Reunited and it feels so good.
Legacy numbering is back in vogue these days, and Venom is the first of what looks to be a great many Marvel titles reverting to its original numbering scheme this year. And it certainly comes at an appropriate time. The Venom symbiote has now officially passed from Lee Price to Eddie Brock, restoring a status quo that hasn't existed for about 15 years now. This renumbering and (more importantly) the resulting change in story direction help reinvigorate a series that had stumbled badly out of the gate last year.
The most immediate and obvious improvement in this issue's lead story is visual. The book has suffered greatly from the murky yet hyper-exaggerated approach taken by Geraldo Sandoval. Tradd Moore's work is no less stylized, but it's stylized with a specific purpose in mind. Moore brings an incredible sense of energy to the page as he explores the violent reunion between man and symbiote. His line-work is clean, and his characters are dynamic and expressive. Often Moore doesn't even rely on traditional panel structures in his images, opting instead for incredible collage images where the boundaries between Eddie and his suit often blur. Moore really nails the idea that this story is really about two old lovers feeling the pangs of lust all over again.
Mike Costa's prose also benefits right away from the shift in protagonist. The series' other main problem from the start has been dull, unremarkable Lee Price. Eddie Brock is a character with far more going on and much more established history to build on. Costa makes the most of that history here, playing the reunion as one of immense tragedy for both sides. Costa's decision to treat the symbiote as a full-fledged character in its won right was always the biggest feather in the series' cap, and now that it's paired with a much more compelling partner, it feels like things are finally getting back on track.
Mind you, the book still has a lot to prove going forward, especially since Moore isn't sticking around. As strong as the characterization is in this issue, there's no denying that the book is recreating a very familiar status quo rather than pushing Venom in a new direction. That seems to be an increasing problem at Marvel right now with titles like X-men Gold taking a nostalgia-driven approach and Marvel Legacy promising to bring back the good old days. There has to be a balance between comfortable familiarity and risk-taking, and it remains to be seen whether this series can achieve that balance.
This oversized issue also includes two back-up stories, neither of which are much to write home about. Robbie Thompson and Sandoval tackle a story that explores how the symbiote was separated from Flash Thompson in the first place. Aside from suffering from the usual problems in terms of Sandoval's storytelling, this story does little more than connect the dots. The other story teams veteran Marvel creators David Michelinie and Ron Lim for a story set during the Venom: Lethal Protector days. The story is a fun throwback to the time, but also not especially noteworthy. Lim's art is also marred by the weird, vintage-style coloring, which makes the story feel more like a relic of the '70s than the '90s.
The Verdict
Venom #150 is a significant step up from the series first six chapters. Tradd Moore's dynamic art style is a natural fit for this over-the-top villain, and the writing immediately benefits from having two solid protagonists rather than one. However, the series still has to prove the new status quo can do more than bank on nostalgia. Also annoying is that neither backup feature really justifies the increased cost of entry.
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