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  1. #1
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    Default Is Venom a truly interesting character or just an icon?

    Please, don't get me wrong. I don't like the character too much, I found it as being derivative a lot.

    Anyway, I respect those who love him, and I ask:

    Do you find VENOM interesting as character or just "iconic" and visually striking?

  2. #2
    iMan 42s
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    Venom is visually striking but more often than not his stories just aren't very good. The character does have a few good stories under its belt but it's a character that largely survived under its aesthetic prior to relaunches with Mac Garagan and Flash Thompson. There is good reason that much of his media appearances are "Birth of Venom" arcs as it's usually a crapshoot following that if they are any good or not.

    Venom is an interesting character but you do kind of have to dig for it. The average fan can't tell you why he's deeper than a puddle and that's a problem. It's something these days that's resolved, and also unfortunately backtracked on. Venom kind of has a problem of throwing out things or redefining characters for no reason. Sometimes it works, but it usually results in creative teams cleaning up messes, sometimes for messes that aren't even real.
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  3. #3
    Kinky Lil' Canine Snoop Dogg's Avatar
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    Venom, conceptually and outside of Spider-Man, is an interesting concept in general.

    Eddie Brock, the character associated with Venom, was not interesting or layered until Dark Origin and BND.

    Venom, as an independent comic book franchise, has been interesting and consistently high quality since Agent Venom started. Well, Venomverse and Venomized kinda suck, but the ongoings have all been good.

    Venom, the single by Eminem, is a pretty shallow but really catchy song accompanied by a fun music video.

    Venom, referring to the various beverages that I drink in the middle of the night, is pretty interesting, but not healthy.
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  4. #4
    Incredible Member Aura Blaize's Avatar
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    He's gone through phases. When he was introduced, he was a character with potential. Then he became flat. Only around for a quick buck. Agent Venom breathed new life into things and now with Eddie back, it seems like Marvel is actually focusing on all that potential he has. The movie was a hit and the current ongoing is being called the best yet.

  5. #5
    The Superior One Celgress's Avatar
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    Historically speaking Eddie Brock hasn't been that interesting a character beyond the concept of Venom. Otto, Kaine and arguably even Ben have each proven themselves a better dark Spider-Man than has Eddie's Venom. Also, Flash wore the suit well in his role as a straight up hero with a military edge. With that said, however, the Venom concept itself is an endlessly fascinating one. I've read many What If? takes on Venom with a different host, including some fanfics (for example, I'm currently reading a new ongoing story in which Gwen became Venom after she ended up in a coma for several years rather than died at the hands of Green Goblin https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1309622...om-is-the-Cure), which are top notch.
    Last edited by Celgress; 01-08-2019 at 03:21 PM.
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  6. #6
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
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    I thought the alien costume was a cool idea, but Eddie Brock was less interesting than most comics characters who suddenly become popular (Deadpool, Cable, Elektra, Punisher, Moon Knight, etc.)
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  7. #7
    The Superior One Celgress's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Mets View Post
    I thought the alien costume was a cool idea, but Eddie Brock was less interesting than most comics characters who suddenly become popular (Deadpool, Cable, Elektra, Punisher, Moon Knight, etc.)
    I think part of the problem with Eddie Brock (at least until fairly recently) his only reason for being was his hatred of Spider-Man for "ruining" his life. I don't think you could create a more one-dimensional character than classic Eddie if you tried. Venom would have been far more interesting as a character if the host shared a prior relationship of some sort (a friend, a mentor or even a lover) with Peter rather than just harboring a generic dislike of Spider-Man.
    Last edited by Celgress; 01-08-2019 at 04:42 PM.
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  8. #8
    Astonishing Member your_name_here's Avatar
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    All characters can be interesting depending on the creative team working on them.

