The first story arc of the Donny Cates led Venom series ended with Eddie Brock and the Symbiote burned to a crisp, but the story itself expanded on the mythos of the character and capabilities. The question now is, where does the book go from here?
Sidebar • A very nice tribute to Gary Friedrich in the book, must read.
Venom #7 is a massive tonal shift from the first six issues. The most notable change is color and panel design. ‘Oversight’ Part 1 is much brighter and doesn’t have the texture of the previous issue. If you open up issue six and seven, and lay them side by side, there is a huge difference in layout design and quality. The current issue feels rushed and unfinished. This is the case where you can see who gave 100% and who gave 110%.
The story has a different feel too. The first arc had a horror feel, where ‘Oversight’ Part 1 is jarring, off-balanced, and repetitive. All those adjectives sound negative but they’re not; this is how Eddie feels too. You experience Eddie’s trauma in real-time. Cates put together a mystery and establishes the new norm with issue seven. The book slowly builds up tension and with an explosive final page.
Sidebar • You learn where Venom’s green slime comes from, and kind of makes sense!
Iban Coello’s pencils take a few panels to get used to compared to Ryan Stegman’s work. Coello’s best panels are when the action explodes and he can unleash his version of Venom on a page. There is very good movement in Coello’s action panels. This movement works best as the little piece of the symbiote slithers from Eddie’s body. The final page is a very emotional piece of artwork, and it has similarities to Charlie Adlard’s work on The Walking Dead. Since the last page of the book is one panel, Andres Mossa spent a considerable time building out the textures in colors on this page.
Overall, where does the book go from here will be the challenge. Will Cates slow the story down for a bit, or will put his lead foot back on the gas pedal? Only issue eight can answer those questions for us.
After you read Venom #7 come back and give us your thoughts. Comment below.
Sidebar • Eddie needs to get more defined facialy features. Is this Captain America, Thor, or Eddie Brock?
About Venom #7:
“THE ABYSS” STARTS HERE!
Just when you thought the blockbuster story of the summer couldn’t get any more intense, Donny Cates and special guest artist and Venom veteran IBAN COELLO (VENOMVERSE, VENOMIZED) turn the story on its head AGAIN! But face front, True Believers, because it won’t be dragons and god-hosts and breakneck action this time. No, no. This time Donny and Iban are putting Eddie Brock through an emotional meat grinder the likes of which haven’t been seen in the Marvel Universe ever before!
