Venom by Al Ewing vol. 4: Illumination

Cafu takes over for Bryan Hitch as the regular artist for “Venom” with this volume.  Even though he’s got a relatively grounded style, he’s good with the craziness Ewing asks him to draw here.  From symbiote-on-symbiote fights to metaphysical depictions of Eddie Brock’s current state of mind there’s a lot to like about what he brings to the table here.  However, the most surprising thing is that he only lasts for two whole issues before another artist, Roge Antonio, pitches in for one.  Another artist, Pere Perez, also helps out with the final issue in this collection.  I’m sure that there were good reasons why Cafu wasn’t able to illustrate all of the issues in vol. 4, it just boggles my comics-reading mind that Hitch was able to illustrate sixteen consecutive issues of this title where his successor could not.

As for the actual story content of this volume, we pick up with the mind of Eddie Brock after it was cast down into Limbo at the end of “Dark Web.”  While it would seem that he’s fallen as far as he can go, god, or rather Darkoth the Death-Demon-Ruler of Limbo, is there to throw him a shovel.  Having found himself in the darkest basement of reality, Eddie finally gets some answers about what he’s become, where he’s going, and how he’s going to get there.  This stuff is interesting, but these first two issues are very exposition-heavy and are counting on you being invested in Ewing’s metaphysical vision of reality.  In short, if you tuned out when he started talking about “qlippoths” in “Immortal Hulk” this may be where you part ways with this series.

For everyone else who is invested in the stuff, or can tolerate, the writer is talking about here, the rest of the volume is really quite sold.  In addition to the metaphysical business of the first two issues we get to see Ewing tie Venom further to his interpretation of the Marvel Universe, while also spelling out just what a King in Black actually is.  That’s followed up with an issue of table-setting for Dylan that sees him trying to mete out justice to Norman “Gold Goblin” Osborne, and then we get to see Eddie back in the saddle again full of purpose and drive.  It’s a look which suits him well, particularly when he finds himself up against Bedlam.  Yet it’s not raw fisticuffs which wins the day but fists tempered with self-knowledge as Eddie finally comes to terms with his past.  It’s a great finish that will leave you eager to know about the time machine he’ll be seeking out in vol. 5.