  9. #9
    Ultimate Member WebLurker's Avatar
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    I think Venom acts as an interesting foil to Spider-Man in that he's the dark mirror of him (all the power, none of the responsibility). In that sense, Venom "should" be the franchise's archnemesis, even if Norman Osborn (rightfully) holds the title. Beyond that, I find that the character is one that is interesting or not depending on the specific writers and stories involved (which is probably true for most fictional characters).
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seto Kaiba View Post
    He's gone through phases. When he was introduced, he was a character with potential. Then he became flat. Only around for a quick buck. Agent Venom breathed new life into things and now with Eddie back, it seems like Marvel is actually focusing on all that potential he has. The movie was a hit and the current ongoing is being called the best yet.
    Agent Venom looks and sounds infinitely more cool IMHO.

  11. #11
    Kinky Lil' Canine Snoop Dogg's Avatar
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    The problem with Agent Venom was that everything that made him cool had nothing to do with symbiotes or having an other or bonding with an alien. The general concepts of Venom. So while I would rather read a Venom book about Flash, I agree with the decision to make Eddie the lead again. Don't bring Flash back to life. Signed, Flash fan.
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  12. #12
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    It depends on who's under the suit and who's writing the book.

    I was into the nineties stuff, but I was the perfect age for that to appeal to me. This was the time of Punisher, Ghost Rider and Venom being everywhere and I loved it. But it was more because they were all "badass" and cool than Eddie being an interesting character in his own right. He also felt genuinely dangerous to Spider-Man, while most other villains (especially at that time) didn't feel like they posed a real threat. But again that's not really agency, it's more being a good plot device.

    Gargan taking over was very interesting to me. It's mostly because he was written very dark and he was almost a prisoner in the suit. He was a tragic figure and I had sympathy for him. He was also written by Warren Ellis and Good Bendis.

    Flash was amazing in the suit and I loved that whole storyline. We learned more about the suit as an actual living being. I thought having Flash take over the suit was one of the best and most innovative ideas Slott had (and I loved a lot of his ideas). Remender's run was outstanding and I recommend it all the time. Bunn's... not so much. It was ok.

    Costa did great work with the book. The suit got even more personality and backstory, which lead to an intriguing dynamic between Eddie and the symbiote. Costa made Eddie more three dimensional and less of a one-note character. Originally I was totally against Eddie getting the suit back, but Costa was able to make me care about Eddie in a way no other writer had up to that point.

    Bunn's Poison x/Veonomverse/ Venomized trilogy... Not going to say much. I'm not a fan of Bunn and I didn't care for any of those stories.

    Cates on Venom has been a revelation. I won't spoil anything but man he's killing it. Eddie feels like a real person, the suit is more than a cool look and powers, we're getting backstory... I love it. Cates is a genius and I love everything he's done.

    I think Venom can be and is more than a look or threat to Spider-Man. Ellis, Remender, Costa, Bendis and Cates have all written Venom stories that added to the mythos and made Venom a dynamic and intriguing character imo.

  13. #13
    Incredible Member AngelJD's Avatar
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    I'm a 'Venom symbiote' fan due to it character development journey.

    I am a Venom fan thanks to the past few years of character development with it. NOTE: I am a 'Venom' fan as in the symbiote who is truly 'Venom'. We have been following the symbiote for the past few years. Not a Eddie Brock fan Though for Eddie the recent stuff with him has been showing his own growth and going beyond a static character that he once was thus he is rising but I find the journey of the symbiote character (who is a individual character) and it's growth and it's life experiences transforming into a true hero very slowly learning with it's hosts that serve as partners and parents for it.

    Seeing from it's perspective and growing and being a hero that with Flash was an Avenger and a Guardian of the Galaxy and yearning to do good but still needing a parent/partner to not just live but grow.

    I wasn't a fan of the 90's version and 'monstrous beast' stuff I'll see 99% from fanarts, covers, and past storyline before 2010. That it is a 'corrupter' (not taking into account it's a living being that the host can also affect it good or bad), evil narrative only (vs gray with the potential for good or bad based on the host and events affecting it), not having a voice but what others are saying about it (vs getting its own narrative).

