Venom #5
Updated: Aug 25, 2018
Reviewed by: Robbie Rowe
Rating: 7 out of 8
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Ryan Stegman
Even Gods can have darkness within – and without. Venom knew there were
monsters, he’d learned that very well in his life. Whether it was the Sin-Eater,
Norman Osborn, or the nihilistic serial killer Carnage, he knew this very, very well. In the last few issues, Venom gets to know just how dark and monstrous a God can really be.
Here, that God is the God of the symbiotes, half of the team named Venom, who created them many centuries ago. This God, Knull, seeks to snuff out the light, the kind, the compassionate and all of their ilk – including Eddie Brock, or an aside like Miles Morales, the other Spider-Man. Eddie, his symbiote and Miles aren’t the only ones wanting to protect the light and the ending opens up some surprising, new and very different opportunities for the following issues – and I’m rapturously excited!
There are some startling, eye opening developments for Venom this issue, ones I don’t think have ever been done before. So kudos to Donny Cates for thinking of them and especially to Ryan Stegman for bringing these to electrifying life. It’s a beautifully horrific one as always, though there wasn’t as much revealed as last issue. Cates is bringing something truly refreshing and dynamic to his run on Venom, one of the best damn Spidey villains and anti-heroes around. I wait with
bated breath for issue 6!