Writer: Ram V
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Andrew Currie
Color Artist: Alex Sinclair
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
Venom is in trouble! Eddie Brock and his son Dylan, the current host of the Venom symbiote, are both under siege by the mysterious menace known as Meridius and his crimson minion Bedlam. After revelation upon revelation, Eddie and Dylan and separated, but Dylan discovers a spark of hope for him in Venom #11.
Review:
So after all of the big reveals in the last few issues, things have shifted back to Dylan Brock with Ram V as the writer again. We catch up with what’s happened to Dylan since Bedlam gave him quite the shock in the last story arc. As any would expect given what’s happened to Dylan, things are not looking good for him.
The comic opens up with the big reveal of Bedlam, the rage and self-loathing of Eddie Brock personified, stabbing Dylan in the chest to catch everyone up on what happened. On top of that, the Life Foundation have gotten their hands on him, but they discover him without the Venom symbiote and he’s apparently brain dead; however. it’s not all doom and gloom. Dylan still has a reliable ally in the symbiote Sleeper who gets right to work trying to put a plan together to get him out.
Sadly, readers will be disappointed that there isn’t a whole lot of action with Sleeper in this issue. What’s on the cover and the brief bit of action shown in the preview images is about all there is. However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing for the character to do. Sleeper essentially gets a rescue plan in action and calls on what resources and allies he can on the fly, some that make sense and others that might not but could still work out in the end.
Meanwhile, the comic shows readers what’s going on with Dylan and the Venom symbiote and it’s quite the novel idea. Ram V also capitalizes on Bryan Hitch’s artwork to carry the weight and impact of the new situation that Dylan finds himself in. As such, the comic looks pretty good as it transfers from the first plot to the second plot in the story, and things look cool when things shift to Dylan’s end of things.
With the new dynamic that Ram V is establishing for Dylan and the Venom symbiote, a lot can go right for this story arc, but it can go very wrong as well. It all falls on Ram V’s execution of the idea he’s presenting and if he plays his cards right in the upcoming issues. Thankfully, it looks like things are heading in a good direction for the story.
Final Thoughts:
Venom #11 starts a new chapter for Dylan Brock and the Venom symbiote that gets a little introspective. After the brutal fight and revelation from Bedlam, things aren’t looking so well for Dylan. But there’s still hope for him as the issue introduces a shift in the traditional dynamic between the symbiote and their host that can lead to cool things for the overall story in the next few issues.