While Venom has no shortage of enemies since he is a villain-turned-hero (something that usually doesn’t sit well with either side), Venom has one particular nemesis who is so sickeningly disturbing that he stands above the rest, even if he isn’t the most well-known Marvel Comics villain. But, though one piece of fan art perfectly encapsulates why he deserves to be.
Jack O’Lantern is a villain most casual comic book fans have probably never heard of, but in Rick Remender’s Venom run, he certainly makes a name for himself. Jack O’Lantern is a moniker that has passed through many hands throughout Marvel Comics. The first version of the character was a cartoonish villain of Spider-Man who was quickly defeated by the spectacular hero, and even more quickly forgotten by readers. In Venom Vol. 2, however, a new version of the character emerges who is not so easily forgettable as the character elevated his predecessors’ previously-displayed levels of villainy to entirely new heights. This Jack O’Lantern was a serial killer who would carve out the insides of his victims' skulls then set the inside of their heads on fire, turning innocent people into human jack o’lanterns for no other reason than his own amusement.
In a Tweet by lee gatlin, the user posted a stop-motion fan art video of Jack O’Lantern that outlined the artist’s illustrative process. The video shows the many different poses and facial expressions of the character. The art took on a life of its own in a gloriously unhinged display of creepy madness that perfectly captured the tone of the character that this artist was literally bringing to life.
The many different looks taken on by Jack O’Lantern in this fan art video is a great representation of the multitude of styles and iterations the character went through in Marvel Comics. Originally being a spooky villain-of-the-week for Spider-Man to take down, Jack O’Lantern grew into one of the most underrated and wickedly sinister villains of his time. Upon his reintroduction in Venom Vol. 2, Jack O’Lantern is able to stand out as the creepiest element of the book–which is quite an accomplishment given the fact that he was surrounded by symbiotes which are horrifying on a cosmic scale.
While the version of Jack O’Lantern that appeared in Venom Vol. 2 was eventually killed after being shot in the head by Deadpool, his insidious legacy as a serial killer who murdered his victims in the most brutal (albeit on-brand) way imaginable deserves a comeback, and this piece of fan art reminds fans exactly why that is. In just one video, this artist displayed a number of different looks, attitudes, and styles that can be given to Jack O’Lantern and proves that, within all of them, a single, unarguable creepiness remains. And, after his characterization in Venom, it is clear that Jack O’Lantern can reappear at any time and in any form and be just as spooky as he was before, if not more so.
Source: lee gatlin