Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection, Vol. 18: Venom by Ann Nocenti

Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection, Vol. 18: Venom Reviews

• 
  Sean Gibson

  I’ve read approximately 4 billion issues of Spider-Man over the past couple of years. This collection is…fine. I just finished it and I only barely remember what happened. One reason for that is last night’s presidential debate killed so many brain cells that I can barely remember my name, which I’m reasonably sure is Biff (it’s Biff, right?). The other reason is that it was pretty typical early 90s comic fare without any particularly high or low points. Also, Todd McFarlane? Overrated. I much prefer the Mark Bagley issues.
  
  Biff OUT.
  
• 
  Sans

  I haven't seen the Venom film (yet!) but I just about died over Sony's holidays DVD/Blue-ray advert so hell yes I'm going to read up on the Venom comics before I watch it next week.
  
  I love Venom in these stories. I even love Eddie. He looks like a bruiser with an IQ of 10, but bro is erudite and is 100% on board with Venom's "no innocents are going to get hurt on my watch" attitude. It's all so over the top and hilarious.
  
  So why only 3 stars? Because of the rest of the content. Specifically the 80's writing style of recapping All The Things and telling the reader Every Little Thought Peter Has. And the Parker's drama. So. Much. Drama. It's really difficult to care about anything that's going on in his "real life" when it reads like the worst soap opera of all time.
• 
  Krzysztof

  This was a nostalgia-fueled ride for me. I remember reading most of these comics in the early 90. as a kid. I've read The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (issued in Poland as 4/91) several times a day for weeks and some panels are imprinted in my brain probably for the rest of my life. However, flipping these pages as an adult... that's a completely different experience.
  
  First of all, #300 is actually the only issue featuring Venom as the main villain in this collection (so the title is at least misleading). It's arguably the only memorable confrontation in this book and, I'm surely biased, but it's also the one with the best art. Other stories are OKish, but there is nothing special about them - they are rather simple, the writing is sometimes really awkward or cringeworthy, and there is no real impact that they make on the character or the world they live in. Revisiting those stories after 30 years breaks their charm a bit and reveals that they didn't stand the test of time.
  
  Todd MacFarlane's art is something that saves this collection IMHO. This is his beginning with Spidey, so it's still very "safe", far from Torment-level stylization or the incredible details of McFarlane's Spider-Man series. This was the style that I grew up with and started to love comics, so I might be adding a star for nostalgia's sake ;) I wish there was better material to illustrate here, tough.
  
  Overall, it's a fine collection to revisit childhood memories but these stories don't make such an impact anymore. My kids were not impressed reading them and I guess new readers won't be satisfied either.
• 
  Dubzor

  I really don't know if threeds is the right rating, but here we are. There's nothing really special about this run of comics. The arrival of Venom is just a thing that happens and given the mess of a character he is it really has no weight to it.
  
  The rest of the issues all fall into a steady pattern of...
  
  Awkward dialogue recapping the previous issue.
  Villain of the week.
  Mary Jane and Peter talk about fucking each other.
  
  No, really. Almost every issue involves some kind of innuendo between the two. It's not for sex appeal though, it's more of a "look how perfect their marriage is." There's a lot of that in here too. They never fight, they never have a misunderstanding, both stumble over themselves to sacrifice for the other one on only a moments consideration of the circumstances. It's really try-hard and gets old real fast.
  
  Then there's MCFARLANE...oh boy. What's there to say that hasn't been said before? It's ugly, overstylized, over detailed garbage. Well...maybe not full on "Jesus get that thing out to the curb" garbage but more "if I don't take care of the trash soon it could get really out of hand" garbage.
  
  That being said...something kept me reading, and at the end I didn't totally hate the experience so...three stars I guess?
• 
  Dusty

  Its pretty good guys... its a stalker book. Beautiful MJ with big hair and doe eyes has a psycho stalker... Peter has a psycho stalker (Brock). Some of cool guest appearances (Silver Sable) and some lame ones (Styx and Stones). Its title is misleading... alot more than Venom in here.
• 
  Marcelo Soares

