Venom Epic Collection: Symbiosis Paperback – 18 Dec. 2020

It's no secret that I love the Epic Collection format; it's how I've always wanted my Marvel comics collected in terms of reproduction quality, balanced pricepoint and dedication to reading experience. I've been all in on the line since they started, and while the ECs may be great for long-running books like Iron Man or The Avengers, they REALLY shine when it comes to collecting the more offbeat characters in a convenient way.Venom, riding high thanks to his movie of a couple years ago, is a perfect example. For fans that want to read about their favourite black-goop-covered villain/antihero but don't want to have to get his stories scattered among a ton of Spider-Man issues, this is perfect. The EC editors have done a great job of making this first volume feel as complete an experience as possible.All of Venom's appearances in Spider-Man (and a couple of issues of Darkhawk, plus an Avengers graphic novel) from 1988 to 1992 are gathered here, together with the 1984/5 issues that have Spidey splitting from his symbiotic costume in the first place. Happily, as well as all the full-issue stories, the book also adds in the odd pages between them where Venom appears as subplots; it ensures that you don't feel like you've missed a moment of his story without having to read any unnecessary material.The issues are generally good, too, whether it's his first appearance or his subsequent and increasingly violent clashes with the wallcrawler. We can see the first development of his twisted honour system here, the beginning of the road that would lead him to his mid-nineties antihero status.Extras include Mike Zeck's design for the black suit, a promotional story page, Handbook profile pictures, eighteen various covers from reprints, specials and trades, original art by Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen, a trade introduction by Danny Fingeroth and a new afterword by Ralph Macchio. While mostly redundant to anyone getting the Spider-Man Epic Collections, this really is the best way for Venom fans to read his story in pleasingly complete form.