Venom gets back to his roots.
Warning: this review contains spoilers for the identity of the new Venom!
Few changes in superhero comics are truly permanent, and Venom is no exception to that rule. After a lengthy period where Flash Thompson bonded with the symbiote costume and served first as a secret agent and then a Guardian of the Galaxy, Venom is returning to his roots as an earthbound vigilante with a murky moral compass. This first issue doesn't immediately make a strong case for the new status quo, but over time the appeal becomes more clear.
If anything, Venom #1 is comparable to Mosaic #1 in that it hinges on a new protagonist who, at first glance, doesn't seem terribly remarkable. Lee Price is a disabled military veteran with a large chip on his shoulder and who finds himself turning to crime to pay the bills. Initially, readers might question why writer Mike Costa and artist Geraldo Sandoval couldn't tell this story with Flash Thompson as the main protagonist. Lee comes across as a decent protagonist, but not a particularly remarkable or eloquent one.
But again, the issue builds momentum as it moves along and establishes just what separates Lee from the previous wearers of the Venom costume. The first clever wrinkle comes early on, as Costa reveals that the narrative captions don't belong to Lee, but rather the costume itself. For the first time, the costume is being given a voice and personality all its own. That change is crucial, as it eventually becomes apparent that Costa has flipped the script as far as the dynamic between suit and wearer goes. Rather than Venom being a corrupting, parasitic influence on its host, it's in danger of being dragged back to its old, villainous ways by the ruthless, amoral Lee. It's a fun inversion of the usual formula that also builds naturally on recent changes to Venom introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy.
It's a shame that the art isn't better-suited to the book, though. Sandoval has a very manga-esque, Joe Madureira-inspired art style. That comes in handy whenever the new Venom is on display. Sandoval renders him as a hulking beast ready to tear his opponents limb from limb. And there's one impressive double-page spread that structures the page around the Venom logo in much the same way many Batwoman comics have with her logo. But the rest of the time, the murky line-work and expressionless figures do little to enhance Costa's script. This is a series that demands a more subtle touch when it comes to the visuals.
The Verdict
This first issue takes a little while to kick into gear, but once it does it establishes Lee price as an intriguing new heir to the Venom mantle. The notion that the Venom symbiote is now the helpless victim being controlled by a ruthless host promises to shake up the old formula in a major way. Unfortunately, the art isn't strong enough to allow this new series to live up to its full potential.
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