Venom has been a lot of things in this history at Marvel - full-on supervillain, anti-hero, when paired with Flash Thompson for a time even something of a mercenary who served with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and superhero.
And when Venom's new October-debuting ongoing series launches, he's going full superhero route again. Or at least Eddie Brock's son Dylan is going to try.
When the new series by writers Ram V and Al Ewing and artist Bryan Hitch kicks off, each writer will take on a different track. Al Ewing will follow Eddie in space following his ascension as the new King in Black following the crossover event of that name, and Ram V will follow Dylan on Earth as he tries to control the symbiote to become a superhero.
Emphasis on the word 'try.'
In December's Venom #3, Dylan's personal life suffers in his early days as a burgeoning superhero as learns that that Venom symbiote isn't a pliable pet as he first thought. It's, according to the publisher, a "dangerous, violent, often bloodthirsty alien" and its special bond with his father Eddie is gone.
"When I knew I was going to be writing Dylan's story about his time as Venom I pitched it as a story told through the eyes of a boy on a road trip wearing his father's jacket learning a thing or two about where his father picked up his scars and scuff-marks along the way," Ram V says in Marvel's reveal of Venom #3's cover.
"I think the story interactions between Venom the symbiote, Venom - his father's symbiote, Dylan's own history, and his attempt at finding a new equilibrium are all fascinating things to delve into as we tell this drama through an action-packed tense thriller with a hint of sci-fi, horror."
Of course, Dylan's struggles sound a little bit like the big-screen dynamic between Tom Hardy's Eddie and the symbiote, which has taken on an absurdly humorous, over-the-top buddy cop vibe.
Venom will return to theaters October 15 in the Sony sequel Let There Be Carnage.
Of course, Eddie is part of the new comic book title too, as his story will intertwine and impact Dylan's stories during the course of the series, with Ewing likening the dynamic as a band writing songs for a new album.
"How me and Ram are working together - we're a band, essentially," Ewing explains. "Every issue is a new single, every trade is an album, and Eddie and Dylan are our instruments. They're similar, but they make different notes, produce different sounds, build different stories. And for a while - so you should get used to it now - we're going to be taking turns in the spotlight, playing Dylan songs or Eddie songs, while the other band member stays in the background."
Ewing goes on to explain that as each new single (issue) comes out, readers will see how it fits together, and forms one big concept album...
"...or maybe a symphony," Ewing concludes. "And then, when we're ready, we bring all the instruments in for the crescendo - and that's going to be something to hear."
Eddie's the greatest, of course, and Dylan will try to qualify for Newsarama's list of the best Venom hosts of all time.
