Venom By Donny Cates Vol. 1: Rex Paperback – Illustrated, November 20, 2018

I loved it very much. I think it was great and that I'm gonna buy the second book. I loved it!

I was never into comic books in my youth. I'm twenty-nine, so maybe I'm still in my youth, but I bought my first comic book ever (DC Universe Rebirth - Teen Titans Volume 1: Damian Knows Best) about a year ago. This is the first comic book since then to give me the same feeling that I got back then: This must be what comic book readers felt in the 90s, when comics were selling over one-hundred thousand copies even on a mediocre run.Every panel is a work of art that could be gazed upon at length; every line of exposition is poignant and meaningful; every dialogue balloon is relevant, carrying the story and characters forward, and the reader's fingers tremble in anticipation while he tries to quickly turn the page, but carefully so as not to put a single crease into the smallest margin.From a technical perspective, we have tight storytelling, from the succinct writing to the emotional subtext conveyed deftly in the drawings themselves. The action sequences are huge, the dramatic scenes are dramatic, the twists are told with a theatrical flair that makes the heart slam in the chest and the breath catch in the throat.If you're into superheroes, then you probably already own this, but if you had the lapse of judgment to not immediately buy this, then here's your chance at absolution. This story will still be getting rotations ten years from now by comic book fans, and a sequel is in the work. Get it while its price is reasonable!

Venom: Rex, I don’t even know where to begin with this. This is Donny Cates masterpiece, and its a love letter to the character of Venom. I’ve been reading Venom comics since I was 4, and I love the direction Donny is taking the series with this current run. He’s building an actual mythos for Venom, and getting him to a point where he can truly stand on his own.This first Volume is based around the introduction of Knull, the God of the Void and the creator of all symbiotes. He’s an amazing original character, and I have a feeling that he will go down in Marvel History as one of the best new bad guys of this era. His control over the symbiotes, his backstory, the way he speaks and the imagery associated with him; it’s all amazing. He’s terrifying and off the bat proves that he’s a true ultimate baddy threat to the MU.Most importantly, Cates representation of Eddie is what truly drives this run and this volume. They’re making Eddie into someone special, and not just a one note, “Protect the Innocents” character. Beyond all of that, Ryan Stegmans art is insane and a visual feast for the ages. This is a truly timeless book, and if you didn’t like Venom before; this will help you like him now.

The news that Venom would be tied here into the medieval epic poem Beowulf was enough for this fan of medieval-themed comics to pick up the book. Essentially, the arc is an attempt to rewrite the history of the symbiotes. It is an interesting story and worth getting, but readers should be aware that it is told in a bit of a disjointed manner with each chapter/issue revealing more of the story.Spoilers follow.An ancient being from the last universe (I think) meets and fights the Celestials. He is the creator/god of the symbioties and is eventually imprisoned by the Celestials. However, his children are free to spread across the universe. One arrives on Earth and (I guess) bonds with a dragon. This dragon is supposed to be Grendel from Beowulf. During the Middle Ages, it attacks the hall of Hrothgar and is defeated by Thor (rather than the expected Beowulf). The onslaught of Thor’s lightning bolts also severs the symbiotes’ ties to their god.Some time later in the modern era, SHIELD recovers the Grendel symbiote and uses it to create a set of super soldiers. Eventually they are decommissioned and in 2018 set to be destroyed.Their commander, however, has survived and now needs Venom’s help to free his men. Little do those involved know is that the god of the symbiotes has resumed contact with his children. He reforms Grendel and goes on a rampage in New York until he is defeated (for now) by Venom, the last survivor of the Grendel symbiosis, and guest star Miles Morales.

Now that Venom is a movie sensation, Marvel is eager to capitalize. In this case, I'm glad that they are giving the character a push because this is easily the best book Marvel is releasing, and I grew up with the old school Venom stories as a kid.The story starts with Brock chasing down a mystery lead akin to his old days as a reporter/vigilante. There are some great moments between Brock and the symbiote, and their power set begins to expand. Venom's a total power house in this, capable of stopping a speeding diesel truck with sheer strength; akin to the days when Marvel's "official" ratings sized him as only slightly stronger than Peter, but capable of trading blows with the Hulk and other top shelf heroes. Cates does an excellent job really paying homage to all the fans that have wanted a come back from Brock, and breaths new life into the origins of the symbiotes even making reference to the Planet of the Symbiotes story of the late 90's.The artwork is impressive. The tone and lighting is all in the vein of a horror comic, and pulls it off well. I've been weening off of Marvel for a while now, but this is the book that I will make positive to keep up with.

Great story

The graphic novel arrived in time and it was in great condition. Happy customer.

I am not a big Venom fan. I knew very little about the character before starting this trade. I felt it was very approachable. The art is amazing. I really liked the story a lot.It's clear that Donny is building something big inside of the Marvel Universe.I will be picking up Volume 2.