Venom #11

I admit to a certain snobbery when it comes to comics.

I do not consider myself a Venom fan. It has been my experience--and I am being honest here, so please understand--that the people who identify as Venom fans are not ones that I associate with in the weird social hierarchy that exists in my city's comic book shops.

As a young twentysomething, clad in black Levis and Joy Division T-shirts,  I read real comics. You know, like Sandman, Watchmen, Sin City, Love and Rockets.  If I read superhero comics, it was because I grew up reading them, and it was still a somewhat elevated passion. I did not read Venom. Good God, you'd think I read Spawn next.

But here in my fifties, I admit to a certain curious affection for this dumb character. I am circling around watching the Tom Hardy movie. I recently bore witness to a young man spend several hundred dollars on a Venom bust at my local. He seemed to be in his right mind. He also seemed very excited about owning this statuary, and watched as it was boxed, then carefully carried it out to his car.

So I saw this latest issue, liked the cover, and finally gave in. I purchased a Venom comic.

And then I hear this is the issue that led several people to issue death threats against the writer, Donny Cates.

Having not read a single issue in this series--or any of the previous legacy 177 issues-- I'm probably not the best judge of why these people are upset. Apparently, some of these people are shippers, which is another term I had to look up. They wanted a romantic relationship between the Venom symbiote and its host, Eddie Brock?

I guess?

Anyway, as a comic on it's own, with me not knowing really anything about what was going on, I was surprised to enjoy it. It felt very much like a horror story, focusing on the odd relationship between Venom and Brock. There is a major revelation that I can see being very polarizing. But death threats? Please. If you don't like a creative vision, then simply stop supporting it. Nothing speaks more loudly than the non-ringing of cash registers. Look at Solo.

But for me, I was intrigued by the book. Not sure if I'll pick up the next issue, or ever read another Venom comic again, but yeah, I got my money's worth.