This has had a lot of build up and hype and oddly enough we’re not starting off with this event with the first issue of the main tie in miniseries, but a tie-in mini series that is a continuation of a series of minis by a different writer entirely. Once again taking us back in time to the black costume era, Peter David tells a story about an untold tale of a symbiote invasion courtesy of Knull before the current one going on in the present. Interestingly this mini presents this previous invasion as an extension of the present day one where Knull’s invasion is not only affecting the here and now, but all of time. It’ll be interesting to see how this idea is expanded on in the main series but I really like it. It’s no big secret that Peter David is a big Doctor Who fan (there’s a Bad Wolf reference in his Friendly Neighborhood run of yesteryear) and this attack across time is definitely something that fits in the universe of that show. You know what you’re getting with Peter David and that’s good solid writing, and this first issue is no different. It’s an interesting start with good action and a lot of understandable confusion from our favorite web slinger. There’s some great cameos that I’m going to be interested in finding out how they play into the larger narrative. On their own, the characters seem like an odd fit here, and it’s almost like Symbiote Spider-Man’s various mini’s have become a way for Peter David to just write whatever character he feels like writing on that particular day. Nothing wrong with that, of course, because he always does it well, and like I said, I’m interested to see how he pulls all these different threads together in what is a very promising start.
Steve:
It’s really hard to know where to start with this one. There are multiple storylines and fun cameos all over the place. Quite simply, it’s not really a Spider-Man story. Of course Peter is in the book- he works for the Bugle, he’s in costume, he quips, and even shares his thoughts through thought balloons ( a clever way to show this is in the past). However, the mystery here is front and center. The story begins with a mysterious character in need of a host for some unknown reason- that host becomes Alistair Smythe. Peter and Ned Leeds are called to report on this at Ravencroft. From there, we have my favorite scene in the book with Kang and Uatu, the Watcher. Kang has apparently turned hero and plans to use the Watcher’s knowledge to aid him in his task. His plan backfires and Uatu is able to tap into his data banks of past and future events. The scene ends with ominous words from Uatu, “it sees me.” Could it be Knull? Who knows, but I’m in.
From there, Land gets to work on some fun action scenes as the possessed Smythe has turned everyone in Ravencroft into shadow demons of some kind. Peter fights them off until he comes into contact with the leader, Mister E, who calls Peter, “brother.” Nice touch since Spidey is not aware of the Symbiote connection at this point. As the battle continues, the Black Knight shows up to help Spidey, putting a sword through the mystery man. As they chat, the antagonist slinks off. From there, the action returns to space where Rocket Raccoon picks up a stranded Kang….to be continued.
To be honest, I’m not quite sure what to make of this story. As I said, it isn’t so much a Spidey story; it somehow feels bigger. For what it is, though, it’s fun. I loved the cameos, the action, and multiple storylines are deftly handled. I hope the mystery unfolds naturally, revealing something authentic about Knull. For now, I’m good. Peter David is excellent and I’m sure he has a great plan in store for us. And, hey, I’m a sucker for a good Watcher story.
I am a little confused, Glenn. I thought Mister E was a member of the Twelve. Did I miss something?
Art:
Glenn:
You either like Greg Land or you don’t and that can very depending on how ‘Landish’ his art can get. I think his work across the previous two Symbiote Spidey mini’s has been very good and this is no exception. He draws all the characters very well and his black suit Spider-Man is striking. In this issue he draws some pseudo-symbiotes and does a great job there and draws an imposing version of the guest villain this issue and a suitably furry badass depiction of another guest at the end. I’ve never had too much of an issue with Land’s art and with this being their third mini together, it seems he and David have a good flow going in terms of creative back and forth and it shows in the narrative.
Steve:
As always, Greg Land produces crisp lines and beautifully rendered pages. I don’t always love his work, but he has definitely grown over the years. His pages with Peter fighting are excellent and far more fluid than his work of old. For me, his best pages were with Uatu and Kang, especially the page with Uatu rifling through the years of Kang’s experience. It moves closer and closer on his eyes leading to an explosion on Kang’s ship. It builds tension expertly leading to the destruction of Kang’s ship. Land also does a great job with a flying horse and an anthropomorphic raccoon. He does a lot of character work here and does it very well. I like his relationship with Peter David; they are definitely in lock-step here.
Grade:
Glenn: A-
Steve: B
Courtesy Marvel Comics
Come back next week to find out what happens in the explosive beginning to the King in Black! Click on the Pop Culture tab to follow the event.
