Todd McFarlane Venom #1 Variant

Thanks Captain Obvious. That's some serious detective work. No one could possibly see that just by, you know, looking at the images.

Brock pretty much confirmed, unless they're bait and switching real hard again like they did with Venom Vol. 2.

>like they did with Venom Vol. 2.

How did they bait and switch at all for vol 2? They just hid the fact that it was Flash. They didn't really imply anyone specifically.

The panel that started the 90s at Marvel.

he got wiser

When you put this as the first issue cover and the story is about a tacticool military man with spider powers, it's a bait and switch.

>When you put this as the first issue cover and the story is about a tacticool military man with spider powers

Except for the whole part where that wasn't his first issue, pic related was. And pic related was published first.

654's backup story continued in 654.1 (pic related) before going into Venom vol 2 #1.

Thanks for proving my point, all these issues have Venom on the cover to bait people into buying the book when the actually story is about Agent Venom.

>the story has Venom on the cover!
>But its about Venom!
>W-T-F!?

Yeah, its completely a mystery as to why Marvel would try not to spoil their story on the cover of said issues! What an utter shocker! That has never happened in any fictional media ever!

They weren't even spoiling their story but the time 654.1 and Venom 1 came out since Flash already deputed as Agent Venom in 654. They deliberately but Venom on the two other covers to bait people.

>all these issues have Venom on the cover to bait people into buying the book when the actually story is about Agent Venom.

1- Its the same fucking symbiote, numbnuts.

2- Its not misleading because when Flash would get upset, he'd turn into hulking early 2000s Venom, just like the covers suggest. But I wouldn't expect someone who clearly didn't even bother reading Agent Venom's earliest issues to know this.

That looks like trash.

Didn't they say that it wasn't Brock or any of the previous wearers, though?

They implied it, but they didn't explicitly say so.

It is misleading when it isn't even describing the book accurately. The cover implies it's a Lethal Protector esque book when the story is mainly about a character that looks and acts completely different and RARELY looks like the character put on the cover. It's like putting Spider-Man on the cover of a new Punisher series. And shame on you shills for accepting Marvel's manipulative practices.

>and RARELY looks like the character put on the cover

He did raged out like that in his first fucking full issue. And several times in the first arc. Stop being a moron.

>It's like putting Spider-Man on the cover of a new Punisher series.
Why not?
Spidey was on the cover of Punisher's first comic after all.

He did, for one panel and didn't even look like the Venom described on the panel. Stop being a shill.

>Wah! Marvel isn't specifically catering to me!
>Wah! They didn't spoil the story right on the cover for me!

McFarlane responded to a text message from Newsarama for comment:
>“Someone from Marvel sent me an email to give me a heads up a couple of days ago about it. Seems a bit odd to me as you would expect original artwork on a cover...especially with such an anticipated book.

>“But they get to make whatever decisions they deem fit.

>“Though I have to tell you, I am a much better artist today than that version of Todd they are using. And I could draw one wicked Venom that would be way cooler than that (but as a direct competitor to Marvel it can't happen).

>“I’m also flattered they still want me to work for them 20 years later.”

I love that McFarlane is being friendly after all the shitflinging and plagiarism after he left.

That feel when Venom will never be as cool as he was in the vs games.

>>Marvel has editors that don't grammar check
>>Marvel has writers who don't understand storytelling
>>Marvel has some really terrible artists on many books (Squrriel Girl, Thunderbolts, etc)
>>Marvel phones in variant covers and expects a lot of money

This is embarrassing.

That's just madness.

>Implying the host won't be a black-hispanic midget with a fro, and the bonding process won't be used as an allegory to trasngenderism.

>as a direct competitor to Marvel

Spawn met Batman you nigger.

>Spawn met Batman you nigger.
So did Spider-Man, you nigger.

double nigger

Why the fuck Venom sprite looks rotated?

Are you talking his first appearance? Because that was still a Spider-Man comic.

Then Joe Quesada burned all the bridges between Marvell and DC, and he also lost them Transformers.

Because it's just a re colored panel from the 90s

How did he burn all the bridges?

>Seems a bit odd to me as you would expect original artwork on a cover...especially with such an anticipated book.
>But they get to make whatever decisions they deem fit.
>I’m also flattered they still want me to work for them 20 years later.
>I love that McFarlane is being friendly after all the shitflinging and plagiarism after he left.
He's throwing a ton of shade at them.

