Review: Venom: First Host #2, Eddie meets a new threat

With the symbiote unable to escape its past, a new threat arises and it’s up to Venom to fight it back. But will he be able to do it without paying a great cost? Read our spoiler-free review of Venom: First Host #2 below!

Venom: First Host #2 takes advantage of all the setup established in issue #1 to tell a great story that manages to raise the stakes for Eddie Brock and deliver more action than the previous entry in the series. Coupled with an ending that puts our (anti) hero in a really interesting position, this is a must-read for every Venom fan out there and a great step forward from the last issue.

The story

Whereas Venom: First Host #1 was about explaining some background story and putting all the pieces in the right place, issue #2 is about that work paying off. However, some things are left unexplained in order to pick the reader’s interest. This works really well, as it manages to tell a brief self-contained story that also works as a good prelude for the next issue.

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You do get to see a lot more of the symbiote here, and its relationship with its first host and Eddie Brock. In fact, that relationship will be the main narrative point behind the story as it moves forward, creating a great and tense dynamic. I always appreciate when the writer (Mike Costa, in this case) manages to put the main character on a tense situation where they have to make difficult choices. It shows what our heroes are really made of, and it can make their personal journey much more complicated but overall enjoyable.

As for the characters, the symbiote is the one who really stands out in this issue. Not Eddie, nor Venom, but the symbiote itself. Aside from it, the rest of the characters feel relegated, except for the villain. He gets a lot of exposition and shows his true nature here. Even when his motivations not fully clear at this point, he makes for a great antagonist.

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The illustrations and action

While I had a few issues with the design of some illustrations, the drawings themselves and the colors look great. Sometimes I found myself thinking: “I wish they had done this drawing on a different way, showing more of what’s really going on”. But aside from that, there are just good things to say about the illustrations, even on the action segments. This issue provided us with a lot more fights than the first one. I still want to see Venom be relentless and violent with his foes on this series (which, unfortunately, it doesn’t happens here). However, the action is still great and manages to keep a great pacing through the whole issue.

Overall, Venom: First Host #2 is a great entry for the series. It benefits from a well-written story, good illustrations and an interesting bad guy who will likely get more chance to shine in future issues. Even if it has some minor problems, none of them really detract from this great experience. If you are a Venom fan or want to know more about the history of the symbiote, you definitely need to read this comic book.

Venom: First Host #3 will release next week! So stay tuned with Whatever A Spider Can for our review of the next chapter in the series.