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Review: Venom #17

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Venom #17

Venom #17 drops the series right into “Absolute Carnage,” the event spreading from the Spider-Man titles. It’s also a follow-up in some ways to the one-shot Absolute Carnage: Separation Anxiety.

Venom is off with Spider-Man attempting to stop Carnage’s plan but that leaves his son/brother with the Maker. Yes, the Maker, the evil Reed Richards from the Ultimate Universe. Some of the issue is hinted at in Absolute Carnage #2, also out this week. And having read that first, I really wanted to know what happened in this issue. What’s entailed is pure action with a style that’s reminiscent of films of the 80s and 90s. Quips. Guns. And just solid action moments.

Writer Donny Cates delivers fantastic pacing and energy in this comic which is one piece of the bigger puzzle of the event. On its own, it doesn’t quite stand but in the bigger picture, it’s great. There’s a good mix of action cliches that just makes the comic work and makes it fun.

The art by Iban Coello is fantastic. The color from Rain Beredo and lettering by Clayton Cowles, it all comes together to really stand out and pop. There’s also some solid page layouts that are really interesting towards the beginning of the comic. Venom is a series as a whole that has consistently solid artwork to accompany fantastic writing.

Venom #17 is a great comic as part of the event. For those not checking that out, it doesn’t quite work. But, there’s still something to it in that being stalked/horror story way. Cates is consistently delivering an interesting Venom and even in an event tie-in finds new aspects to add depth to his world.

Story: Donny Cates Art: Iban Coello
Color: Rain Beredo Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.45 Overall: 8.1 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: DCeased #1

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DCeased #1

A mysterious techno-virus has been released on Earth, infecting 600 million people and turning them instantly into violent, monstrous engines of destruction.

The heroes of the DCU are caught completely unprepared for a pandemic of this magnitude and struggle to save their loved ones first…but what happens to the World’s Greatest Heroes if the world ends?

DCeased #1 is both an entertaining horror spin on DC’s heroes but also a story we’ve seen many times before in other media and with other publishers. Writer Tom Taylor delivers his spin on the zombie-ish virus outbreak story and it generally works.

The story revolves around the Anti-Life Equation and its use makes the story feel like we’ve seen this before in another comic (paging the Dark Multiverse). The first issue is pure setup as the virus infects more and more and we see the horror unleashed. Once we get to this point, things get interesting as readers hold their breath to see who will, and won’t, be infected.

And that’s the successful aspect of the comic. Taylor plays with common horror tropes building tension and delivering scenes all about the “will they or won’t they” focus. As the comic progresses, it feels more like 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later as the virus spreads resulting in a rage like bloodlust frenzy. There’s nothing wrong with that but it is something we’ve seen, just not necessarily with these characters.

Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, and James Harren provide the art and the shift in styles is noticeable but not a problem. Each has their own take on characters and while they’re close at times there is noticeable difference in that and the general art as a whole. The color by Rain Beredo and lettering by Saida Temofonte helps tie things together though and the coloring especially help with the darker tone of the comic and emphasize the horror aspect of it all.

I’m generally not a horror fan but do enjoy the occasional zombie story. This combination of DC’s iconic characters and an outbreak storyline works due to it understanding what it is and using familiar tropes and situations to maximum effect. While it might be familiar, if you’re a fan of this genre, it’s well worth checking out.

Story: Tom Taylor Art: Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, and James Harren
Color: Rain Beredo Lettering: Saida Temofonte
Story: 7.95 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.85 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Exclusive Preview: The Curse of Brimstone #7

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The Curse of Brimstone #7

Written by: Justin Jordan
Art by: Eduardo Pansica
Cover by: Eduardo Pansica
Ink: Júlio Ferreira
Color: Rian Beredo
Lettering: Wes Abbott
Cover: Eduardo Pansica, Júlio Ferreira, Rain Beredo
Editor: Jessica Chen
Group Editor: Brian Cunningham
U.S. Price: $2.99
On Sale Date: October 3, 2018

Early-warning sign you’re about to get murdered: a mysterious, cursed ledger directs you to a small, eerie town filled with an unusual amount of amputees who all take a keen interest in you. That’s what the cursed Joe and his sister Annie are up against when their ledger leads them to a town where strangers check in, but they don’t check out.