#it was just like a venom eddie bucket list

[hauntingblue]

Can you believe Otto Hightower got kidnapped and ended up in the venomverse having a road trip with his second family???

[applesbloominthefield]

venom 3 rewatch thoughts

so i just rewatched venom: the last dance again, and i don't know if anyone has ever expressed the same thought as me before, but the first watch, i was really shocked venom insisted on dancing with mrs. chen, because of course, venom would never jeapordize eddie's safety

but then after rewatching it, i've come to realize the small details of venom having big dreams, and i don't know if im looking too deep into it, but isn't there a psychology behind like people who know they're going to die soon and wanting to achieve their 'bucket list', let's say inmates on death row getting their final meals which usually consist of large amounts of food, or grandiose foods in general i know venom and eddie had already planned to move to new york before the main conflict was revealed, but after that venom became even more insistent that they must go to new york,

i think after the warming events that played out with martin's family, and having that neurika (? correct me if im wrong) talk with martin, venom finally came to his senses and finally accepted that it was the end for them (for now), i think it was the same for eddie too, but i think eddie was still in his 'bargaining' phase within the 5 stages of grief.

then we get a touching scene at the vegas strip, and the tone of the movie briefly changes to one that's more sweet and sad at the same time, about venom truly wanting to meet lady liberty one day !! i think the scene that foreshadowed the most about their future grief is venom saying they'll watch some broadway, and eddie was like sure, and venom was a bit shocked because eddie had never liked musicals !!

back to my saying, about isn't there a psychology behind people knowing they're going to die and so they try to achieve bucket lists or major dreams of theirs they haven't achieved yet. i think that's what venom was doing. venom had already accepted that he needed to die for eddie to live and that's why he had these grandiose dreams of going to new york and 'meeting' lady liberty and taking eddie to go see broadway.

then we meet mrs. chen, and venom just HAD to dance with her. venom said eddie never does what he wants, and venom finally went full form to dance with mrs. chen. it was literally venom: the last dance.

so what's my conclusion?

my conclusion is, venom still would NEVER jeapordize eddie's safety. he had his fun with mrs. chen and went full form because venom had already accepted the fact that he was going to have to part ways with eddie (for now). venom just always had a flare for the dramatics (let's not forget venom 1 and 2)!

i think even if they didn't meet mrs. chen or something, venom would somehow still give himself in, basically sacrificing himself, and show a dramatic way of doing it :)

[talesofsonicasura]

Venomous Call

I decided to go more in depth with KN8/Venom crossover idea. There will be some comic elements but it's mostly based on the movie version of the Lethal Protector. For this part, I'll be going over the Kafka's early "Venom Days". Any questions can be asked on my main blog, @sonicasura. Let's get started. Part 2 here. Part 3 is here.

A 25 year old Kafka has life changed forever on one fateful night. He's trying to get his life together after having failed his last shot at the Defense Force. A task that proves very difficult when recruitment ads are plastered everywhere to remind him about his broken promise.

Could Kafka's life get any worse? Well being hit with a meteorite can officially be crossed off his bucket list as that's what happens. A 7 pound hunk of space rock piercing his right lung. Before Kafka loses consciousness due to blood and air loss, he sees something ooze from the meteorite.

The man wakes up back in his bed but he feels off. Like he isn't alone and fuller than usual. Kafka is completely oblivious about the news report where the bodies of the local Yakuza were found in a headless bloody pile.

Well until a growling voice comments how tasty the dead kaiju he's cutting up. Or that the black sludge which used to be his right arm had thrown away the saw and is eating at the corpse. Kafka's just glad no one else was next to him right now.

I will say the start for our himbo's partnership with Venom is less awkward than what Movie Eddie had to deal with. Kafka will question the symbiote about everything as he keeps any info in a notebook. He does puke when Venom tells him they ate a few humans(the Yakuza) earlier.

The man is much more adverse at the idea of cannibalism but he has barely any choice in the matter. Symbiotes sometimes need the required nutrients in their purest state which includes brains from living creatures. Humans have more phenylethylamine than small pest kaiju and the larger ones aren't present much.

Thus Kafka aims Venom's hunger at the criminal underworld. Like Eddie, he is very compatible with the symbiote although on a higher level so all his senses are tied to Vee's when they fully 'suit up'. Our himbo eventually grows numb to the taste of human flesh but it still mentally fucks him up sometimes.

