The Venom Site: The Last Dance

 Hello, fellow Venomaniacs!

 

You've probably noticed in the past few months a gradual slowdown in comic review and monthly preview posts, as well as a cessation of other post types on our site.

 

The inconvenient truth is that the original leadership of The Venom Site — names like Jason, Orion, Aaron, Tyler, etc. — have each in our own turn reached a point in our lives where we are moving on. We are all still passionate about our favorite symbiotes and some of us will continue with our individual community projects that you've come to know and love, but our adult lives have taken precedence and we no longer have the time or passion to continue administrating or contributing to the main website.

A couple months ago, a call went out on our Discord server in search of a new ownership and team of dedicated fans interested in continuing our legacy for the next generation. To our dismay, the response has been lackluster. We had one longtime member of our community initially express interest, but like the rest of us, they eventually had to bow out from consideration given other priorities in their life.

So this is the final opportunity for any dedicated Venomaniacs who would like to assume ownership and management of the main website and the TVS domain. This is your opportunity to shape the future of our little fansite and foster our community, attracting a new generation of fellow fans.

If you would like to throw in your hat for the role, please email us at god.host@thevenomsite.com. One (1) applicant will be responsible for accepting ownership of the domain, its annual registration fee of $21.99 USD, and moderation of the TVS Blogger platform.

If multiple applicants are interested in becoming contributors to the site, there is an opportunity to build a content team available as well. But right now, our main priority is to find a new site owner, so please only apply if you are prepared to accept ownership.

 

This offer will remain open until October 31st, 2024. If no one assumes ownership of the site by then, we will unfortunately need to wave goodbye to the main TVS website and will sunset the platform on November 1st, 2024.

It has been a pleasure geeking out with all of you for over the past decade! If this should be The Venom Site's last dance, then let us go out swinging!

Yours truly,

Orion, a.k.a. Opie_Dokie (formerly OrionSTARB0Y)

TVS EXCLUSIVE: cullen bunn q&a round 2

Cullen Bunn Interview

After reading VENOM #36, I felt it was a good time to setup another interview with Cullen Bunn to see where he plans on taking the series.  A couple days after he agreed, Mania was announced.  This led to an onslaught of interviews including ones from ReadComicBooks, ComicBookResources, and Newsarama.  However, Cullen decided to save the best site for last!

TVS: Once again thank you for setting aside some time to answer our VENOM questions. I really do admire how much you interact with your fans. 
Cullen: Thanks to you and the fans for taking the time to talk with me!

Let's start with the exciting news from last week's September's solicitations, namely that Venom is getting his own symbiote sidekick, Mania. How did Mania come about? Did you always intend to create another symbiote when you took over the series?
When I took over VENOM from Rick Remender, I put together a long outline (a couple of years worth of stories) for what I had in mind. Part of that outline included the introduction of a new symbiote-powered character. The outline has been changed and blown up over and over again for various reasons, but there were bits and pieces that carried over. The introduction of Mania is one of those pieces. The original plan was quite different, but Mania wouldn't have come about without that original kernel of an idea. She’s a natural progression from where the series… and where Flash… has been going for a while.

And… keep in mind… while the Mania-focused solicit was just released, Mania shows up before issue 40.

Last issue, we were introduced to Lord Ogre, a villain you created specifically for Venom. What kind of guy is Lord Ogre and why is he a good adversary for Flash?
Going into issue 37, Flash is trying to establish himself as Philly’s “Dark Avenger” style superhero. He starts to build a network of contacts, begins getting his resources in order… all so he can be a more efficient hero-by-night. As I thought about this aspect of the character, I decided Venom needed a new rogue’s gallery. That’s where Lord Ogre comes in. He’s essentially the kingpin of all underground activity in Philly, and he’s established himself (among lowly criminal types) as this kind of religious figure—a holy man of crime. He’s also surrounded himself with a cadre of sinister, strange characters. Lord Ogre is really a driving force for change in Venom’s life. Early on, he sets the dogs of war on Venom’s trail. These “dogs” include a host of assassins. And this has a domino effect that leads to the creation of Mania.

