fearless defenders 9

Fearless Defenders

9. Venom joins the Fearless Defenders' significant others for an intervention

venom sales

Venom Sales Data

Diamond Comics Distribution's comic book sales data.  Keep in mind that these numbers are only estimates, and they do not factor in sales from newsstands, book stores, or overseas markets.

Month	Comic	Rank	Est Sales	% Up/Down
Aug 2013	Venom 39	105	20,212	-0.56%
Jul 2013	Venom 38	125	20,325	-2.62%
Jul 2013	Venom 37	121	20,872	-1.97%
Jun 2013	Venom 36	104	21,291	-1.39%
May 2013	Venom 35	108	21,591	-2.39%
Apr 2013	Venom 34	94	22,119	-0.93%
Apr 2013	Venom 33	93	22,326	-0.84%
Mar 2013	Venom 32	100	22,521	-3.92%
Feb 2013	Venom 31	91	23,441	-4.51%
Jan 2013	Venom 30	83	24,548	-0.38%
Jan 2013	Venom 29	82	24,641	-3.64%
Dec 2012	Venom 28	85	25,572	-17.83%
Nov 2012	Venom 27 Venom 27.1	74 85	31,121 25,729	-1.85%
Oct 2012	Venom 26	80	31,708	+25.63%
Sept 2012	Venom 25	89	25,240	-16.08%
Sept 2012	Venom 24	76	30,078	+12.01%
Aug 2012	Venom 23	91	26,854	+0.45%
Aug 2012	Venom 22	93	26,734	+0.74%
July 2012	Venom 21	88	26,538	-1.51%
July 2012	Venom 20	87	26,945	-6.10%
June 2012	Venom 19	86	28,696	+1.37%
May 2012	Venom 18	92	28,307	-6.13%
May 2012	Venom 17	84	30,155	+6.03%
Apr 2012	Venom 16	77	28,440	-1.45%
Apr 2012	Venom 15	73	28,858	-0.25%
Mar 2012	Venom 14	69	28,929	-12.79%
Feb 2012	Venom 13 Venom 13.1 Venom 13.2 Venom 13.3 Venom 13.4	61 72 75 78 76	33,170 27,517 27,152 26,966 27,123	+15.45%
Jan 2012	Venom 12	66	28,732	+0.25%

war of heroes pt 2

Marvel: War of Heroes Part 2

After the Maximum Carnage Event, War of Heroes added these additional new symbiote cards:

[Symbiote Sire] Venom

[Symbiote Sire] Venom

Rarity Ultimate Rare
Power Requirement 33
Sale Price 244,950
Maximum Card Level 70
Maximum Mastery Level 45
Quote After ingesting a chemical given to him by Norman Osborn, Mac Gargan's Venom transforms into a more human appearance similar to the Black-Suited Spider-Man. Osborn introduces him as The Amazing Spider-Man, a member of the Dark Avengers, while unveiling the team.

[Symbiote Sire] Venom +

Rarity Legendary
Power Requirement 33
Sale Price 489,900
Maximum Card Level 80
Maximum Mastery Level 250
Quote After the siege of Asgard, Gargan and most of the Dark Avengers were taken into custody. While being held on the Raft, the Venom Symbiote was forcefully removed from him, ending his career as Venom.

[Thunderbolt] Agent Venom

[Thunderbolt] Agent Venom

Rarity Super Special Rare
Power Requirement 29
Sale Price 94,350
Maximum Card Level 60
Maximum Mastery Level 45
Quote Iraq War vet Flash Thompson is the newest Venom host, joining his old high school nemesis Peter Parker, Eddie Brock, Brock's wife Ann Weying, one-time Scorpion Mac Gargan and mobster Angelo Fortunato as those who have merged with the Venom symbiote.

[Thunderbolt] Agent Venom +

Rarity Ultimate
Rare Power Requirement 29
Sale Price 188,700
Maximum Card Level 70
Maximum Mastery Level 200
Quote Flash Thompson is brought in by the government as a special agent, wearing the Venom symbiote in service of his country. He has restrictions, however, and is only allowed to wear the suit for up to 48 hours, or he risks permanently bonding with the symbiote.

