VENOM #6
Writer: Mike Costa
Artist: Gerardo Sandoval
Colorist: Dono Sanchez-Almara
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Gerardo Sandoval
Release Date: 04/19/17
Rating: Rated T+
Price: $3.99
Years ago during the first Secret Wars Spider-Man damaged his suit and sought to replace it and took away a sleek black and white costume thinking nothing of it. It wasn’t until he was back on Earth for a little did it become apparent that this was no mere costume. Peter eventually learned that the costume was actually an aggressive living symbiote from the race known as Klyntar. He rejected the symbiote, which angered it, who while bonded had access to all of Peter’s memories and abilities. The symbiote sought out a new host and found Eddie Brock a journalist who blamed Spider-Man for his ruined career, with their shared hatred of Spider-Man they formed a new foe calling themselves Venom.
The Symbiote eventually left Brock and found a new host in Mac Gargan, the Scorpian. Gargan and the symbioted joined with Norman Osborn as The Amazing Spider-Man on his team of Dark Avengers. After the fall of the Dark Avengers, the symbiote was forcefully removed from Gargan who was imprisoned on the Raft.
From there the symbiote was property of the government and was used in a black ops mission bonding to long-time frenemy of Peter Parker, Flash Thompson. The symbiote was controlled through drugs and kept Flash in control. Flash and the symbiote bonded unlike any other host. Venom joins the Guardians of the Galaxy and they visit his homeworld where Flash discovers that the Klyntar are actually peaceful and the symbiote undergoes therapy that heals him.
Returning to Earth, the symbiote and Flash are separated and it finds a new host in former Army Ranger Lee Price. Price challenges the symbiote forcing it to do things it no longer enjoys such as killing. But weakened the symbiote stays with Price.
Eddie Brock has bonded with the symbiote known as Toxin, and working for the government, but longs for his original symbiote back.
Plot: Lee Price uses the symbiote to take a military copter and uses it in a battle against Spider-Man. When Brock arrives with a plan, Spider-Man sidelines him and sets his own plan into motion having the symbiote imprisoned. But was it SPidey’s plan or Brock’s all along?
Story: The story moves really quick. Mike Costa really throws you into the thick of this chaos. He does a great job making you feel like you are in the action. Right away you feel like you are in an action packed movie full of danger. The way Costa really puts you into that mode is amazing, because a lot of writers try it but few can accomplish that feeling.
But like I said the story is fast paced, so it goes by really fast. Throwing in a lot of info at you. We have Spidey trying to battle and bring in Venom, Price trying to wrestle control and bend the symbiote to his will and Brock trying to plot against everyone. This really shows a lot of levels here. We really get to see the struggle and breaking of the symbiote. One of my biggest issues was that the symbiote had come so long under Flash’s reign that to have it regress would be a disservice, but they do it in a decent way here. I still don’t like it or think it wa enough, but it was better than just Brock corrupting it.
Art: The art marries the story in that you really feel the chaos and destruction through the art. Gerardo Sandoval does a great job capturing that. Sandoval also does a nice job showing the emotions on the characters, especially Eddie Brock. Brock’s facial expressions really standout in this issue. The panel layouts really standout as Sandoval makes them look like the symbiote is a part of them.
Verdict: Overall this was a solid issue that leads into the next big arc for the Venom story. This issue may not be the most new reader friendly but it does have some nice payoff for long time fans.
Rating: 4 stars.