He's the one who started all the toxic rivalry stuff like having LCS owners send them ripped covers of DC books back to them for variants, he also started the mock and make fun of DC in the most childish ways possible. There was going to be a Transformers/DC crossover that was cancelled because of all the bad blood. There was also going to be more Marvel/DC crossover stuff but that got shitcanned by him and his attacks.

WHERE will Toxin go? Someone kind hearted? Will he regain his Spider-Man-like appearance? Or is he too far corrupted?

>tfw no version of this cover where Venom has big, stonking tits.
C'mon Marvel, do something right.

That would actually be an interesting direction.

Brock keeps Toxin, but after the events of Carnage and the Darkhold, he decides to go full on hero, thinking that "Maybe there is something to Spider-Man's methods after all", after all the recent stuff he's gone through.

Then when the Venom symbiote goes back to villainy, Brock/Toxin becomes his antagonist again. The new Venom is convinced that whatever he/she is trying to do is just and has a Doctor Doom/Baron Zemo complex, but when viewed by an outsider is straight villain.

In Venom's mind, Toxin is the villain, when in actuality, Toxin is trying to prevent the new Venom from doing its 'evil' deeds.

A throw back to the Agent Venom stuff, but with the roles reversed.

Just change current Toxin's design. It's fucking awful.

No, I agree. The design is pretty shitty. But his role in the book is great.

It's far too late for him to go back to his young personality, I hope they do something good with the poor thing. Maybe give it to Kaine.

What would you do if you were writing?

Pretty sure theyve always been skinny

Not when Patricia Robertson had the clone symbiote. Pic related: Eddie Brock (kneeling Venom) vs Patrcia (amorphous one, holding Spidey).

What does Marvel hope to gain by releasing twenty variants for each book? #1s are already fucking worthless nowadays because of all the constant relaunches.

The one time they decided to have the clone symbiote look hot on Patricia.

>twenty variants for each book

Don't you know?! Its the 90s all over again!

Hell, we're even getting a new Clone Saga over in Amazing Spider-Man!

Marvel has a new interview about the new Venom book. Nothing of note though. marvel.com/news/comics/26773/marvel_now_hear_this_venom?linkId=29254458

To be fair DC is still cranking out Michael Turner 'variants' even though the guy's been dead for almost 10 years

Ideally to Thompson. Brock-Toxin has an Agent Venom-like tacticool form in Carnage. It could keep that form going to Thompson, basically just putting him in a slightly different version of his Thunderbolts look.

>A major part of this new VENOM book will be the evolving relationship between the host and the symbiote. At its core, outside of all the other shenanigans, it’s really a book about a dysfunctional relationship.

This is very pleasing to hear. Glad Costa isn't forgetting that the symbiote is its own character. Hell, Thompson forgot that until midway through Space Knight.

Maybe it's the art, but his face and mouth bother me.

Would also be a good opportunity for the Toxin symbiote to learn about 'the true nature of symbiotes!'

The Agent Venom series was all about a dysfunctional relationship. I just want a book where the host and symbiote get along perfectly like Brock and Venom did. Though I'm settling for Toxin and Brock while it lasts.

The eyes are the same rough shame as the original Toxin suit's with the lines that curl up, but yeah. The mouth is pretty weird. I'd be completely on board with the design if it wasn't there or was slightly wider.

>I’m taking a lot of inspiration from the early [Todd] McFarlane/[Erik] Larsen days. The hulking guy in the Spider-Man costume with the impossible jaw and revolting tongue. The Spider-Man with the monster face. That’s the essence of what makes the character powerful for me.

>but like a lot of creators my age, it’s [David Michelinie’s] original version that’s scarred into some permanent part of my amygdala.

I'm sold! I'll welcome 90s Venom back with open arms.

>The Agent Venom series was all about a dysfunctional relationship

Yeah, just not with Flash and the symbiote. Mostly with Betty, other heroes and Andi.

Flash only speaks to the symbiote in like issue #2 and then the writers just randomly forgot that for the symbiote has been able to communicate with its host for decades just through being linked mentally and decided Flash needed some deus ex machina device to do so at the end of the run.

I'd be totally on board if it was Eddie. It just doesn't feel like a complete call back to early Venom without him.