[Third Generation] Toxin

[Third Generation] Toxin

Rarity Super Special Rare
Power Requirement 29
Sale Price 94,350
Maximum Card Level 60
Maximum Mastery Level 40
Quote Offspring of the symbiote known as Carnage, Toxin was bonded to an ordinary human - NYPD officer Patrick Mulligan - because Carnage wanted to be able to kill it later. But it grew too powerful too fast, and has so far avoided death at the hands of both its "father" Carnage and "grandfather" Venom.

[Third Generation] Toxin +

Rarity Ultimate Rare
Power Requirement 29
Sale Price 188,700
Maximum Card Level 70
Maximum Mastery Level 200
Quote Toxin is one of the easier symbiotes for the human mind to work with. It rarely takes Mulligan's mind completely over, and even when it does, they have an agreement that it won't do anything especially horrible. But Toxin is as tough as a symbiote gets, with a blend of powers inherited from the previous two generations.

[Regeneration] Anti-Venom

[Regeneration] Anti-Venom

Rarity Special Rare
Power Requirement 23
Sale Price 33,450
Maximum Card Level 50
Maximum Mastery Level 35
Quote Anti-Venom was created when the healing energies of Martin Li a.k.a. Mr. Negative cause Eddie Brock's white-blood cells and traces of the Venom Symbiote still within his body to combine into a new suit composed of human/alien hybrid antibodies possessing powerful restorative abilities.

[Regeneration] Anti-Venom +

Rarity Super Special Rare
Power Requirement 23
Sale Price 66,900
Maximum Card Level 60
Maximum Mastery Level 175
Quote Anti-Venom is capable of rapidly healing from significant injuries, even recovering almost instantly after being shot in the head and suffering brain damage. Anti-Venom is also able to detect when others are ill and "cure" or "cleanse" them.

[Symbiote Insanity] Carnage

[Symbiote Insanity] Carnage

Rarity Special Rare
Power Requirement 22
Sale Price 33,300
Maximum Card Level 50
Maximum Mastery Level 35
Quote Carnage hates Venom almost as much as he hates Spider-Man. His numerous killing sprees and lunatic schemes always land him back in Ravencroft Asylum... but he always gets out again, sometimes assisted by his powers of camouflage.

[Symbiote Insanity] Carnage +

Rarity Super Special Rare
Power Requirement 22
Sale Price 66,600
Maximum Card Level 60
Maximum Mastery Level 175
Quote Like other symbiotes, Carnage is vulnerable to heat and sonic attacks. They weaken him quickly, and drive him to even more extreme madness.

[Maximum Carnage] Carnage

[Maximum Carnage] Carnage

Rarity Legendary
Power Requirement 38
Sale Price 485,700
Maximum Card Level 80
Maximum Mastery Level Unknown
Quote Imprisoned in Ryker's Island, seriel killer Cletus Kasady was cell mates with Eddie Brock, who had lost the alien symbiote that turned him into Venom. Brock's symbiote soon returned and bonded with him again, but left behind the symbiote's offspring which then entered Kasady's bloodstream and bonded with him, transforming him into Carnage.

[Maximum Carnage] Carnage +

Rarity Ultimate Legendary
Power Requirement 38
Sale Price 971,400
Maximum Card Level 90
Maximum Mastery Level 300
Quote The Carnage alien symbiote endows the host with enhanced physical strength greater than that of Spider-Man and Venom combined. The host is also granted the ability to shape-shift, to project a web-like substance from any part of his body (including the formation of weapons), and to plant thoughts into a persons head using a sybiote tendril.

*[Maximum Carnage] Carnage + is the first Ultimate Legendary card to be introduced into the game.  It is also the first one to change appearance when the phone is tilted.