Since taking over the series on issue 23, you have slowly been building up a decent size supporting cast for Venom – Katy Kiernan, Valkyrie, Damien Hellstrom, 'The Demon', Monsters of Evil, U-Foes, Eddie Brock/Toxin, Lord Ogre, Mania. Are you planning to continue to build up VENOM's roster or will we see some of his supporting cast resurface and maybe cross paths with one another?
Both! Many supporting cast members will be resurfacing or taking on more important roles. Katy, Mania, and Hellstrom all have important roles to play in the next few issues. You’ll see the Monsters of Evil again, too, as I wrap up some of the story lines they’re associated with. I’ll also be adding some new characters to the cast… mostly in minor roles… especially as Venom starts building his foundation of allies in his war against Philly’s crime lord.

How far down the road do you have VENOM mapped out? Are there any upcoming stories you are particularly excited about?
Like I said, I created a long outline for the series. The outline features phrases like “Project: Rebirth,” “Anti-Venom,” “Toxin,” “the Descent,” “War for the Symbiote,” “Crime-Master,” etc… all elements I like a great deal. But that outline changed from the beginning, and many of those elements have shifted and been put on hold. There are so many stories I’d love to tell. For now, I’m still most excited about the next 6 issues or so, which feature the origin of Mania and the return of Jack O’Lantern.

We are slowly approaching VENOM's 50th issue milestone; do you have anything special planned if when the series hits that magic number?
Every interview needs one “wait and see” answer, right? Well, this is it. There are big things in Venom’s future.

Finally, it seems as though many fans are quite fond of Scorn and want to know if you have any plans for her whether in VENOM or your FEARLESS DEFENDERS series?
The interesting thing about Scorn (and I’ve been thinking about it a lot) is that her origin and current standing in the Marvel Universe means (for me, at least) that she needs a very specific story in order to work. I do, however, see her having a place in a book like FEARLESS DEFENDERS. That book is intended to showcase underused female characters, and she fits the bill.

Fan Questions: WolfCyper: Since taking over Venom what has been your favorite arc to work on so far?
I think the Toxin arc has been my favorite. I typically think in 5 or 6 issue arcs when developing stories. That’s the story length I prefer. But most of the arcs in Venom have been 3 issues in length because of crossovers or changing artists, etc. With the Toxin arc I was able to take my time with the story… and it didn’t hurt that I was able to write a kickass symbiote brawl.

Luis Jimenez: What do you use to inspire your crazy awesome stories? Do you blast music or do some hobby before settling down to write it?
I dunno where this stuff comes from! I don’t really have a ritual when I sit down to write (and I rarely listen to music while writing). Sometimes I’ll read some comics (old and new) that I love just to get me blood pumping.

Jamie Eccleston: Now that the amazing Toxic arc has finished, do you have any thoughts on Eddie and Toxin's future? 
I think Eddie has a role to play as a major anti-hero in the Marvel Universe. I’d love to see him play the role of Toxin for a long while, even taking center-stage. While my heart never melted for the previous “Lethal Protector” phase of Eddie Brock, I think a modern take on that aspect of his life might be kind of awesome.


Thanks again to Cullen for taking the time out of his busy schedule to entertain our questions!

TVS EXCLUSIVE: submit questions for cullen bunn interview round 2

Bunn Q&A: Round 2!

Back in December Venom author, Cullen Bunn, took the time to answer some of our questions.  I am happy to report that he has agreed to do it again!  With all that has happened to Venom thus far this year (moving to Philly, battling Toxin) and everything that we know of whats to come (Lord Ogre and MANIA) this should be quite an interview! So submit your VENOM questions in the comments below and I will select a few to ask Cullen.  Deadline is Monday (6/17) at 4PM EST.  Thanks for you help!

TVS EXCLUSIVE: q&a with declan shalvey

As Venom kicks off 2013, I was lucky enough  to email back and forth with Venom artist Declan Shalvey.  He was nice enough to take the time to answer some questions exclusively for our little community of Venom fans!

Thanks for taking the time to chat with our little Venom community. I know before you got the Venom gig, you were working on other Marvel titles. How familiar were you with Venom and symbiotes before you were the artist of Venom?

