Marvel has published a digital tie-in comic for Sony's Venom, and it gives an unprecedented look at the film's first act. Marvel has a long history of publishing tie-in comics for the latest superhero movies, but they don't always leave fans with much.
Especially when it comes to the MCU, the results are disappointing. There have been a whole slew of official "Prelude" comics setting the stage for upcoming blockbusters, and while some have been effective companions - before the release of Doctor Strange, one issue fleshed out the villain Kaecilius far better than the film itself - most are simple retreads of previous movies.
Related: Venom Is Going To Be Bigger Than Its Critics Are Expecting
The Venom digital comic is very different. Published on the Marvel.com website, with collectible print editions to be distributed at select AMC Theater locations over the opening weekend, it's essentially a comic book adaptation of an upcoming film. It blows the lid on Venom's first act, revealing an incredible amount about the movie - from its theme and tone, to some of the comic-book-accurate concepts in play. Probably no comic book tie-in has ever revealed more about a film. So let's run through everything we learned in this digital issue.
- This Page: Sony Has a Trick Up Its Sleeve
- Page 2: Eddie Becomes Venom in the First Act
Why Eddie Brock's Journalism Career Falls Flat
When Sony released the first Venom image back in January, it seemed to suggest that Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) was an investigative journalist who'd turned his eye to a secretive, sinister company known as the Life Foundation. Brock believed they were conducting illegal experimental tests upon the most vulnerable in society, and was determined to challenge them about that. This was confirmed in the Venom trailers, which showed Brock confronting CEO Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) over these rumors and allegations. The interview was cut short, and Brock was tossed out on the street.
The Venom tie-in reveals that this leads to Brock losing his job. He's blown a major interview, and as a result he gets fired; it's possible (although not shown) that Drake exerts some political pressure in order to achieve that. Bitter and frustrated, Brock attempts to deal with the unexpected end of his career. But that's when he's tracked down by a would-be whistle-blower, Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate), who tells him that everything he accused Drake of is true. Although the comic doesn't show it, Brock presumably decided to act on Skirth's information and break into the Life Foundation at night. Naturally, that's when it all goes horribly wrong.
Sony Doesn't Want To Show How Eddie Brock Becomes Venom
Although the tie-in comic reveals a lot about Venom's first act, here's the interesting thing; it skips a major part. We know from the trailers that Eddie Brock breaks into the Life Foundation, and that one of the symbiote-infected patients - Scream, an ET who went on a brief rampage in Asia before being captured by the Life Foundation - breaks free. The trailers have shown Scream standing over Eddie's body, reaching towards him - and that's where they've cut off.
Related: Venom Trailer Breakdown: 25 Story Reveals & Secrets You Missed
It's interesting that both the trailers and the tie-in comic have avoided revealing just how Eddie Brock gets infected by a symbiote. It could play out in a number of different ways; it's possible Scream's symbiote spawns, releasing seeds that influence Brock, or actually jumps from the ET and into Eddie. What's more likely, though, is that the Venom symbiote takes this chance to attack.
Whatever the truth, Sony and Marvel's reticence to reveal this scene is highly suggestive. They seem to believe it's a highlight of the movie, something they don't want to spoil too soon.
Page 2 of 2: Eddie Becomes Venom in the First Act
Eddie Becomes Venom in the First Act
The tie-in comic jumps forward to a scene where a disoriented Eddie Brock attempts to work out what's going on with his own mind. His battle for self-control is interrupted by Life Foundation goons, and - after a brief-but-humorous scene that gives a sense of the dark comedy we can expect - Brock lashes out with the symbiote. With his pursuers under orders to shoot to kill, Brock steals a motorcycle and we get what will surely be a thrilling chase scene on the big screen. That all comes to an end when Brock is knocked off his bike. He's in a bad way, with bones broken and a likely concussion - and then the symbiote takes over, and Eddie Brock transforms into Venom. That's where the issue ends.
The tie-in makes two things abundantly clear. The first is that the majority of the scenes we've been shown in the trailer have been drawn from Venom's first act. We've seen glimpses of the confrontation in Eddie's room, of the motorcycle chase, and even of Eddie's first transformation into Venom. Sony is notorious for revealing too much about a film in their marketing, but so far Venom's has been a lot more cautious than we'd previously believed.
Related: Venom Movie Villains: All The Symbiotes Confirmed So Far
The second thing, though, is the most exciting. Many Venom fans have worried that the movie would devote most of its time to Eddie Brock, failing to give the tongue-slavering symbiote itself a chance to shine. According to this tie-in, though, Eddie will be transformed into Venom by the end of the first act. We'll have plenty of time to explore the complex, insane character of Venom.
Venom is Incredibly Comic-Book-Accurate
The tie-in gives us "dialogue" inside Brock's mind, as the symbiote speaks to him. It's unclear how much of that will be recreated on the big screen, and how much was added in order to take advantage of the comic book medium. Whatever the case, the dialogue does strongly imply that this will be an absolutely comic-book-accurate recreation of Venom; there's even a line where the symbiote references its homeworld of Klyntar.
Two details, in particular, stand out. The first is that, just as in the comics, the Venom symbiote has very specific weaknesses - and fire is a key one. When Eddie drives his motorcycle through an inferno - in what's sure to be a spectacular scene in the film - the symbiote's response is simple; "Help! Fire is not our friend!" This could well prove to be an important detail; after all, Venom will find himself fighting against other symbiotes, most notably the main villain Riot. If fire is a weakness, it could be one Eddie will use against his foe.
The second is the moment when Venom rises to his feet, and grasps the Life Foundation thug in his outstretched arm. The symbiote's dialogue there is chilling; "Time to feeeeeeed." In the comics, Venom is well-known for his deranged threats to consume people, although he's never actually followed up on them. In the film, it seems the symbiotes really do want to eat people alive. No doubt Eddie will find the idea of becoming a cannibal distasteful, and will fight back against the symbiote's control; after all, Venom is a PG-13. This may even lead straight up to another scene from the trailer, where the symbiote throws Eddie against a wall and insists it can do whatever it wants.
Related: Why Venom Being PG-13 May Actually Be A Good Thing
Marvel's official tie-in for Venom is a quite remarkable comic. It strongly suggests that Sony is playing a smart game with Venom's marketing, and that the studio has held a lot back. Why has a spacecraft carrying Klyntar crash-landed in Asia? How does Eddie Brock get infected by a symbiote, and what happens to Scream? Even more curiously, what is the motive of the film's main villain, the Riot symbiote? We'll find out in October.