    So learning more about it's and it's species past, that some Klyntar like humans can be good or evil and how hosts/parents can affect the upbringing, how escally there were for a short time in the galaxy there were many Klyntar like Green Lanterns protecting the universe, that some species associated the Klyntar race as heroes and some with first experienced with corrupted by hosts Klyntar as evil.

    That this one character Klyntar whom we called the 'Venom Symbiote' (we never learned what it's real name is indicting by the Klyntar Rex who was a former Shield Agent also) fell to darkness, then grew beyond the other corrupted rising back wanting to work with the hosts, that learned a bit with Peter (who it has a shaky 'relationship' with as it worships him yet Peter hates it), than was dragged down with Eddie and continued to remain on the same path that didn't grip me tiill Flash began wearing it and the two had a true partnership with Flash caring for his partner and helping it's growth.

    When separated Flash went to the symbiote not to gain/addicted to the power like other hosts might but instead to save his friend from Eddie though in the end put faith in Eddie to help his friend continue to be better. When he was dying he told Peter to not drag his friend down with his rage and that he was of a road to be better and didn't want Peter dragging him down.


    Because of the character growth and it's (I sometimes have to catch myself from writing his vs it's as the Venom Symbiote and all Klyntars are really 'gender neutral' unless each Klyntar as a individual had made a choice to be apart of one gender in terms of how each thinks and speaks for itself) slow yet struggling journey to be better and a true hero learning from it's partners made it for me a very interesting character to follow and root for. To go beyond the same 'evil corrupting beast only' I seen time and time agian from multiple Earths, art, and more.

    Now not all of the recent stuff that the symbiote character has been in was good and some was miss protential I felt but alot was also very good. As many wrote just like all characters and stories it will depend on the writer and also I feel how well does the writer contribute to it's character development positive growth, lore, history, and characterization narrative.

    Right now I'm very worried for the character. I enjoyed and love seeing it's growth. Many times I was worried in the past when it went back to Eddie all of it's growth, narrative, being a character, would stop and it will be derailed going back to the way many people who don't read it's series think of it and it's species. However it has advoid (narrowly sometimes) of that happening till recently when it was killed (well 'brain dead' as the body lives but the character has died a matter taking down the Klyntar/Symbiote Devil).

    Now the Venom 'main character' that was once the Symbiote character now we are following in this series has been transferred to Eddie for the time being. I don't know if Venom Klyntar/Symbiote from before will come back from the dead and continue it's growth and story or gone for good. Right now with the essence and character dead and in its place a guard dog in thinking and reacting the only narrative we have is Eddie's (who seems to be going through some grief by the death of his friend, worries of being alone, and now heading into his past).


    I didn't see the movie Venom because based on the ads it seemed like the same old stuff I've seen before of this characterization and presentation. However after hearing some negative reviews I do have some interest as the negative reviews were from people expecting the 'Venom' of 90's yet it seemed like the movie took elements of the past and recent which I was happy to hear thus not the pure 90's version (though still darker version then the character growing 616 version when it came out).

  14. #14
    Extraordinary Member Restingvoice's Avatar
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    I just think he's fun. He's a character that can be violent and threatening but goofy at the same time.

  15. #15
    Mighty Member Chubistian's Avatar
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    I liked what Remender did with the character. Also, his first stories were fine, but I definitely am not a fan of the character, though I don’t mind his presence. He usually brings a physical threat and, when best done, a psychological one that can be fun. So I guess most of the time I find him iconic but with the potential to be interesting, but I doubt that I would get interested in a title with him as protagonist (either Brock or Flash). Agent Venom by Remender was an exception since I like his writing in Uncanny X-Force and my brother had tpbs with his stories. He can make for some cool boss fights in videogames
    Last edited by Chubistian; 01-09-2019 at 10:35 PM.
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