My pleasure! Yes, previous to VENOM, I was working on THUNDERBOLTS with Jeff Parker and Kev Walker. Really proud of the run we did on that book, but was really happy to get to offer of working on Venom. I was VERY familiar with Venom and the other symbiotes before I joined the series. I treasure the VENOM: Lethal Protector graphic novel I bought when I was a kid. When I got into Spidey, I had just missed Maximum Carnage and I remember really wanting to know what happened in that story; but comics weren't readily available where I lived in Ireland, so I couldn't hunt it down and find out. I loved the Venom storyline in the Spidey animated series too; that dream sequence were the symbiote and the Spidey costume fight over Peter Parker was excellent and really left an impression on me. I have some very, very bad symbiote fan art in some drawers back home, believe me.

Saying that, I lost track of Venom while it was attached to Mac Gargan. It was this series by Rick Remender and Tony Moore that got be back into Venom, as I just thought the idea of him being attached to Flash was a really interesting one.

Venom has had numerous artists since the series began in 2011. How to do you visually approach drawing Agent Venom or Carnage (in Minimum Carnage) to give the character your style and feel? Were there any other artists that influenced the look of your symbiote characters?

Well, my starting point is Mark Bagley. You may not think it from looking at my work, but I was a HUGE Mark Bagley fan when I was a kid. I loved how he drew Spidey, Venom, Carnage, etc, and when anyone else drew them, I remember being disappointed. Saying that, I think a lot of artists over the years have pushed what you can do with Venom, visually. I liked what Leinil Yu did with a couple of Venom covers I've seen, and how he drew symbiotes in a New Avengers arc. James Harren has some fantastic symbiote sketches on his website that i use for inspiration too. However, I think Tom Fowler's issues of Venom was absolute knockout stuff. I think Tom really knew how to draw the hell out of Venom, especially in this current incarnation, and his work really helped me figure out how I was going to draw Venom, which was a very intimidating prospect. Really like how Kev Walker drew him in his two issues and also how Matteo Scalera drew him in Secret Avengers. Those are my touchstones, a mix of old-school and contemporary, and from there I try and build my own look.

I'm not too familiar with the artistic side of creating a comic book. Could you give us a quick rundown of what happens after you receive a script from Cullen? Are there specific details outlined or are you free to create the characters and backgrounds as you interpret the writer's notes? How long does it take to ink an issue?

Sure. Well, it's a fairly recent partnership with Cullen, and each issue gets more and more 'symbiotic', if you will. Generally, I get a full script from Cullen (like a screenplay in film terms) saying what happens in each panel in each page. From there, I spend a couple of days working on layouts. This is where I make all the storytelling decisions like 'what is the focus of the page', the 'flow' of the page, work out interesting compositions, etc. I also work out logistical problems, like the geography of a room, or where characters are positioned, building up research, making sure the reader will be able to follow the story, etc. It's where all the mental brainpower comes into it and it can be quite stressful. It's this stage where I might decide to tweak the storytelling a little form Cullen's script, or add a panel here and there, etc. The more I work with Cullen, the more I've seen how open he is to collaborating on the series. More than that, he actively encourages it, so I'm starting to add more and more stuff of my own.

Once all that is done, I'll lightbox my small layouts to the Marvel artboard. Takes at least 2 weeks to pencil the issue, which is all the technical drawing; constructing figures, working out perspective, etc. Then comes the inking, which is my favourite part of the process. I love inking. one of the appealing things about taking on Venom was that I knew it would be fun to illustrate symbiotes, especially with my inking style. It takes about the same amount of time to ink a page as it does to pencil it. With layouts, pencils and inks, it takes between 4-6 weeks to illustrate a whole comic. Add another week or so for it to be coloured by Lee Loughridge and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

As a Venom fan who frequents Philadelphia a lot, I am extremely excited to see your interpretation of The City of Brotherly Love! You mentioned before that you utilized Google Earth to get a feel of the city. Do you plan to make the city as real as possible or will it have a Marvel twist to it? Can we expect to see famous landmarks, buildings, etc.?