  A maioria das edições são com a dupla David Micheline e Todd MestreFarlanne, as primeiras três são com a Ann Nocenti contando sobre como um Peter Parker amnésico acabou num hospício comandado pelo Wilson Fisk, é uma daquelas histórias mais "cabeça" sobre sanidade, realidade e uma pegada na família criminosa que só quer largar tudo e ser feliz no interior.
  Pulando para as histórias principais, Peter Parker e Mary Jane Watson casados morando no chiqueiro que o Parker chama de apartamento, e a vida é bem difícil para o Parker, afinal ele precisa decidir se passa a noite com uma ruiva mais bonita que uma bola prateada de papel de cigarro e sair na porrada com um baixinho, gordinho de óculos com braços mecânicos que atende pelo singelo nome de Dr. Octopus.
  Temos mais uma escolha, tomar um banho de banheira com uma ruiva mais bonita que uma poça d'água límpida num lugar escondido ou sair atrás do mercenário internacional conhecido como Chance e seu bigodinho de galã de rodoviária. É uma vida difícil.
  Mais ou menos por aqui um tal de Venom aparece, assusta a ruiva que é mais bonita que uma zebra, que um filhote onça, que um Boing 707 em pleno ar, e o Parker sai na porrada e guarda o rapaz e seu simbionte com o amigo Coisa.
  Logo depois do ataque do Venom, o casal se muda para uma cobertura chique e uma editora picareta lança um livro de fotos do Homem Aranha, tem uma pegadinha claro, o Parker só vai ganhar grana para voltar para a escola pela 34ª vez se ele participar de algumas sessões de autógrafos. Claro, ele leva a ruiva que é mais bonita que um jardim florido em frente ao mar de Ipanema para Los Angeles e o Homem Aranha acaba se envolvendo com o gatuno da terceira idade, o Raposa Negra, e seu frondoso bigode e, também, com o gatuno verde e roxo, o Gatuno, e sua frondosa capa que nasceu para ser desenhada pelo MestreFarlanne.
  Enquanto isso, em Chicago, o Camaleão reaparece, e, claro, quando os compromissos do Parker o levam à Chicago, claro, o Homem Aranha precisa enfrentar o Camaleão e mais uns mafiosos genéricos. Em Nova Iorque, a ruiva que é mais bonita que uma refinaria da Petrobrás durante a noite, que a Ursula Andress, que o Palácio da Alvorada é sequestrada por um vizinho taradão.
  Na busca pela ruiva mais bonita que a alvorada, que o mar azul-safira da República Dominicana o Aranha enfrenta o Treinador e mais um ou outro que não é importante agora e o casal caba reunido e pronto para mais uma noite de luxuriantes emoções.
  Até parece, como a sorte do Parker aparece de novo, e ele precisa deixar a ruiva que tão bonita quanto o Rio de Janeiro em Maio e quase tão bonita quanto a Revolução Cubana - só falta a boina e a barba - para enfrentar o Killer Shrike e o Consertador.
  Talvez eu tenha um problema com ruivas.
  Talvez seja só o terceiro copo de negroni, vai saber, né?
  
  
• 
  Krzysztof Grabowski

  Album zawiera zeszyty z serii: Amazing Spider-man (1963) #295-310, Annaul #22; Web of Spider-man (1985) #33; Peter Parker-The Spectacular Spider-man (1976) #133
  
  Kolejny zbiór przygód Petera Parker w nieco starszym wydaniu, starszym jeszcze nawet ode mnie, ale już niewiele. Zatem pachnie tu naftaliną, ale to taki przypadek babci. Niby dziwny zapach, ale jednak mi zależy. Nie małą rolę odgrywa tu imć Todd McFarlane, który rozpościera tutaj swoje skrzydła i czyni czary nad serią.
  
  A czegóż tu nie ma. Rozpoczniemy spokojnie. Od patologicznej rodziny, która chce opuścić ojca, który uwikłał się w złe sprawy. Wszystko to doprowadzi Pajączka na sale pewnej placówki dla osób mentalnie zaburzonych, a że przypadkiem za wszystkim stoi Mad Dog. Plus Kingpin. Oraz Daredevil. Dla Parkera to pikuś, a to dopiero początek, bo w tym zbiorze mamy ponownie kultowe elementy dla marki Spider-man.
  
  Najpierw celebrujemy powrót Octopusa czy zmierzymy się z Chance'm, z którym nawet dojdzie do połączenia sił. Głównym daniem jest tu występ Eddie'ego Brocka jako, a jakże, Venoma! Sztandarowy przeciwnik oraz kolejna marka Sony ma tu swój wielki debiut, z porządnym, acz znanym już wszech i miar, początkiem antybohatera. Tu jest jeszcze w pełni negatywną postacią, co ma się zmienić na przestrzeni lat.
  
  Ten nadmiar emocji to nie koniec co tu nam zgotowano. Spidey w zespole z Silver Sable i Sandmanem? Jest. Wypad poza miasto do nowej pracy i nikt się nie dziwi, że wraz z nowym pracownikiem pojawia się Pajączek? Jest. Złodziej Fox czy morderca Chameleon? Jest. Uprowadzenie MJ przez maniakalnego natręta? Obecne. A i jeszcze znaleziono tu miejsce na debiut Speedballa czy małą robótkę High Evolutionary.
  
