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  1. #1
    Mighty Member Hybrid's Avatar
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    Default Does Venom feel more independent and divorced from the Spider-Man mythos now?

    I've been keeping up with Donny Cates' run on Venom and it feels like he's done a major job in divorcing Venom from being a Spider-Man property within the Marvel Universe, and instead feels like an independent entity. This shows in multiple ways, such as presence of The Maker, the Symbiotes tying heavily into Cosmic Marvel such as Asgard and the Silver Surfer, and the Absolute Carnage event being Marvel-wide instead of a Spider-crossover. The general feel did not make me think "I'm reading a Spider-title", as much as it was that I was reading an independent hero altogether.

    Though it's true it features Venom teaming up with Miles Morales in the first arc, that honestly feels less to do with the Spider mythos and more to do with one hero teaming up with another, especially since Cates is a major fan of Ultimate Marvel and integrated those elements in (Miles and the aforementioned Maker). I really like it, and this is coming from someone who never was a big fan of Venom, mainly because the art and storytelling popped out to me and I've stayed on it.

    Of course, legally speaking, Venom will always be tied to Spider-Man hence Sony owns the film rights. But from a story and presentation standpoint, does Venom feel more like his own entity than a Spider-Man sub-franchise?

    Discuss.

  2. #2
    Kinky Lil' Canine Snoop Dogg's Avatar
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    This is the single best thing about Cates and Stegman's run. Space alien monster suit should have never been confined to street level, edgy alt. Spider-Man stories, even when those stories finally got good with Agent Venom.
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  3. #3
    Incredible Member Aura Blaize's Avatar
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    Venom will always have his origins in Spider-Man, but yes, he doesn't NEED Spider-man and I feel that the latest run has done a good job of establishing his own thing. Even when Spider-Man does show up, like in Absolute Carnage, Venom still feels different. More independent. I'm loving every second of it.

  4. #4
    Incredible Member Spidey_62's Avatar
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    Honestly it's the kind of stuff Venom's needed for a long time to further establish his own identity as a solo show.

    That does kind of bring up the question of 'should Venom ever be a villain for Spider-Man again in the mainstream comics?' I think him being bankable as his own solo brand pretty much doesn't allow it in the comics.

  5. #5
    Incredible Member RD155's Avatar
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    I haven’t followed Gates run on Venom. I know I’m missing out because just about everyone I’ve heard talk about it speaks highly. I got the first TPB....Loved it and I’m following Absolute Carnage right now. From what I’ve read this is by far the best interpretation of the character ever. Gates has actually found a way to give Eddie enough depth to stand on his own with or without the suit and injected some much needed life into the world of Symbiotes. On top of that Venom is now a strong enough character to stand on his own two feet without Spider-Man. Don’t get me wrong, those two function better when they’re around each other but Venom doesn’t need Spider-Man anymore to be relevant and that’s completely due to Gates.

    Spider-Man and Venom will always be linked. There’s no escaping that. There’s just too much history and back story between them. Another thing Gates did was evolve their relationship with each other and in doing so added another layer to the character. For the first time in what seems like forever, I think it’s safe to say that Venom is a fully functioning character with layers of depth...all thanks to Gates

  6. #6
    I'm at least a C-Lister! exile001's Avatar
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    Dude still wears a Spider-man costume with a tongue, so I don't really feel he is divorced.

    I actually think Cates has done a great job re-establishing Venom in Spider-man's universe and giving him a renewed purpose for being there. Look at Absolute Carnage (which is excellent!), he has Peter right there with Venom through most of it and learning and having to truly trust Eddie. He feels right as part of Spidey's world again, while establishing more of a world for himself without being dependent so on Spider-man himself.

    While I don't agree with everything they've done, I could gush about the current Venom series all day as it's been such a fun ride and easily the best run in years.
    "Has Sariel summoned you here, Azrael? Have you come to witness the miracle of your brethren arriving on Earth?"

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  7. #7
    Moderator Frontier's Avatar
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    I mean, just a few weeks ago I watched an episode of a Spider-Man cartoon where Spider-Man fought Venom and the next season of said show has Venom primed as the main villain...so not really?

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