My take on Philly will be as grounded as possible. With Flash being the only superhero in Philly, I think it's best to keep it as realistic as possible, making him all the more prominent. I spent a couple of days looking up the history of Philadelphia (I'm also a huge fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and worked out where Flash's neighborhood was. The fist 2 issues are specifically set in that area, as Flash is unfamiliar with the city. As the series progresses, he'll get more familiar and explore the city more. I don't really want to shoehorn-in landmarks in a distracting way, but as long as it makes sense story-wise, I'm more than happy to have Flash interact with more well-known areas of the city. I don't want to pull anyone out of the story with distracting landmarks, but I would like to have some in the background to further inform the story.

I wish I had the money/time to go to Philadelphia and take lots of reference. I was recently in Philadelphia ......airport, where I had a Philly Cheese Steak, so hopefully that's helped me with my interpretation of Philly in Venom.

You began illustrating Venom on Rick Remender's last issue (#22). Since then you've been drawing every other arc (Minimum Carnage #26 & #27 and 'The Toxin Arc' #31-#35). Are there any plans to be the full-time Venom artist?

Yes, Rick's final issue was my first and it's still one of my favourite pieces of work. I think it's one of the best comics I've produced and it's mainly down to the amazing, intense script that Rick wrote.
Unfortunately it's just not humanly possible to be the full-time artist on Venom. The book double ships a few months of the year, so you end up having 16 or 18 issues in a year, but no artist can draw that quickly (not without dramatically reducing the quality of the artwork). If the series has 12 issues a year, which is the usual standard, then I could be the full-time artist which is what I would love to be.

What i am happier about though, is that with this upcoming Toxin arc, is that it's 5 issues instead of 2 or 3, so I feel myself and Cullen have more room to tell a better, longer-form story. My plan is to draw the majority of the Venom issues in the coming year, being the 'main' artist. I hope we can work out the schedule to accommodate that for 2013. I think myself, Lee and Joe make a great-looking comic, and with the great stories Cullen has coming up, I'd love to do a good, solid run on the series. All credit to editor Tom Brennan for making it happen.



Fan Questions:
From Carlos Sanchez: What do you find most interesting about Agent Venom that makes you want to draw him?

When I met Cullen at NYCC I told him that very thing; which is that I find that Flash's relationship with the symbiote is much more compelling than any previous Host. I know that will anger Eddie Brock fans out there, but Eddie/Venom's motivation was revenge. That's it. Flash however NEEDS the symbiote to walk. He already had huge dependence issues regarding alcohol, which he's dealing with, but now he has another drug; the Venom symbiote, and without it, he's completely stuck in a wheelchair. I find that idea very, very interesting and that's what keeps me interested in the character. In order to explore that, I told Cullen i really didn't want to have the artificial legs that the Secret Avengers gave him.That muddies the water a bit with the Flash/Venom relationship. Even though that means I have to draw Flash in a wheelchair all the time, which is hard to draw, it ultimately means that the symbiote is that much more important to him. Also, Flash is a flawed character who is really, really trying to be a better man, and I have a weak spot for those type of characters. I think we can all relate to that. In a much more superficial approach, I just think Venom looks cool and is really fun to draw! I've drawn a few pages of Venom in action on the city streets and think they're some of the best pages I've ever drawn because I enjoy them so much.


Orion Petitclerc wants to know: What's your take on drawing just the symbiotes themselves? Like if you looked between the classic depictions of the symbiote acting alone, the Spider-Man Animated Series (90's) symbiote, and the Spider-Man 3 symbiote, what is your style for the symbiote?

It's trickier to draw the symbiote than you'd think. Some draw it like it's sharp and scratchy, some like it's globby and gooey, etc. I love the Spidey animated series, but I think the symbiote animation wasn't the best (aside from that dream sequence). I like the oilyness of the movie symbiote, but as I recall it kinda lacked form and character (saying that; I haven't seen Spidey 3 since the cinema.... bad memories). I try and strike a healthy balance between all interpretations to get the best of all worlds. With the different symbiotes though, I will try different though. Carnage was more textured, slick black and had long sharp tendrils. Toxin will have long, vein-like tendrils that bubble off him, but won't be slick-black. If I get to draw other symbitoes in the series I will rty and do something different with each one. Venom however, is the Daddy of all these symbiotes, so that symbiote is the most versatile one to draw. It can be all the above and more.

