VENOM:
THE ENEMY WITHIN (Marvel,
First Printing, 2013;
Softcover)
Collects
Venom: Funeral Pyre
#1-3, Venom:
The Madness
#1-3, Venom:
The Enemy Within
#1-3, and Incredible
Hulk & Venom
#1 (cover dates August, 1993- April, 1994)
Writers:
Carl Potts, Ann Nocenti, Bruce Jones, and Peter David
Artists:
Pencils- Tom Lyle, Kelley Jones (also Inker), Bob McLeod (also
Inker), and Jim Craig; Inkers- Al Milgrom, Josef Rubinstein, John
Beatty, Harry Candelario, Scott Hanna, Keith Williams, Bill Anderson,
and Dan Day
Ah,
the '90s. It was one of the worst periods in the history of comics,
particularly for Marvel and DC. The artwork was especially wretched,
a bunch of people emulating the garish Image-influence from hacks
like Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, and Marc Silvestri, among others. Think of
it like '90s Rock. Everyone tried to be Nirvana and wound up being
Bush. Lame. I am showing my age here, though. To the 12 year olds of
1993 this is the golden age of comics, so your mileage may vary
depending on your age in 1993-1994.
This
book is a collection of assorted Venom mini-series and one-shots.
Venom: Funeral Pyre features The Punisher. It's typical
extreme 90's stuff but is entertaining enough. The Punisher was
overamped and his power level was routinely exaggerated throughout
the '90s.
Venom:
The Madness features artwork by Kelley Jones. I've never
understood the appeal of his artwork. It's dark and moody but it is
so anatomically exaggerated that I can enjoy it. Venom fights the
Juggernaut, and while the fight is cool the artwork is so horrendous
that it detracts from the experience.
Venom:
The Enemy Within is where things get cooking. Bruce Jones writes
an excellent script and Bob McLeod brings it to life. My beloved
Morbius The Living Vampire is featured in this mini series with an
absurd plot about a cult which assembles in the Library Of Rhan. The
Demogoblin also appears to do battle with the goblins that the cult
releases upon San Francisco. It's a bunch of silly faux-occult stuff
that basically plays as a superhero/ monster mash-up.
Incredible
Hulk & Venom one shot is super cheesy and lame. It's
everything that is wrong with 90s comic books. I liked Venom when he
was introduced as a villain, as his first few battles with Spider-Man
felt fresh and new. His popularity ultimately made Marvel do a WWF
turncoat, making him into a “Lethal Protector” anti-hero which
was all too common in the '90s. To the kids of the '90s (and beyond)
this stuff is considered classic. It's middle of the road comics with
some generally awful artwork to this old man, though.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.
The
OCD zone-
This
is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials of
physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or
women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest
convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.
Linework
and Color restoration: I am not wasting a second of my life
comparing this to the originals, which were undoubtedly godawful ugly
too. Everything looks clean and tight.
Paper
stock: Matte coated stock of sufficient thickness and weight.
This is the same stock found in the softcover Marvel Masterworks
and Epic lines of books. It's my favorite paper stock used in
collected editions today because it feels like something of quality
while retaining an authentic comic book look and feel.
Binding:
Perfect bound trade paperback.
Cardstock
cover notes:
Laminated
cardstock cover.
