thunderbolts 14 cover

Thunderbolts 14

Today at C2E2, Marvel revealed the cover of Thunderbolts 14 which will tie directly into this summer's big Infinity event:

TALK ABOUT: ultimate comics spider-man 22

Ultimate Spider-Man 22

With this issue, VENOM WAR concludes.  What do you think of this issue and the arc?  Sound off in the comments!

declan shalvey departing from venom

Goodbye Declan

The current Venom artist, Declan Shalvey sent this tweet this morning:

"Right then. Just handed in my final pages of VENOM. Really enjoyed my run on the series; thanks to all who supported my work on it."

Now while he is leaving the title, he did confirm that he will be doing future covers.

TVS will miss him not only for his art (and the fact that he greatly toned down the Toxin-monster look), but for the fact that he was an all around nice guy - agreeing to field TVSers questions, re-tweeting posts, and supplying us with a ton of previews.

Now Declan does have one more issue before he moves on and he has been generously providing sneak peaks over the last couple weeks of issue 35:

Alas, the show must go on!  So here's looking to the future of Venom - all the way to issue #36!

Artist, Pepe Larraz will be providing the interior art and here is a peak at his interpretation of Venom:

Were you a Shalvey fan?  Who would you like to see take predominate role of artist on Venom?

shinick talks about superior carnage

Superior Carnage

Superior Carnage comes out this July and the writer, Kevin Shinick, sat down with CBR to discuss what we can expect:

You're working with Carnage at an interesting point in his history. After the events of "Minimum Carnage," is there anything left of Cletus Kasaday? And how does the symbiote feel about its host's lobotomy at the beginning of your story? Does it realize something is wrong with Kasaday?

Marvel says to me, "Hey, how would you like to do a Carnage miniseries?" I say, "Great!" And then they're like, "Oh, by the way -- he's lobotomized!" I was like, "What?!" But then I realized this was actually the perfect situation, because Carnage has been around long enough now that we all know what to expect from him. This gives me the opportunity to almost start from scratch, to really build up the fear again based on the fact that we don't know what the symbiote is thinking. When it comes to horror, I always think less is more. The less I know about Michael Myers, the scarier he's gonna be. And I don't know about you, but I think those alien movies would be less terrifying if the aliens kept running around telling you how much they were going to kill us. So yeah, I'm hoping to go less bluster and more bad-ass.

The other major character in "Superior Carnage" is the Wizard, who's not normally associated with Carnage. How did you come up with this pairing? What sort of potential does the Wizard see in Carnage, and what is he ultimately hoping to use him for?

To be perfectly honest, knowing what I wanted to do with Carnage, I tried to think like a super villain and figure out what abilities I would need to pull it off, and the answer kept coming up Wizard. Plus, I've always been a fan of using the lesser known characters, such as Hypno-Hustler in my "Avenging Spider-Man" run, so this conveniently met all my criteria. Once the Wizard hatches his plan to harness Carnage for his own use, it made sense to me that he might try and put together a new and improved Frightful Four to show off his work.

What gets me excited about this story is the idea that, having discovered the government has turned the Venom symbiote into Agent Venom, the Wizard gets the idea that he can take things even further by turning Carnage into his own agent of evil; to elevate himself to that of an A-List villain by pulling off this incredibly genius but dangerously complex task. Of course, that's going to prove more difficult than even he realizes, so we'll need to find out if this monstrous experiment leaves them all worse for wear, or will this actually prove to be the Superior Carnage?
It's a classic Frankenstein tale that can generate some great horror moments, but also leaves me room to bring some comedy in, because what's funnier than biting off more than you can chew? This is not going to be as outrageous a book as "Avenging Spider-Man" was, but I think all moments in life have humor intertwined.

Of course, you're known for your humor and so was the writer of the past two Carnage miniseries, Zeb Wells. Zeb's Carnage stories had humor in them as well, but they were pretty dark, psychological horror stories. Will "Superior Carnage" have a comparable tone?

Zeb Wells? That's actually someone's name? I'm kidding, of course. Zeb is actually one of my dearest friends, so it's been fun to share this character. But the message I think this sends is that it takes someone with a twisted "Robot Chicken" mind to take on someone as demented as Carnage. And to answer your question, yes, this story will have a mix of both horror and humor. 