  Szczodrość rodzynek w tym cieście jest przepotężna, aczkolwiek trzeba mieć świadomość, że to ciasto trochę przeleżało, co widać i czuć po sposobie czy tempie prowadzonej historii. Mało który komiks czytam kilka dni, a tu się to rzeczywiście stało, bo w większych ilościach trochę mnie męczył. Niemniej jest to zalecana lekcja historii dla fanów Pająka czy komiksów w ogóle, zwłaszcza kiedy nowe pokolenie raczone jest generycznie wykreowanymi, ślicznymi artami. Tu tego nie ma, a i tak bywa naprawdę ładnie i szczegółowo.
• 
  Terrance

  You can't go home again. This collection is from some of the prime years of my comic collecting. The mid-80's to the early 90's were a dichotomy for comics just as it was for music. This period saw the transition from hair metal to grunge and from party rap to socially conscious and groove-heavy hip-hop. The same was true for comics. Two branches appeared - one, the auteur branch, mostly on the DC / Vertigo side with Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, etc. The other was the meticulous artist branch - the cross-hatching, pouch-heavy, no feet side of Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, and Jim Lee. As a teen, I loved this art. I ate it up. Compared to what came before, I loved the intricate artwork that was like a hybrid of George Perez and Arthur Adams. However, while the authors' work has held up (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, Swamp Thing, Sandman, Dark Knight Returns), the artists' work has not aged gracefully. I still admire Todd McFarlane's art. Jim Lee also shines. But, the choices made leave something to be desired. In rereading these comics I once owned, I found that I didn't remember a single issue, whereas I can remember specific lines, panels, and entire issues of Watchmen. It's bubblegum. It deserved better writing and framing. This collection is better than the X-Force ones, however, which were just shy of atrocious. Spidey is Spidey no matter how he is presented. But, a legendary hero deserves the best presentation (i.e., the Master Planner saga, Kraven's Last Hunt, etc.)
• 
  Adam Stone

  If you're, like me, doing a deep dive on Venom, and you decide to pick up this volume called "Venom" to get some serious Venom reading on, you're going to be disappointed. There is only one full issue involving Venom in this book. He has two brief cameos before issue #300, which is his sole featured appearance.
  
  It's a Great Venom issue. The first battle between Parker and the Eddie Brock version of the symbiote is a solid 80s issue, pulling together several long term threads to explain why Eddie Brock now wears the suit. It's a great read, but not worth buying the whole book if you want to read stories about the character whose name is the subtitle of the book.
  
  It is, however, an all around great era of Spider-Man stories. Starting off Peter Parker's time in The Mad Dog Ward (an asylum the Kingpin uses for assassins and to stash away some of his employees' loved ones so that nobody squeals on him), reuniting Parker with his briefly estranged Aunt May, moving Parker and Maryjane to a nice condo, and throwing in the usual smorgasboard of other heroe and villains. It's also some of Mcfarlane's best art on the title. His later stuff gets a bit grotesquely cartoony for me, but this run looks excellent.
  
  If you were ever a fan of the late 80s Spider-Man stories, then this is The Collection to pick up.
• 
  Felyn

  Utterly terrible. I'm not going to get into the utter shit, sexist writing, or the even worse art. (Though heads up, Mary Jane exists for two purposes: sex and damsel in distress.) Instead, let's consider the name of this volume: Venom. He appears in all of 2-3 issues in the entire collection. They introduce him so briefly, but the intro of the symbiote, Peter's subsequent black suit, and Venom finding Eddie? None of that is here. Instead, we get a menagerie of other Spidey villains. But no Venom.
  
  All in all, this isn't worth your money. Hard skip. It adds nothing to your comics knowledge/enjoyment.
• 
  Ben

  I know this run is pretty well-regarded, or at least has some classic stories and art, but it’s really not for me. I didn’t enjoy the Epic volume before this one, and felt like this was more of the same.
  
  My main issue is the writing, both the style and the plotting. I just didn’t find the stories interesting… Peter’s broke as usual, but this time wrote a book and has to deal with marriage. The saving grace was that McFarlane comes in for art pretty quickly and helped give things a fresh look to distract me from whatever’s going on.
• 
  Ricardo Noronha

  I have to say I was a bit disappointed after reading this Epic. I thought since its name is "Venom" that we would be presented with a major arch featuring the aforementioned villain but he's barely in it. Yes, we do have his first appearance but that's all there is to it. The other arches were ok but they were not what I was looking for.
• 
  Tim

  This is a fine collection of Michelinie-era Spider-Man, but the volume is very misleadingly titled. If you're coming into this expecting a collection of Venom stories I'd recommend the Birth of Venom and Vengeance of Venom collections for Spider-Man stuff before going off to Venom's various miniseries. This collection only contains one actual Venom story - ASM #300 - and that's it.
• 
  Rachel Meyer

  With the title of Venom, I thought there would be more Venom, but I think he was only in one story. It was still a fun collection and I loved seeing MJ and Peter married. Not as many good stories as some of the others I've read. But Spider-Man always makes me chuckle. (Also, big hair and shoulder pads everywhere.)
• 
  Logan

  I bought this collection for the Venom stories, not realizing that a collection with only those would be released a few years later. I was disappointed in this regard (there are very few Venom stories included, despite the title), but the other stories were just as good.
• 
  Josh Bungs

  McFarlanes Spiderman art started a new era. It's worth it just for that.
• 
  Mirosław Arka Gier

  Wejście Venoma to kolejne wielkie otwarcie nowych dziejów Pajączka. Todd MacFarlane podbił moje serce swoimi rysunkami.