Marvel's New Venom is Building His Own Green Lantern Corps
Warning: contains preview pages for Venom #1!
The conclusion to the epic King in Black event established a new status quo for Venom and the rest of the symbiotes. Eddie Brock has ascended to the role that Knull once held, steering the symbiotes in a more benevolent direction, and in a preview for Venom #1, on sale in print and digital November 3, readers see Eddie mold the symbiotes into Marvel’s version of the Green Lantern Corps.
The King in Black was the culmination of Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s run on Venom. Knull, the King in Black, was the dark god of the symbiotes. Born before the universe was created, Knull waged a war of terror against the galaxy, killing and enslaving other deities. Knull came to Earth, seeking Eddie Brock, the current host of the Venom symbiote. Knull almost won too, but thanks to the intervention of the Engima Force, Knull was banished, with Eddie Brock taking his place. As the new King in Black, Eddie no longer needed the Venom symbiote, and it bonded with his son Dylan. A new era for Eddie and Dylan begins with Venom #1 as the new creative team of writers Al Ewing and Ram V, along with artist Bryan Hitch, take the reign, sending Eddie Brock into deep space, while Dylan fights crime on Earth.
The preview spotlights both Dylan and Eddie. Dylan is adjusting to his new life and is not having the same relationship with the symbiote his father had. Meanwhile, in space, four symbiotes float through the heavens, without a host. The four symbiotes detect a distress signal and alert Eddie to it through their hive mind. He responds instantly, warping his mind to the location of the symbiotes. He then grows them to human size, taking one of them for himself, and they begin saving the ship.
As the new King in Black, Eddie is charting a new direction for the symbiotes—it is even called “the New Deal” at one point. Eddie has created an entire army of symbiotes and gave them a mandate to save lives—making them a riff on the Green Lantern Corps. In this preview, the symbiotes are without a host, and work in concert with Eddie to rescue the ship. It seemed to be a harmonious process, but how might that change once the symbiotes start bonding to new hosts? Will Eddie still be able to exert the same level of control? Given what he witnessed with Knull, Eddie may be reluctant to enforce his will on new hosts—but how will he keep them focused? The Green Lantern Corps rings are capable of scanning a host to tell their intentions, but it would appear the symbiotes have no such capabilities.
These are issues Venom must face as Eddie Brock continues to change the symbiotes and their roles in the Marvel Universe, shaping them into a potentially powerful force for good, just like the Green Lantern Corps.