The most popular fan questions seem to revolve around Toxin. I am sure you are sworn to secrecy, but is there anything Toxin related you can share?
Spidergeek 2000 asks: What can we expect with the new Toxin design?

As mentioned above, I'm drawing Toxin in a way where the symbiote is very vein-y. Cullen and I decided that the 'spahetti-monster' look was too much and wanted to pull thinks back a bit. Not back as far as the original Toxin, as ...well ...I just think it looks silly. The original Toxin to me, looks like a symbiote wearing no trousers! One thing to keep in mind is that the Hulk-Venom look was never associated with Eddie. When Eddie was Venom, he was big and powerful (since Eddie was a bodybuilder) but he wasn't huge and monstrous til Mac Gargan had the symbiote. I'm keeping that in mind when drawing Eddie/Toxin. Thinking old-school Venom, with a nuttier-looking symbiote.
Jared Marn asks: How strictly do you have to follow past artist when designing your take on characters you haven't drawn before? 
I imagined the "spaghetti monster" version of toxin was to show his uncontrolled rawness. When Eddie gains control are there plans to show any signs of that in his over all look?
I'd agree with that. The spaghetti-monster version was a cut-loose version of the symbiote. Now, Flash and Toxin have a more symbiotic (pun intended) relationship due to their mutual hatred of Venom and you will see a much more stable interpretation of Toxin in the upcoming arc. To answer your first question, the degree to which I want to follow past artists is completely up to me. Marvel hire artists as they want to see the take that artist has on a character, so they've never told me to change something (I'm sure thy would if I did something TOO crazy though). As far as I'm concerned, I'm doing my own thing, but that comes from all the influences I previously mentioned.
Lee Michael Burns asks: Can we expect a more consistent look for toxin as even when pat was toxin the look seem to change a lot from page to page?
Definitely :)

Declan also did some promo art exclusively for TheVenomSite - Hasn't been seen anywhere else!

He also sent me a double-page splash (from Venom #27) in 3 stages; Layouts, Pencils and Inks:

Thanks again Declan for taking the time to answer our questions and give us a sneak peek into whats to come.

TVS EXCLUSIVE: questions for declan shalvey interview

Interview with Declan Shalvey

As someone who has zero artistic ability, I have great respect for anyone who can put a pen to paper and create a work of art.  That is why I am excited to announce that the artist who will be bringing Toxin and Eddie Brock back to the pages of Venom in February, Declan Shalvey, has graciously agreed to do an interview with TheVenomSite! I will be in contact with him later this week, but first I would like your help! Since you guys submitted so many great questions for the Cullen Bunn interview, I am calling upon you again. Simply leave your questions in the comment section. I'll pick my favorite ones to ask Declan. Look for the interview later this week. This should be another fun Q&A session!

TVS EXCLUSIVE: q&a with cullen bunn

I think it is fair to say that our little symbiote obsessed community has finally put itself on the map!  Cullen Bunn has decided to take time out of his busy schedule to answer some of our questions about Venom!  A big 'thank you' goes out to all of you who commented and provided questions for me to ask Cullen.  There was a TON to choose from so obviously I couldn't ask them all.  I tried to select topics that everyone was curious about.  I hope I did a decent job as the voice for this community.  And now, TVS's exclusive interview with Venom writer, Cullen Bunn:

 

TVS: First off, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions from our little community. You hit the nail on the head when you said in Venom 23 'you freaks love your symbiotes.' Were you a familiar with Venom before you came on board this series? What drew you to take over the title from Rick Remender?