We've talked about your protagonists, plot, and tone, but we haven't discussed your supporting players. What kinds of characters make the best foils for Carnage and the Wizard? 
I don't want to give away too much, but from the set up you can probably tell there's going to be a lot of conflict within the group itself as the Frightful Four try to recreate themselves, not to mention the conflict they'll run into outside of their circle. Again, I've decided to dig up some people who we haven't seen in a while, some associated with the Wizard and others not so much, but you can rest assured that turning Carnage into Superior Carnage will undoubtedly attract the attention of a certain wall-crawler. 

Is there a chance we'll see people like the Wizard's clone/son Bentley?
Bentley definitely plays a big part of this story, even though he may never appear. His mere existence and the relationship the Wizard hopes to have with him is a great motivator for what the Wizard does. 

You're working with Stephen Segovia on this, an artist with a great visceral style. I expect your scripts are providing him with a healthy amount of action and violence to illustrate.
Stephen is fantastic, and yes, there is definitely a lot of action. I always try and get to know my artists beforehand and write to their strengths, but Stephen has a lot of strengths, so he makes it easy. Every time I read something Stephen has worked on, I feel he's showing us something we haven't seen from him before and that was key in what I had planned for this story.

Are you ready for the return of Carnage?

UPDATE: Newsarama also has an interview about Superior Carnage.

ultimate comics spider-man 22 preview

Ultimate Spider-Man 22

The conclusion of the Venom Wars arc comes out on Wednesday.  Any idea who is in the symbiote?

cullen bunn podcast with spider-man crawlspace

Bunn Podcast

Earlier this month, the good folks over at Spider-Man Crawlspace conducted a podcast with Venom writer Cullen Bunn.

There was plenty of Venom discussion, including:

• What happened to the limited number of missions Agent Venom had with Project Rebirth
• Cullen's take on Toxin
• Will there be a future Venom/"Spock" battle 
• Will Betty Brant return
• Will the Flash/Demon story get resolved
• Venom's current power set

So head on over to Crawlspace and check out what the future holds for Venom.

[Thanks to WolfCypher for the tip]

venom 35 cover

Evolution of the Species!

For those of us lucky enough to enjoy the awesomeness that was Venom #34, we were given a sneak peak at what I assume is the cover for the next issue on the last page.  If you haven't had a chance to read Part 4 of the Toxic arc, here is the next cover by Declan Shalvey:

Are you ready for a Toxin/Venom team-up?  Venom #35 is scheduled for release on May 29th.

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Venom 34

This is it!  Eddie vs Flash! Toxin vs Venom!  What did you think?

venom in thunderbolts 8

Thunderbolts 8 Preview

The only Thunderbolts 8 preview with Venom:

Available on Wednesday.

venom 34 preview

Venom 34

 



 

Venom 34 comes out on Wednesday, April 17th.

july 2013 previews

July 2013

Venom #37 & #38

TBD

CULLEN BUNN (W)
TBD (A)
Covers by DECLAN SHALVEY
Issue #37 -
July 3
• If Venom’s going to be the super hero Philly deserves, he’s got to do it right!
• Venom wants it all--resources, allies, contacts, and an HQ--but he knows zip about setting that up!
• To make matters worse, he’s already made an enemy of Philly’s toughest crime boss--Lord Ogre!
• And Lord Ogre declares WAR!
Issue #38 (Cover shown) -
July 31
• Venom’s evolution as Philadelphia’s makeshift, seat-of-your-pants Avenger continues!
• But is KATY KIERNAN dead set on learning all Venom’s secrets?
• How does Flash protect his secret identity while trying to protect himself from a hit that’s been called on him?

Superior Carnage (1 of 5)
TBD
KEVIN SHINICK (W)
• STEPHEN SEGOVIA (A)
Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
Variant Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MONTH GETS SINISTER WITH THE RETURN OF CARNAGE!
• LOCKED AWAY IN AN ASYLUM, IT LOOKS LIKE CARNAGE IS GONE FOR GOOD—BUT HIS FELLOW INMATES HAVE OTHER PLANS...
• WILL THEY SUCCESSFULLY WAKE THE MONSTER?
• OR WILL THIS HIDEOUS EXPERIMENT CREATE THE MOST POWERFUL, DANGEROUS, MANIACAL CARNAGE YET... A SUPERIOR CARNAGE?

Marvel Universe ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #16 
July 24
Adapted by Joe Caramagna
Cover by TY TEMPLETON
• A NEW SPIDER-MAN?!?
• When Peter Parker catches a cold a new Spider-Man dressed in black tries to replace him.
• Based on season one of the hit Disney XD TV show!

THUNDERBOLTS #12-13
July 3 & 17
CHARLES SOULE (W)
Issue #12 - STEVE DILLON (A)
Issue #13 - TBD (A)
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
• First, a look at the Punisher’s role on the team...does he trust his teammates?
• Then, delve into the secrets of the most mysterious thunderbolt...Mercy!