Update: Part 3

no immediate plans for venom relaunch

Marvel Subscription Services

It looks like Marvel isn't planning on giving us another VENOM title any time soon; they are transferring all VENOM subscribers to THUNDERBOLTS.  From Marvel's Subscription Newsletter:

[Thanks to topfueluhl for the tip!]

cullen talk to cbr about venom's end

The End

CBR talked to Cullen Bunn about the conclusion of VENOM:

CBR News: Cullen, when did you find out you were going to have to bring Flash's solo adventures to an end? Were you able to wrap up most of the plot threads you wanted to bring resolution to? Or were there a few that you just didn't have the time and space to get to?    

Cullen Bunn: I think I got the call around the time the fourth issue of the "Toxin" arc was hitting the stands. So I was in the middle of writing the mini-arc in issues #31-#38. To some degree, it's tough for me to distinguish between the plots I had already set up and the stories I wanted to tell. I tend to plan for much longer arcs with plot points and clues that weave in and out of the story. That said, I was able to wrap up some of the threads that I had established, but there is still plenty of story left to be told. 

"Venom" may be ending, but it sounds like you're going out with a bang. The solicitations and our most recent discussion suggest that you packed your final story with emotional moments, supernatural horror, and big visceral action. In terms of scope and scale how does this final story compare to your previous ones? 

The final arc is definitely a rip-roaring action/horror adventure! We're going to see Lord Ogre's story come to an abrupt end -- thanks to Mania -- and we'll see Mania coming into her own. We'll see Flash and Andi's relationship evolve into something Flash would have never envisioned. And we'll revisit the "Devil's Mark" that Flash is branded with. That storyline will both resolve and continue in a new direction. There is so much packed into the last three issues. It's definitely going to move at a breakneck pace. Hellstrom, Lord Ogre, the D.O.A., Mephisto -- they all have a role to play. And in the middle of all this, Flash will finally have a conversation with the symbiote. 

Looking back at your run on a "Venom" as a whole is there anything you would have done differently? And what stories are you most proud of? 

Yeah, there are a number of things I would have done a little differently. For one, I would have tried to think in 12-issue arcs instead of the 30-something issues I outlined in the beginning. That outline was just too ambitious, I think, and it drives me nuts that I won't be able to introduce some of the story lines I had planned. I might have sprinkled in a few more street-level stories early on. Issues #27.1 and #36 are a couple of my favorites, and I think something like that might have helped readers transition from Rick's run to mine. Overall, though, I'm proud of the book as a whole. There are some stories I like better than others, obviously, like the two single issues I already mentioned. I was also really pleased with what Declan Shalvey and I did with the Toxin arc, and I was thrilled with the introduction of Mania. 

Flash is an interesting, complex and very human character. How did you feel about him when you began working on "Venom?" And how do you feel about him now that the book is almost over? Will you miss him? 

I'll definitely miss Flash. I wasn't sure how to feel about him when we started out. He was the bully I always hated when I was a kid. But his flaws make him so compelling as a hero. One reader wrote to me, saying that Flash Thompson was his Peter Parker, and I think that's a cool thought. I think we're leaving Flash in a very interesting place. There are definitely stories out there for him. 

"Venom" may be ending but you're still actively involved in the Marvel Universe with books like "Fearless Defenders." Is there a chance that we might see (assuming she survives the next few issues) Mania, or some of the plot threads you introduced in "Venom," over in "Fearless Defenders?" 

Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind that the Fearless Defenders need an arachnid-themed character on the team. And Mania would definitely bring something new to the group! 

Finally, looking back on your run as a whole, how does it feel to have been part of "Venom?" The series may be ending before you planned, but do you feel like it's had a good run? 

It's been a real honor. Following in Rick's footsteps, working with my editors Steve [Wacker] and Tom [Brennan] and Sana [Amanat] on the book, and collaborating with so many great artists -- the book has been a pleasure for me. I know a lot of people would say that a book like this wouldn't even last 12 issues, but I co-wrote or wrote something like 27 issues, not to mention Rick's run. That's pretty impressive, if you ask me, and I'm chalking it up as a win.

Would you like to see Mania turn up in Fearless Defenders?