No one universe should have all those Venoms.
One of the fundamental problems with the direction of Marvel Comics these days is the fact that so many of the company's decisions seem to boil down to "This thing worked, so let's do several more variations of it." That certainly seems to be the case for Venomverse, a symbiote-flavored rehash of 2014's Spider-Verse crossover. It features a similar multiverse-spanning cast, but little of the whimsical sense of fun and none of the dramatic weight of Spider-Verse. Like the prequel miniseries Edge of Venomverse before it, this issue does nothing to get the reader invested in this massive team-up.
This issue begins the core Venomverse conflict, with Eddie Brock being dragged into an alternate universe where his fellow Venoms are making a desperate stand against a powerful a seemingly unstoppable foe. Sound familiar? The basics trappings are very similar to those of Spider-Verse. The fun and adventure, however, are sorely lacking. The enemy introduced in this issue is faceless and generic - basically a mash-up of Anti-Venom and the Marvel Zombies. Venomverse doesn't have the benefit of building on past conflicts as Spider-Verse did with its use of Morlun and the Inheritors. We have no reason to care about this enemy coming into Venomverse, and this issue does nothing to rectify that problem.
Nor does this issue do much to make use of the large supporting cast. Half the fun of Spider-verse was in seeing the countless strange and wonderful new variations of Spider-Man Dan Slott and other creators cooked up. There's a reason so many of those characters went on to star in other books after Spider-Verse wrapped. But Venomverse suffers from the same problem Edge of Venomverse did before it - none of these new Venoms are very remarkable or compelling. The majority are just Venom-ized versions of other Marvel heroes, with old personalities completely intact. Venomverse feels more like a glorified costume party than a romp through the multiverse.
The series has two saving graces thus far. One is the dynamic between Eddie and his impromptu partner, a Peter Parker who never gave up his Venom symbiote. This issue plays on that old Eddie/Peter rivalry pretty well, though it does sort of highlight the idea that Marvel's current plans for Venom mostly revolve around pulling the character backwards.
The art also helps bring an energy to the book that's otherwise lacking in the story. Iban Coello's figures have a strong sense of power and a energy to them, resulting in some brutal, high-impact fight scenes. It helps that there's such a dynamic quality to Coello's framing. Meanwhile, colorist Matt Yackey gives the book a smooth, inviting feel while still lending a slightly sinister touch to the art. With as many problems as the ongoing Venom comic has faced in terms of visuals, Marvel would do well to keep these artists on board the franchise after Venomverse wraps.
The Verdict
Venomverse #1 boasts strong artwork, but that's about all propping up this otherwise bland, unremarkable crossover. This series gives readers little reason to care about either the cast of Venoms or the enemy currently hunting them. It's clear this event is meant to tap into the strong response to Spider-Verse, but it only replicates the most superficial elements of that story.
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