Venom #3 Discussion

[J. D. Guy]

Issue #3 picks up right where #2 left off.

spoilers:

That Firebug guy inadvertently gets saved by those two FBI guys when the younger one, Wambaugh, holds up Lee-Venom with some kind of cannon-blaster. Firebug burns Venom, who still has an aversion to fire, and gets tossed aside (presumably hurt but still alive). This book once more shows how the Symbiote is its own character with its own thoughts and struggles, which is one of the biggest things I'm loving about this run, when it uses the confusion to separate from Lee in order to bond with Wambaugh. Wambaugh is absolutely freaked at the prospect, but the Symbiote doesn't get too far in its attempt before it notices that Lee had been shot by the older Agent, Coyle. Just seconds before, the Symbiote had spoke of how it and Wambaugh could be heroes and save lives, and so it makes a split-second decision to not let Lee die, as doing so would go against what the Symbiote wants to be: someone who saves lives. So it swallows Lee and flees the scene. (And no, alas, we do not get to see what form the Symbiote and Wambaugh would have taken had they bonded. ) The two Federal Agents are left baffled. Lee wakes up from a dream where his "best friend" Tony, whom he killed, accuses Lee of harboring something black, which Lee does not deny. He finds himself in said "best friend's" old place, the Symbiote having brought him there based on Lee's memories, since it reasoned it to be the safest place. Not too much later, Wambaugh once again confronts Lee. Lee tried to feign ignorance at the situation, before switching to "tough-guying" it out, even though he's still weakened from the previous ordeal. Wambaugh "tough-guys" back when he makes it clear he's willing to die scared to do what he came to do (and that is how you really "tough-guy"). And no, it isn't to arrest Lee. It's to recruit him. And should Lee refuse or try something "tentaclely", than Wambaugh's partner Coyle will launch an incendiary into the small apartment room from a building over, burning them both to their deaths, and should Lee survive that somehow, than that incedent would assuredly put Lee on Black Cat's radar, sooner or later, which would inevitably lead to her exposing the fact that he's Venom, which, in turn, would inevitably lead to everyone, including every Superhero worth their salt in "hero", coming after him. Lee silently acquiesces to the deal, and Wambaugh tells him where to meet up with him the next day for his first orders, before he leaves him to his thoughts. And so, once more, Lee's life takes an unexpected and uncontrollable turn. Lee doesn't quite like this turn as much as the last one. On Black Cat's side, Mac Gargan, still totally suspicious of Lee and the whole scenario, asks Black Cat for the trash can he threw up in. Cat, bamboozled by Gargan, tells him that it's long gone. Gargan can't let Lee go, feeling that he's a liar, and Cat dismisses his worry as paranoia, saying she wouldn't be working with any one of them if she had a problem working with liars. Her worries and suspicions lie elsewhere. Adams, another of Cat's goons, later goes and convinces Gargan that maybe the Black Cat doesn't see all, and that maybe Gargan should trust his gut. He notes that Gargan follows his gut feeling to get things done that "need doing". This convinces Gargan to Scorpion up and take care of business...

end of spoilers

I look forward to seeing where this new story dynamic goes!

[CentralPower]

Have yet to read it.

Interesting, from the summary above, that the symbiote makes a silver age good guy mistake.

[Prof. Warren]

Every issue of this run has been better than the last. Really digging this so far.

[J. D. Guy]

Every issue of this run has been better than the last. Really digging this so far.

I agree, on both accounts. I am happy I stuck with it.

[CentralPower]

Just hoping that the symbiote does not end up with Gargan or Brock by the end.

[J. D. Guy]

Just hoping that the symbiote does not end up with Gargan or Brock by the end.

Yeah. Whatever the flow is, I, too, hope that this isn't some means of doing so, as I feel that would be backpedaling way too much.

Still, I don't think that's where this is ultimately going.