VENOM: TOXIN WITH A VENGEANCE! TPB
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Penciled by DECLAN SHALVEY
Cover by SHANE DAVIS Moving day!
Flash Thompson bids farewell to New York City and heads to his new home, Philadelphia! But even as he says good bye to Peter Parker, Betty Brant and all his friends, is something toxic on the horizon?! Venom goes to war as Toxin rears his head in Philly, but have these two symbiote-psychos created something far more evil? As the Symbiote Slayers arrive on the scene, Flash Thompson battles side by side with Eddie Brock, the original Venom, for the city of Philadelphia! With lives at stake, a conspiracy is revealed — and it’s two lunatics with alien parasites to the rescue! Collecting VENOM #31-35.

venom 33 layout

Venom 33 Layouts

Venom artist, Declan Shalvey posted his layouts for issue 33 on his website.  Since I love the process behind making comic books, I thought I'd share:

Since we are on the topic of layouts, here is a panel from issue 35 that he tweeted:

superior carnage variant

Superior Carnage

In today's Alex-In-Charge column, CBR gives us a look at a Superior Carnage variant cover by Marco Chechetto:

How awesome is that!!!

venom coming to superior spider-man

Venom vs SSM

In an interview with Marvel.com about the upcoming 'Big Changes' in Superior Spider-Man, author Dan Slott ends with this wonderful teaser:

And we have carefully created a world where the Flash Thompson Venom has yet to really meet and fight Spider-Man. There have been little tiny blips, like in the pages of VENOM right when it was kicking off and in one of the Carnage minis. But for the most part these two characters have been kept at a distance. Even when both guys were on different Avengers teams, they didn't really cross paths. Even in Spider Island, where both greatly affected each other’s stories they never really met. We are going to put it front and center; the two will come face to face.

Love or hate SUPERIOR, you have to be a little excited to see how Spider-Man (and Peter Parker) react to Flash and Venom when they finally face off against each other!

superior carnage coming in july

Superior Carnage

Not only do we get a new Venom issue today, but Newsarama reports that Carnage will be returning with a five issue mini series this summer called SUPERIOR CARNAGE:

From Newsarama:

The street-level b-lister foes of Spider-Man aren't the only ones getting Superior this summer. As the symbiote takes full control, a Superior Carnage emerges in a new mini-series debuting in July 2013 by writer Kevin Shinick and artist Stephen Segovia.

Cletus Kasady was taken down by Agent Venom and Kaine, the clone of Peter Parker now known as Scarlet Spider, but that may have actually made things worse. In this five-issue mini-series, Shinick will explore what happens when another villain - the Wizard - tries to control Carnage the same way the U.S. government currently controls the Venom symbiote.
"I’ve decided that, kind of like and inspired by the way the government and the Avengers have used Venom and turned him into Agent Venom, that the Wizard has gotten the idea that if he can harness Carnage and convert him into sort of an agent evil, that it would be even more wicked and more ridiculous than turning Venom into an agent," Shinick told LA Times Hero Complex in the announcement interview. "He wants to harness this power, but use it for evil. The problem being, it is Carnage. And without even Cletus in there, we’re talking just pure symbiote and pure chaos."
Superior Carnage continues the trend of re-exploring Spider-Man and his supporting cast under the "Superior" lens, and marks Shinick's second go with this corner of the Marvel Universe, after the two-part Avenging Spider-Man story that had a decidedly comedic bent from the TV writer who is known for his hilarious Robot Chicken work. But as the Wizard tries to recreate the Frightful Four and use the Carnage symbiote for his own means, don't expect too much hilarity.
"I’m not going the humorous route directly. I think this is a nice balance to what I’ve done in the past, because I think it can be very graphic and frightening. But I think any time anybody takes on more than they can chew there is room for humor," Shinick said.
The writer is "really happy to be working with" Segovia on art, and Clayton Crain on covers. Just as Agent Venom has a decidedly different look from past incarnations, they hope to have "an image of this new Carnage" that they take "even further... so graphic and so distinct that it will strike fear into Agent Venom himself." 

Superior Carnage, from Shinick and Segovia, kicks off July 2013.

It is nice to see Clayton Crain coming back to Carnage, even if its only for covers.  What do you think of this announcement?  Can we have 'Carnage' without Kasady?  I am interested to see where this series takes the character.

TALK ABOUT: venom 33

Venom 33

Toxin is here!!!  What did you think?