Venomnibus By Cates & Stegman Hardcover – December 13, 2022

I'm not a big Venom fan. The character has never left a particularly strong impression on me, either positively or negatively, but I couldn't pass up this series. To date Venom (2018) is probably the biggest series Donny Cates has worked on at Marvel Comics. His Thanos Wins arc was great, and while he wrote some other notable books after that, this one stands out. Cates has a personal connection to Venom. His introduction letter, which is a worthwhile read before diving into the book proper, details a story he's wanted to tell for years.As a writer, Cates has been either hit or miss with me. I loved the aforementioned Thanos Wins as well as Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) for instance, while his Doctor Strange (2018) and even parts of Thor (2020) I didn't really enjoy. I also didn't like King in Black (2021) the first time I read it. King in Black is an event that serves more or less as the ending to this run but its hard to fully enjoy without the necessary context that can only be gained by reading the series lead-up which I now have.What makes Venom (Eddie Brock) stand out here? Simple. Cates puts his story at the center of the Marvel Universe. His ultimate enemy is one that threatens all life and ultimately it all falls on Eddie to save it all. This series changes everything about the characters, at least to my limited knowledge, and totally revamps and retcons a lot of things but in new and exciting ways that build up lore rather than tear it down in a senseless attempt to be edgy. It also cleans up some contradicting history that I only know about because I read about it somewhere else.It is at the same time a very personal story. Something is revealed a quarter of the way through the book that completely upends Eddie's world and makes him rethink the way he views his own life and his relationship with his symbiotic other, leading to growth for both. Cates characterization of this character, or characters really, is strong, giving the reader a clear understanding of what makes them tick. The guest stars also, from the Avengers to Spider-Man, are great too. I especially love his take on Peter Parker and would love to him write the Amazing Spider-Man book someday.While Cates is responsible for the vast majority of what’s collected in here, he's not responsible for all of it. First, there is a 3 issue arc by Cullen Bunn which ties into the War of the Realms (2019) event. Bunn takes up the story of both books quite well, melding them into an entertaining story that fits right in with the rest of the series. Then there is a short story by David Michelinie, co-creator of Venom, set in the character’s past that does tangentially fit in with things in the series. There are a couple of other short stories too but they aren't really worth mentioning.The artwork too, is really something else. Ryan Stegman, who is the main artist, is exceptionally creative and his dark and exaggerated style gives his art an eerie and unsettling feel that fits the tone of the book perfectly. Then there's Iban Coello, who helps out in the Bunn issues and the King in Black tie-in ones, among others. He does a decent job. He has a much lighter style compared to Stegman's but he can still deliver on the action. There are others besides these two but the only really notable name is Mark Bagley. The long-running artist on Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) is still turning in fantastic work all these years later.Almost everything you'll need to understand and fully enjoy this series is collected in the omnibus. There's the 35 issues of the main series, the Annual, the King in Black (2020) event and it's precursor event Absolute Carnage (2019), a few one-shots, and the Free Comic Book Day (Spider-Man/Venom) 2019 and 2020 issues as well as a short story from Incoming (2020) #1 and Carnage: Black, White & Blood (2021) #2. While you could read some of Cates other books, just to get some of the small references made throughout this one, you'll understand the story fine without them. I would recommend however reading Silver Surfer: Black (2019) as it leads into the King in Black portion of this collection pretty significantly and is also just a fantastic story. Other than that this story is very well told and worth trying for those who aren't a big fan of Symbiote centered stories.5/5

Delivered in mind condition. This omnibus is a thick one and is absolutely a bang for your buck as either a collector or a new reader to comics. If you like Venom and have been apprehensive about jumping into comics, this is a great jumping on point that expands the lore of the character. You will love Venom more than you already do by the end of it and have a deeper understanding by the end. Great writing, great art, great omnibus!

This omnibus changed my view of venom and Eddie Brock. The writing was consistently deep and engaging. The art throughout most of the book was phenomenal. What a way to transform the lore of a character!

What Donny Cates did with Venom is nothing short of outstanding, worth of a standing ovation. His take on Eddie; the clean-up of the symbiote's history; the new additions to the lore; the characterization of existing characters; the creation of the new characters; and yes the retcons are some of the best in tje history of comics... All of that is just phenomenal.And the art? 10/10.Buy this book, read it and rejoice.

Love Venom!! Great comic book to read.

Great storytelling and art

Love this damn book so much. Donny cates is really a legend for this, and don't even get me started on the quality of the book and the art in it, grade A stuff right here. Also this omnibus is the entire main story to the king in black, they have other comics besides venom that tie in so you don't gotta look around for the entire story

Excelente, pero tienes que saber inglés, si no sabes inglés anda a llorar nomás