Bunn: Thank you for talking to me! I was absolutely familiar with Venom, from the earliest days of the symbiote’s first appearance. I remember it like it was yesterday… my friend Aric bringing his copy of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 252 to school. We were at an assembly… sitting on the bleachers… and he pulled this book out of his backpack. Immediately, I was drawn to that image of “the new Spider-Man!” Back then, I was buying most of my comic books at convenience stores and flea markets, but I did everything I could to track down Spider-Man issues featuring the symbiote. I loved the mystery of it all… and I loved how they built such a big concept all from the simple idea of “Spidey gets a new suit.” I followed Venom storylines here and there through the years, but I wasn’t a die-hard collector (not like you freaks). I knew who Venom was, of course. I knew who he was. When Marvel announced the new Venom series, I was immediately intrigued by the concept art and the notion of Venom as a “secret agent,” so I started reading the new series when it came out… and I loved it. When Stephen Whacker (whom I’d met at a convention or two) called me and asked if I’d be interested in taking over the series, I was thrilled. Here was my chance to put my own spin on a character I was genuinely excited about.

 

 

TVS: It seems like after working with Rick Remender on The Savage Six, utilizing The Circle of Four elements in Monsters of Evil, and now finishing the preplanned Minimum Carnage crossover, you are finally able to take the reigns and tell your own Venom stories. What can we expect from our favorite symbiote and its host in 2013?

 

Bunn: With issue 27.1 I start to look toward forging new ground and leaving my “footprint” on Venom. I’ll be introducing a number of new supporting characters, giving Flash a new job, redefining the Flash/symbiote relationship, etc. I don’t think it’s a secret that Toxin is coming back soon (like issue… uh… 30 soon) but I’ve been keeping how he will be portrayed pretty quiet, because it’s a new beginning for that character as well. I will be weaving back into the Descent storyline and eventually bringing that to a close, but it’s not going to happen immediately. You might see a certain master of crime show back up, but—again—my plan is to take my time getting there. And, yes, I’ve started putting together ideas for the “spawning” that has been teased forever, but that’s the kind of story I think I should definitely take my time with if at all possible. I know it’s been teased forever, but we’ll have to wait a while longer. And I’ll be introducing a new group of villains called (at least in my mind) the Symbiote Slayers. They’ll be appearing sooner rather than later.

 

 

TVS: With his departure from the Secret Avengers and Project Rebirth abandoned will there be any more sedating the symbiote or will Flash have to coexist with the alien at full strength?

 

Bunn:I was working on the “Toxic” arc recently, and I realized I had no idea where Rick Remender planned on leaving the symbiote sedation after the end of SECRET AVENGERS! So… I gave him a yell to see how the end of that book might play into what I was doing. I’m not going to spoil how the Avengers book ends, but I will say that the control of the symbiote will be completely in Flash’s hands… and it’s something he’s going to struggle with. There have been more than a few times now that the symbiote has instinctively saved Flash’s bacon. He’s beginning to wonder if he should treat the symbiote less like a “suit” and more like a partner.

 

 

TVS: How will Venom's membership with The Thunderbolts affect your series?

Bunn: I don’t think it will impact what I’m planning too much. Daniel Way and I are in contact, making sure we’re coordinating our stories so that everything meshes cleanly. I think most of the “big” Venom moments will occur in the solo book, but I’m really thrilled by what Daniel has planned. There’s always the possibility of a crossover, of course, but we’ll see.

 

 

TVS: Finally, before we head into some fan questions, I have to ask about Eddie Brock. Solicitations for next year hint that Toxin will be back. The last time we saw Brock he went from Anti-Venom, to symbiote hunter, to Toxin all in a few months. Any information you can share about Mr. Brock's future in Venom?

 

Bunn: I think fans of Eddie Brock will be really happy once the “Toxic” arc rolls around. Brock will definitely be returning, and I think he’ll be seen as a very important presence as the series moves forward. My hope is to establish his identity as Toxin and make him a big part of the supporting cast. As you said, he’s gone through so many rapid-fire changes. I’d like to give Eddie some stability.

 

And now some questions from the fans!

 

 

 

Shockdingo: In the past we saw the emotional connection between the symbiote and Brock, and even at times Kasady and his symbiote. With recent developments for Flash, in the future, is it possible to give the symbiote more of a literary "voice" and see more of a connection between host and symbiote? Thank you.

