Mar 29, 2010

CLASSIC REVIEW: venom #1 - 5 (shiver)

With Venom not really playing a role in the Marvel Universe as of late, I figured it was time to step back in time and review some older Venom issues.

The Story: Finally! Venom gets his own ongoing series! With no back story, the reader is thrown into the Arctic where people are mysteriously dying. We follow the events as a lone survivor, Pat Robinson, encounters them.

The Good: The story telling - I admit, the first time I read these books years ago, I hated them! I remember thinking they were way too slow paced. However, now I can appreciate it a little more. The story telling is more like a horror movie script. It does take time to develop the suspense. Issue 1's cover - Although completely misleading (Venom doesn't even appear in the book), this is one of my all time favorite comic book covers.

The Bad: The feel - They just don't feel like the Venom comics I am use to. Our 'Lethal Protector' does not go around killing and since there isn't a constant host, can we even call this creature Venom? Knowing how (horribly) the series ends, I have all of these answers, but I would of still liked a Venom-style series if you are slapping his name on the covers. The art - I don't care for it. The cartoony, sketches take away from the mystery the story is trying to get the reader to buy into.

The Overall: 1.5 outta 5. That may be a little bias on my part, because I really hate the rest of the series. After the end of the Venom limited series run, I waited so long for an ongoing series and this is what I get...disappointment.