We’re still not sure what it sounds like when doves cry, but thanks to Skottie Young we know what it looks like when alien symbiotes mate. It looks like a twisted heart of flowing evil!
Enjoy these splash pages from the final thrilling conclusion of the 2003 Venom series. Also, we have one of our favorite Spider-man covers, presented without its logos and design elements: Spidey wrapped in that disgusting tongue!
Collector’s Guide: From Venom; Marvel, 2003-2004. Story by Daniel Way, pencils by Skottie Young.
In the final storyline of the 2003 Venom series, the cloned symbiote and the Eddie Brock Venom draw nearer to their ultimate fate: breeding! But like some people, they need to have a little fight before getting their groove on. Yes, the fate of all humanity depends on stopping these two nasties before they have make-up sex! Enjoy these splash panels of symbiote mayhem and madness, and a creepy cover by Clayton Crain.
Collector’s Guide: From Venom; Marvel, 2003-2004. Story by Daniel Way, pencils by Skottie Young.
In these splash pages from the 2003 Venom series, we see what happens when evil scientists test out their new Venom clone on violent offenders and mental patients. That doesn’t sound like a very nice thing to do, does it?
Don’t worry. The scientists all get what’s coming to them! Rule of thumb: never create pure evil in your laboratory. It always comes back to bite you in the ass!
Collector’s Guide: From Venom; Marvel, 2003-2004. Story by Daniel Way, pencils by Francisco Herrera.
The first ten issues of the 2003 Venom series raise more questions than they answer. An extra-violent version of the Venom symbiote gets free from an Arctic laboratory, spreading mayhem and destruction as he goes. But if this isn’t the Eddie Brock Venom, what is it?
Issue #11 begins to bring in all the back story and reveal the insidious plot behind this new Venom. Here, we have the opening scene where the Fantastic Four and Spider-man round up the Brock symbiote. In all the excitement, they leave behind a big chunk of Venom’s nasty tongue. And someone else decides to take it home.
Collector’s Guide: From Venom #11; Marvel, 2003-2004. Story by Daniel Way. Pencils by Francisco Herrera, cover by Mike Deodato.
Amazing Spider-man #347 brings a multi-part Spider-man story to its climactic conclusion in “The Boneyard Hop.” On a deserted island, Spidey and Venom wage a life-or-death battle. While many Spider-man villains pursue the usual world domination or petty heists for their own self-interest, Venom gleefully revels in the sheer horror he can inflict on Spider-man.
Writer David Michelinie first brought together Eddie Brock and Spidey’s black “symbiote” suit to form Venom. The art team of Erik Larsen and Randy Emberlin carry the stylistic torch established by the previous penciller, Todd McFarlane. Together, they make Venom just as much fun as he is evil!
We also enjoy the look Larsen brought to Spidey’s traditional threads, filling in most or all of the blue areas with black. Some fans disagreed with this rendition, but we love it. Bring back the red and black!
If you ever wondered where Spider-man’s black costume first appeared, you’ve come to the right place! Here is the historic page from the mind of Jim Shooter and the drawing board of Mike Zeck in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8. (It was reprinted in the Secret Wars TPB.)
This is all there is to it: a little black ball pops out of a machine on some other planet. No one knew until later it was a hideous alien symbiote! Sucking on Spidey’s will to live! Trying to take him over! Eventually, separated from Spider-man, the alien symbiote would bond with Eddie Brock to become Venom.
Although this was the first appearance of the black suit in Spidey’s life, it was not the first time it saw print.
Secret Wars #8 has a publication date of December, 1984. Earlier, in May, 1984, the black suit appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #252, The Spectacular Spider-Man #90, and Marvel Team-Up #141. Marvel Age #12 (March, 1984) came out a full two months before ASM #252 and featured sketches of Spidey’s new black costume. Despite their historical significance, all but ASM #252 can be had in a satisfying Fine or Very Fine condition for about the price of a new book these days.
It is also worth noting that Spidey wasn’t even the first to wear it. Julia Carpenter, the second Spider-Woman, wore the black suit first in Secret Wars #6 and #7. This explains Spidey’s comment about “maybe” being “subconsciously influenced by that new Spider-Woman’s suit”.
Since this post first saw the light of symbiotic day, several people have expanded the research in our comment sections. Transformers #3 (of a 4-issue limited series) has a publication date of January, 1985, so it must have been on the shelves in late 1984 near the same time as Secret Wars #8. An IDW Transformers reprint book discusses the legal reasons behind Spidey’s appearance in the black suit in this issue.
According to reader Lpaul, Amazing Heroes #39 (January, 1984) shows a black-suited Spider-Man in a preview which predates all the above books.
Reader Brandon DeSantis kindly provided us with images of three earlier appearances, along with their dates. First, in Heroes Hotline from December, 1983, we see the front and back of a black-suited Spidey. The Secret Wars series was called by another name: The Cosmic Champions.
Second, and also hailing from December, 1983, is The Comic Reader #215. Here is the cover followed by the preview of the costume.
But we can go even earlier! In Amazing Heroes #35 (November, 1983), we see the back of a black-suited Spider-man in a newsflash about Secret Wars by another name: The Secret War. Notice that the text refers to the suit as being black and red, although the issue is printed in black and white. The image looks exactly like the image shown in Heroes Hotline.
Reader Steven Farshid contacted us to say we can go even earlier! He sent images from Comics Journal #85, dated October 1983. A Newswatch article on page 13 bears the headline “All Major Marvel Characters to Engage in Year-Long ‘Secret War’ in 1984”, and continues on page 14 with an illustration of the black suit.
What’s that you say? You want to see the black suit concept art from when the white parts were intended to be red? Reader Brandon DeSantis has you covered yet again, with these two scans from Marvel Age #12.
The artwork is from Rick Leonardi, based on ideas submitted in a story by spider-fan Randy Schueller. Below is the letter from Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter offering to buy the story. For the full details, check out Randy’s 2007 statement about his original story idea for the black suit.
Based on response to our collection of X-Men Holograms, we thought you might dig this Spider-man hologram from Web of Spider-man #90.
This 30th Anniversary issue has a few goodies in it, including a 3-page fold-out poster we scanned and digitally reconstructed for you.
Plus, it has a completely insane sequence where the Venom symbiote bonds with Galactus! That’s so over the top we wonder why Mark Millar hasn’t resurrected it. After all, Mark bonded Venom and a Tyrannosaurus Rex in Old Man Logan.
Mark Millar might have a direct link to our brains that helps him cook up insane ideas like “What if the alien symbiote Venom attached itself to a dinosaur?” Mark, we thought you’d never ask! Just make sure you get McNiven to draw that bad boy — and maybe you could work in Black Bolt from the Inhumans somehow.
Mars Will Send No More 