Rob reviews Venom #4...
After their apparent betrayal and subsequent capture, Dylan and Sleeper find themselves at the mercy of Alchemax. Meanwhile, Venom deals with his own "separation anxiety" as he attempts to carry on without long time host, Eddie Brock. With a deadly foe hiding in the background, it isn't long before Dylan and Venom are drawn back together...
So far Ram V has crafted quite a page-turner with this current run. His script comes in at a breakneck speed, and it's all backed up with some stellar art by Bryan Hitch. While Venom does rely on you having some understanding of past events, it doesn't detract from what's happening in the present.
In regards to the present, things aren't looking good for Dylan and Sleeper. After the betrayal of Archer Lyle, Dylan is under the examination of Liz Allen and her team at Alchemax. Whether Liz knows the full extent of "Vacant Throne" is up for debate, as the invasive experiments that her team are running on Dylan has Liz questioning their intentions. Meanwhile, Venom is having its issues, as in attempting to locate Dylan and Sleeper, the Symbiote is targeted by the Life Foundation's newest weapon - Spearhead.
The bulk of Venom #4 is the action-packed fight between Venom and Spearhead. It's quite an intense fight as Spearhead utilises a lot of anti-Symbiote weaponry in an attempt to disable Venom. On a few occasions, I did start to wonder where Ram V was going as Venom spends a lot of time being at a disadvantage. Considering that Venom has spent a lot of time attempting to "bond" with Dylan as a father figure, this strong will to flee rather than fight is understanding.
It certainly marks a turning point to Venom as we've seen the character question its existence, to now attempting to become Eddie's replacement. Again, it all makes sense as Venom was bonded to Eddie for several years. And while their shared consciousness has been explored many times within the past, it's not been to this extent. I may be clutching at straws, but what if Venom is the mystery "other Eddie"? It would certainly make a lot of sense and will show just how much Eddie imprinted on to the Klyntar.
The creative team have done an excellent job in bringing Venom #4 to life. While Ram V writes the bulk of this issue at quite a pace, the changes to the POV helps to give the reader some breathing space. There's a lot of history being brought up within this current arc. Not only are we seeing a wider exploration of just how powerful the King in Black is, but we're also dealing with the events of last years Extreme Carnage.
Hitch also weaves his magic with plenty of detailed filled panels. The scene (avoiding spoilers) towards the end of the issue is both a horrifying and fantastic reveal of something that's no doubt going to cause a few issues. Action scenes also flow seamlessly as Hitch brings us the brutality of Spearhead assault, mixed in with the gloopy mess of a weakened Venom. Rounding this off is also a grand display of Hitch's knack for facial expressions as we're given plenty of moments that say more than Ram V's script allows.
Overall Venom continues to show that it's taking the characters into a new era. There's a lot to like here as Ram V and Bryan Hitch bring us a narrative that much like its central cast - is constantly evolving. The storytelling on display here continues to push into a new and exciting direction, whilst simultaneously building upon events of the past. With plenty of twists and turns, this is one comic book that grabs your attention and refuses to let go.
Rating 9/10
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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