Bunn: The relationship between Flash and the symbiote will be very important in the series. Flash is feeling pretty alone now, and the symbiote might be his only real friend. How he sees the symbiote… how he interacts with it… will change quite a bit. As for the “voice” of the symbiote, it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot. I do have some thoughts on how this will be portrayed. It might be different from what folks are expecting, but I hope they like it nonetheless.

 

 

WolfCypher: Do you feel that characters being shared by multiple writers makes consistency difficult? With Venom in your book, Secret Avengers, and soon Thunderbolts, are you afraid that the this same character will feel like he's being portrayed in three completely different styles, or that the way he's being used in other stories contradict his character in your book?

 

Bunn: That’s always a risk and a problem in big shared universes. And I don’t want to be a slave to continuity, but I think readers want to feel like these characters exist in the same world from book to book. The portrayal of Hellstrom, for instance, drives me nuts. I’ve established him as a villain and thrown him in prison, but he’s still running around in several other books. Sometimes, that can be explained as “the events in this issue occurred before Cullen was a jerk and made Hellstrom a big meanie,” but not always. And I feel like it’s my responsibility to make those disparate elements work together. Actually, that can sometimes present a fun challenge and open up some interesting doors. I can say that Rick and Daniel have always been interested in making the different books work together story-wise. We try to stay in touch and understand what we’re all working on. Of course, there will be minor differences in how the character is portrayed, but I think we’re doing our best to keep it together.

 

 

Mateia Andrei: will your stories on Venom focus more on magic and supernatural phenomenons or fictional technology?

 

Bunn: My hope is that I can show the versatility of the Venom character by putting him in a number of different genres. While the first arc was supernatural, the next arc was a science fantasy story. My next 3-issue arc is more of a straight forward super hero story. The upcoming “Toxic” arc is… I dunno… more of a street level story with some horror elements. So… the simple answer is “Yes, to all of the above.” There will be more supernatural arcs, more super-heroics, more crime stories, more horror stories… For as long as they let me write the book, I see switching things up fairly regularly. But my goal is to build connective tissue with recurring themes, returning villains, relationships between characters, the primary cast (being Flash and the symbiote), and the supporting characters I’m introducing.

 

 

KorkyJohnson: W/O knowing how Secret Avengers ends, does the relationship between Valkyrie and Flash end w/ the new Fearless Defenders series? Also, since you're the writer of both books, could you see any foreseeable crossovers between the two?

 

Bunn: The relationship between Valkyrie and Flash does not end with the end of Secret Avengers and the beginning of Fearless Defenders. In fact, you’ll see Valkyrie in Venom issues 28 – 30. The relationship may change over time (as all relationships do) but it will always be there in one form or another. For various reasons, I think it is far too important to be simply forgotten. I don’t have a crossover planned necessarily, but I already have a few Venom issues planned that will feature Valkyrie, and I came up with some fun ways to include Venom in the Fearless Defenders.

 

 

Yakscamelsandmules: Why do you think Venom is such an enduring character?

 

Bunn: I think the versatility and unpredictability of the character plays a big role in his popularity. Hell, you never know when the symbiote is going to be saddled with a new host, spawn some new offspring, or go berserk. Even after all these years, there’s still a lot of mystery about Venom, and that can fuel a lot of interesting stories and spark a reader’s imagination.

 

Thanks so much for talking with me, folks! Let’s do this again sometime!

 

 

 

 

Once again, thank you Cullen for stopping by TVS.  I think it says a lot about a writer who listens and interacts with fans.  So what did you guys think?  Did these answers make you excited for what is to come in 2013?  I know I'm pumped! 

 

Also, the sneak peek (pictured on the top left) is a Declan Shavely panel from an upcoming issue that he Tweeted yesterday. 

TVS EXCLUSIVE: questions for cullen bunn interview

Interview with Cullen Bunn

The man behind Venom, Cullen Bunn, has graciously agreed to do an interview with TheVenomSite!  I will be in contact with him later this week, but first I would like your help!  This community has been great at dissecting each issue and knows all there is to know about symbiotes that I would love for him to answer some of your questions as well.  Simply leave your questions in the comment section.  I'll pick my favorite ones to ask Cullen.  Look for the interview later this week.  This should be a lot of fun!