[CentralPower]

Sadly, I disagree. We are likely to get 1 or 2 compilation's worth of content before the symbiote ends up back with Gargan or Brock. (I say odds favor Gargan slightly, by virtue of his presence in this series.)

I finally had a chance to properly read through the third issue. The issue opens with the symbiote musing on past hosts, and how a few bad one's were damaging enough to leave it as the monster that first appeared in "Secret Wars" #8 and the Michelinie run from the 80's. (The idea of a benign symbiote is an epic ass-pull by Marvel. But, it is what it is.) The symbiote's current host is....a bit of a bastard. The host just got recruited to be an unwilling narc. That situation could easily be set up for "symbiote goes nutty and evil again".


Honestly, as long as Costa has the time to write the story and make the case he was going to make, I am fine with whatever happens next. (Yes, a return to a previous iteration of Venom would be a step back. But, we do not have to read it.)

[Prof. Warren]

Sadly, I disagree. We are likely to get 1 or 2 compilation's worth of content before the symbiote ends up back with Gargan or Brock. (I say odds favor Gargan slightly, by virtue of his presence in this series.)

I finally had a chance to properly read through the third issue. The issue opens with the symbiote musing on past hosts, and how a few bad one's were damaging enough to leave it as the monster that first appeared in "Secret Wars" #8 and the Michelinie run from the 80's. (The idea of a benign symbiote is an epic ass-pull by Marvel. But, it is what it is.) The symbiote's current host is....a bit of a bastard. The host just got recruited to be an unwilling narc. That situation could easily be set up for "symbiote goes nutty and evil again".


Honestly, as long as Costa has the time to write the story and make the case he was going to make, I am fine with whatever happens next. (Yes, a return to a previous iteration of Venom would be a step back. But, we do not have to read it.)

Slightly mixed feelings on the just-announced return of Brock.

I've really been enjoying Price's stint as host so far so I'm disappointed that it'll be short-lived. However, I'm sure the return of Brock was part of Costa's initial pitch for the series, especially coming as early in the run as it is so I'm hoping that it'll play out in a cool, thoughtful way and that Price might still remain in some capacity.

And while bringing Brock back wouldn't have been my first choice, I've got nothing against seeing what a return to "classic Venom" will be like. Could be great. All of Eddie's fans should definitely be happy!

[CentralPower]

I was just going to post about issue 6.

Bah. Bah, I say. Bah.


I trust Costa. And, it is safe to assume that this was planned. So, I will be sticking around.

[J. D. Guy]

Can't say I'm too thrilled, myself.

It's less extreme and not completely similar, but I feel like it would be like if Miles or Sam were made to no longer be Spider-Man or Captain America and the latter gets forced back into being Falcon, no never-mind about the fact that there is a new Falcon now. It's also likely more similar to if Peter lost Parker Industries and went back to being a poor, New York slumming superhero living with Aunt May.

I'm especially miffed because I'm still not happy that they got rid of Anti-Venom, and also because Toxin and Hybrid were lost, the former essentially commandeered by Brock and the latter offed in a shameful fashion by him (Brock still hasn't paid for doing that; instead, he gets rewarded with Toxin, one of the strongest of the Symbiotes who already belonged with someone else).

It doesn't help that I was looking forward to seeing where Lee was going. The fact that this is happening so soon does imply it was planned, but unless Brock isn't a permanent fixture, it'll still be disappointing for Lee and his story if it is getting done short, not to mention everything else I said.

I guess I'll see how it plays out. I still feel that it isn't worth derailing things (further in some cases) just for the sake of getting Eddie Brock back with the Venom Symbiote. Regardless of what happens, I really hope this isn't an excuse to get Brock and Venom back to bothering Spidey, especially since all 3 characters are long past that adversarial point in their lives. Nostalgia isn't worth that much. Brock getting mentioned before Flash is also worrisome.

[CentralPower]

I take no pleasure in being right about this. (At the very least, I would have preferred 2 compilations' worth of comic before a return to what was.) If not for Costa, I would probably be dropping this series now.