Review: Venom (2018) #5, no hiding place for Eddie

Ahead of Venom #6 this week, we wanted to go back to Venom #5 and bring you a review of a wonderful issue.

First off, apologies for the huge delay in getting a review in for this issue. Venom #6 is coming this week and we didn’t want to skip this one because it has some crucial moments that add to the story arc. In issue #5, we see Eddie and the symbiote figuring things out. While we also have Miles Morales in the issue, his part is minimal compared to the previous one.

Let’s run through a quick breakdown of the important pieces in this issue. Venom can fly, which was completely unexpected. Knull can track the symbiote, leaving Eddie with no place to hide. Rex isn’t quite who we thought he was. His symbiote has taken over and is part of the Grendel. That last bit was also unexpected and that makes me enjoy the story even more. Predictability is something that can quickly make comics unenjoyable and Donny Cates is keeping me on my toes with this run so far.

We’ve already seen a few different versions of the symbiote and this new one is a combination of Rex and Eddie that allows them to communicate with one another easily. Eddie might need to get used to someone else being in his head (in addition to Venom), but for now, it’s his best option. While Rex might not completely be himself, he’s shaping up to be quite the interesting character.

Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer and Frank Martin have made this series gritty and dark in all the right ways. You really get a feel for the places that Venom is in, even when him and Miles are falling through the air. The update to the symbiote with the wings and now with Rex look stunning on the page. This series looks and feels like a horror comic and I love it.

The set up in this issue is great, too. We know that it’s only a matter of time before Venom and Rex take on Knull since he’s able to track them now. With issue #6 out in a couple days, we won’t have long to wait to see what happens next.