Venom #31 Review
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Iban Coello
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
This is a really good example of a tie-in. Generally, they can either fill in the blanks of the plot (like Spider-Man is doing with the .LR issues), or they can explore the characters’ perspectives that the main book might not have time for. This is the latter. Not much happens in terms of advancing the plot of King in Black – the whole issue takes place over 32 seconds immediately following the end of the main book’s #1. Instead, Cates uses these precious pages to call back to the earliest issues of his run. Obviously, everything was always leading towards this story, so it’s a very rewarding experience for those of us that have been in on it from the start. Some of the bigger questions about Venom that Cates posed at the beginning of his run are finally brought back to the forefront, along with a few new ones and some newly drawn parallels between characters (or maybe they’re not new and I’m just now noticing them). I had been wondering for a while when and how Cates was going to address Eddie’s faith in God or lack thereof, and he delivers in a poignant moment that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
There’s one scene that left me very confused, and I’m not sure what to attribute that to. In Eddie’s freefall, he tries to help a helicopter that’s being chased by a symbiote dragon by kicking off of the building that he was falling from. That seems weird but I can buy it, sure. After that, though, he breaks his fall from the top of this skyscraper on a fire escape and it doesn’t immediately destroy him. Or the fire escape, for that matter. He seems to maneuver off the neighboring wall afterwards, but I’m really not sure what Cates and Coello were trying to show me here. Without his symbiote, Eddie is just a guy, so how could this work?
That’s my only issue with the art, though. Iban Coello is one of my favorite artists right now, and I’m delighted to see him as regular on this book. The story gives him the chance to draw so much awesome, goopy, dark Cthulu magic right next to our symbols of nobility, justice, and redemption. Unless I’m mistaken, this is his first time drawing Knull. His version is very consistent with Stegman’s but the symbiote swirls and the face still give it his own style. Jesus Aburtov draws contrasts between the past and present using calmer and harsh yet mostly darker tones for the events of KiB, which helps to sell the seriousness of the situation. His colors are consistently mindful of the characters’ surroundings, which makes for awesome visuals when New York City is literally going up in flames.
Venom #31 is an excellent tie-in for King in Black. By looking from a different vantage point and limiting the story to precious seconds before death, Cates tells a story that is refreshing in its presentation and meaningfully introspective. There’s a moment where the storytelling fumbles for one reason or another, but along with Coello & Aburtov’s awesome environments and transparent characters, the issue is one of the best examples of what a tie-in can be.
Artist: Iban Coello
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
This is a really good example of a tie-in. Generally, they can either fill in the blanks of the plot (like Spider-Man is doing with the .LR issues), or they can explore the characters’ perspectives that the main book might not have time for. This is the latter. Not much happens in terms of advancing the plot of King in Black – the whole issue takes place over 32 seconds immediately following the end of the main book’s #1. Instead, Cates uses these precious pages to call back to the earliest issues of his run. Obviously, everything was always leading towards this story, so it’s a very rewarding experience for those of us that have been in on it from the start. Some of the bigger questions about Venom that Cates posed at the beginning of his run are finally brought back to the forefront, along with a few new ones and some newly drawn parallels between characters (or maybe they’re not new and I’m just now noticing them). I had been wondering for a while when and how Cates was going to address Eddie’s faith in God or lack thereof, and he delivers in a poignant moment that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
There’s one scene that left me very confused, and I’m not sure what to attribute that to. In Eddie’s freefall, he tries to help a helicopter that’s being chased by a symbiote dragon by kicking off of the building that he was falling from. That seems weird but I can buy it, sure. After that, though, he breaks his fall from the top of this skyscraper on a fire escape and it doesn’t immediately destroy him. Or the fire escape, for that matter. He seems to maneuver off the neighboring wall afterwards, but I’m really not sure what Cates and Coello were trying to show me here. Without his symbiote, Eddie is just a guy, so how could this work?
That’s my only issue with the art, though. Iban Coello is one of my favorite artists right now, and I’m delighted to see him as regular on this book. The story gives him the chance to draw so much awesome, goopy, dark Cthulu magic right next to our symbols of nobility, justice, and redemption. Unless I’m mistaken, this is his first time drawing Knull. His version is very consistent with Stegman’s but the symbiote swirls and the face still give it his own style. Jesus Aburtov draws contrasts between the past and present using calmer and harsh yet mostly darker tones for the events of KiB, which helps to sell the seriousness of the situation. His colors are consistently mindful of the characters’ surroundings, which makes for awesome visuals when New York City is literally going up in flames.
Venom #31 is an excellent tie-in for King in Black. By looking from a different vantage point and limiting the story to precious seconds before death, Cates tells a story that is refreshing in its presentation and meaningfully introspective. There’s a moment where the storytelling fumbles for one reason or another, but along with Coello & Aburtov’s awesome environments and transparent characters, the issue is one of the best examples of what a tie-in can be.
A Look Inside