Covers are released way ahead of the book

The ripped covers were for a promotion; send in 50 of the DC Comics you had to buy to get those Blackest Night GL rings and get a variant, which retailers had a shitload of since most people wanted the rings not the tie-in comics.

And that's how you return books, by ripping off the covers and sending them. Retailers have to pay the shipping and it's cheaper to send an envelope of covers than a box full of comics. That's how you have to return the current DC Rebirth issues too, by ripping off the covers and sending them to DC.

The Transformers/JLA crossover got canned because DC had too much going on with the New 52 at the time. Not sure why you thought Marvel had something to do with it since it was with IDW at the time anyways.

The only thing Quesada has ever said is the porn star comment which was enough for the people at DC to shut down any crossovers.

For reference, pic related.

And then after this writers forgot he could talk to the symbiote until issue #41, when pic related happens.

>Marvel.com: Ok back to the juicy stuff: can you tell us anything about Venom’s next unfortunate victim? Or maybe give us some insight into the alien intelligence behind the black goo? What does it look for in a host?

>Mike Costa: Well now this gets difficult, because I really can’t say too much without spoiling the twists and turns of issue #1. But I can say this: the symbiote’s last host was a solider, and that was a very fruitful relationship. The symbiote also recently went through a very significant change when it was back on its home planet. And those two elements are major factors in who, exactly, it’s hoping to find for its new host. Whether or not it finds who it’s looking for is really the question.

Well, confirmed its a new host.

Porn star comment?

>"What the fuck is DC anyway?" Mr. Quesada said, stoking the fires. "They'd be better off calling it AOL Comics. At least people know what AOL is. I mean, they have Batman and Superman, and they don't know what to do with them. That's like being a porn star with the biggest dick and you can't get it up. What the fuck?" (Paul Levitz, DC's president and publisher, declined to comment for this story through a spokesperson.)

liveweb.archive.org/web/20110307045740/http://www.observer.com/node/45932

It's not a bait-and-switch when the majority of the run is Flash's struggle to hold the line and not let the symbiote take over.

I would imagine the people working at Marvel now being very different than the people that worked there back when McFarlane was there. Same with policies and other shit.

>WHERE will Toxin go?

Into limbo, like when his book ended.

>Mike Costa: The biggest challenge is that Venom is technically two characters: the symbiote and the host. Robbie Thompson did such a great job dramatizing that dichotomy in [VENOM: SPACE KNIGHT], and I’m just going to shamelessly make use of the tools he created and accept all the credit. A major part of this new VENOM book will be the evolving relationship between the host and the symbiote. At its core, outside of all the other shenanigans, it’s really a book about a dysfunctional relationship.

Alright, that sounds promising.

>Mike Costa: No brains are safe from his endless hunger! Seriously, I’m going to find a way to get him to eat some brains. I’m finally following up on that 30-year-old promise. You heard it here first.

DAMMIT

ENOUGH WITH THE EAT BRAINS SHIT

>ENOUGH WITH THE EAT BRAINS SHIT

I agree, unless Costa actually references the events of those 90s miniseries, like Venom: The Hunger. If that's the case, then I'm completely OK with this.

But user, maybe Pat is alive again after the whole Secret Wars nonsense?

That's some serious wishful thinking.

Not him, but we never saw a body. It'd be super easy to saw a fragment of Toxin split off and kept him alive. I mean, Cletus got ripped in half in space and survived.

Isn't that never been seen art?
Besides, DC isn't doing it themselves, Aspen comics is doing it through their stores or whatever.

That would require a writer to remember he exist and he's a white straight cis man that's married and not anyone's waifu. So not happening.

I remember Pat, isn't that enough?!

>isn't that enough

Unless you're Mike Costa, no, no its not.

I'll mention it to Mike, then. Wish me luck.

Kek.

Jesus Christ, Joe.

You totally should. Here is his twitter account: twitter.com/mikecosta

>What happened to McFarlane not doing Marvel work anymore?

His balls have been almost completely devalued since the 90s!

When the Mouse owns the house, the cheese is squeezed

I want the new host to team up with Cho Hulk and tag team wrestle some random villain

...

I really wish they had stuck with this appearance for Toxin. Gave him a much different vibe than Carnage and Venom. Having Flash as the new host wouldn't be too bad though.

>Trumpeting 1 in 1000 variant by SECRET ARTIST
>It's just a recoloring of a McFarlane panel

How fucking desperate are they?