Review: Venom: First Host #4, the beginning of the end

Venom comes face to face with one of his biggest threats yet in this week’s issue. And with the series coming to an end, things get even worse for our anti-hero. Are him and his allies enough to save an entire species?

Venom: First Host has been a ride with many highs and lows. But with the series coming to an end, Mike Costa does what every writer should do when concluding an epic story: raise the stakes and keep you on the edge of your seat while doing so. Thankfully, Venom: First Host #4 manages to do exactly that.

This week’s issue makes a fantastic job at getting you hyped for the next (and final) entry in the series. However, that doesn’t mean this story is just a taste of what’s to come, only filled with teases and build-ups. That’s not the case. In fact, it wants to deliver a great spectacle that tries to feel like a final battle. And even though this helps the issue, its action may fall a little flat.

The story

The best qualities of this story are its ambition and its tone. You really feel like there are a lot of things happening here. Just enough to make it great, but not as much to make it a mess. And that’s where this comic book really shines, as it makes the whole thing feel like a big and proper conclusion for the series. It really takes advantage of all the plots and explanations from the previous stories to make things as exciting as they can be. And one big part of making a good ending is fighting a great villain.

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I’m going to be honest, I had a guess in the first issue of who the main bad guy was going to be, but I was completely wrong. And I love that. It means the series wasn’t all that predictable (you can read more about that in our Venom: First Host #3 spoiler-filled review). But even if I didn’t recognize the villain in the first issue, it doesn’t mean he or she isn’t really evil and a great bad guy by now.

Overall, the scope and the main antagonist stand out in this issue. That’s not to say the symbiotes and Eddie don’t. They are really great here too! But I was more amazed at both of the other things.

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The action

Unfortunately, this is where things are not-so-great. With a setting this ambitious, I was expecting the action to be a little more exciting or to look somewhat better. However, Venom First Host has never been mind-blowing or top-notch in that regard. Maybe I just had high expectations of Venom being really savage and cruel with every foe that came across his way. So if you wanted something like that, it is not the case. This wasn’t much of a problem in previous issues, but coming to the end of the story I would’ve preferred something more elaborate.

Yes, there are some explosions and yes, there are some punches. But for a villain this good and a protagonist this awesome I can’t help but feel the action is a little underwhelming. There is so much potential for a more brutal and cool-looking fight. So I really hope we get to see that in the next and final entry.

All things considered, this is a really good issue and a notorious improvement over the last one. Not only in plot coherence, but in ambitious, fun and overall enjoyment too. This is great, as I think we all want the series to end on a high note so that it can be remembered as a must-read for every Venom fan out there. Perhaps not by its action but by the story it’s trying to tell.

My only worry is that the ending could risk feeling somewhat rushed, considering everything that happened here. Let’s just hope that Mike Costa and his team have something special prepared for everyone’s favorite symbiote.

What do you think about the Venom: First Host so far? Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to stick around with Whatever A Spider Can for everything Spider-Man related