Marvel's Venom has largely been about confronting one's inner darkness and violent impulses, and an exploration of unhealthy co-dependency. With the crossover event Absolute Carnage concluded, writer Donny Cates' run on the antihero's title brings those themes back to the forefront, with a sinister twist, given Eddie Brock's new status quo, while setting up a different take on one of the character's oldest grudges.
Following the defeat of Carnage and Cletus Kasady, Eddie now has much more than the Venom symbiote residing within him. As Eddie comes to terms with the true cost of his victory over Cletus, and what it means for the Marvel Universe, he must deal with the immediate fallout, including a surprise meeting with several characters who figured prominently in the crossover. However, as Eddie faces the terrifying implications of his new status quo, he decides to take matters into his own hands the only way he knows how: in fire and blood.
Cates' take on Eddie Brock has been a particularly tortured, with his incarnation on Eddie unable to enjoy a happy ending, as he is always aware of greater consequences and the darkness within himself. It's a twisted inversion of the "with great power" trope of his longtime frenemy. And throughout his entire run to date, Cates has embraced the more horrific possibilities of the character as he endures his own Jekyll-and-Hyde dynamic: Venom and Absolute Carnage have leaned into horror more than other mainstream superhero comics in recent memory.
With Absolute Carnage complete, this is one of the more meditative issues in the series. Only Eddie is aware of the true cost of his victory, and so it makes perfect sense thatany feeling of relief wouldn't fit here. An encounter with the Avengers in the aftermath could seem like fan service in lesser hands, but Cates knows how to play the moment for laughs, even in the face of Eddie's inner turmoil.
This trip down memory lane is largely aided by Carnage co-creator Mark Bagley assuming art duties for the storyline. Joined by inker Andy Owens and colorists Frank Martin and Erick Arciniega, Bagley's pencils immediately evoke a classic feel without seeming dated. He has a history illustrating both Venom and the Avengers, and he returns to both like no time has passed at all. The visuals are a more psychological, slow-burning horror than Cates' original Venom and Absolute Carnage collaborator Ryan Stegman's more visceral approach, but the presence of Martin (who also worked with Stegman on the title) helps the transition feel more natural.
It was apparent in the final issue of Absolute Carnage there would be no rest for Eddie, and Cates and Bagley's latest Venom storyline makes good on that. The antihero remains as tortured as ever, even as he copes with redemption in the eyes of his son and the superhero community. But for all of Eddie's recent derring-do, the character is about to get back to doing what he does best as the series returns its focus to psychological horror.