Kafka's Venom form is quite different from the others. He is 10'9 in height, has two long horns similar to his kaiju form, a long bulky tail, rigged spikes going down his spine, white stripes on his arms, legs, neck, and tail. Venom will later add the Hoshina Clan Emblem for their chest symbol. (The symbiote thought it looked cool.)

Like the comic book adaptation, he uses natural webs to get around than just the tendrils the symbiote can provide. These abilities stem from Venom feeding on the kaiju corpses. Other comic related powers are: poisonous fangs, self-sustenance, flight(generating dragon wings), Morphomerge (bond with inanimate objects like vehicles to an extent), Energy Absorption and Transference.

There's a case of mistaken identity for a while. Venom kills No.7 and the Defense Force arrives on the scene before the Lethal Protector could leave. They assume he's the daikaiju, not the corpse. It takes a while before the Defense Force realizes that Kaiju No.7 had been neutralized and this is something else entirely.

Mina loathes Venom quite a bit. One being that the 'kaiju' likes to toy with her while calling the Captain "Pretty Lady". (Kafka is quietly dying on the inside whenever the symbiote does this.) The second reason being how Venom acts like a protector despite the fact he eats humans rather than just kaiju.

In short, Mina thinks he's a high and mighty monstrous hypocrite. Soshiro is a different case. He has a fun little 'rivalry' with Venom whenever he comes across them. Kafka obviously doesn't find being sliced and diced fun. Soshiro is quick to joke about the modified Hoshina emblem on the Lethal Protector's chest.

He finds the whole bit amusing even with Venom's man eating tendencies. They are labeled Capture Dead or Alive. He is one of the first cases where a kaiju not only has human level sapience and intelligence but a (twisted) moral compass too.

It didn't take to uncover Venom's weakness to fire. That opened up a bigger shitstorm as Mina witnesses some of Kafka's human form underneath the black ooze. She didn't see his face but it was enough to reveal the Lethal Protector needs a host to operate.

Venom obviously has a constantly updating file in the Defense Force archives. The major details are always highlighted such as his ability to adapt. Soshiro had accidentally bumped into the Lethal Protector gorging on a dragon Honju's corpse during a patrol.

Venom hadn't been in the mood to fight so our Vice Captain got front row seats to him sprouting wings that were heavily similar to the monster he had been eating. This was the first incident to raise him up the list of Defense Force priorities. Biggest is obviously the host bit.

That had gotten everyone in a tizzy as it means Venom was potentially lurking inside a human host. Many questions and theories were bounced around. 'Is the host aware of the entity in their body?' 'Are they even alive or just a corpse being puppeted?'

It made building a sensor to detect the Lethal Protector top priority amongst the Science Department. This includes smaller models as they now had to scan the civilian population for Venom's host. Everything only gets more difficult for Kafka when the DF discovers the symbiote's weakness to high frequency sounds.

It had been at a trafficking ring disguised as a rave den. One of Venom's prey accidentally turned up the stereos in fright when the Defense Force had busted down the door. The higher frequency made the Lethal Protector howl in pain before he destroyed the devices.

He obviously ran but it was too late to keep this weakness a secret. With these two major weak spots known, the Defense Force would soon concoct a plan to uncover Venom's true identity and apprehend him. I'm on the fence about Kafka escaping with his identity in tact or becoming a wanted man.

There's some very tasty angst with the latter as Mina is obviously part of this operation. Seeing her childhood friend underneath the monstrous black mass would already hurt. To see him choose the monster and the creature chastising her for abandoning him is the coup de grace.

Especially if the only thing Kafka could say is something like 'I'm sorry for being a worthless friend' before he flies off as Venom. He no doubt has negative feelings for his lost friendship with Mina. Plus symbiotes tend to bring such emotions closer to the surface in their hosts.

She is obviously gonna chase after Kafka. Those words pretty much addressed the part of her that Mina tries not to. How she essentially abandoned Kafka because he couldn't get into the Defense Force.

The regret that her purposely distancing herself from him led to the Captain's childhood friend to become Venom. And how much it ate away at him. Mina will want to fix this as Kafka is her responsibility in the end.

Even if it means putting the man inside a kaiju containment cell.

@discoknack @foolmariofest @noodlesbf-blog @mechazushi @scribblermerlin @giantgoblin @kafkahibinomybeloved @drmarune @renard-dartigue

[sonicasura]

Venom/ Dragon Quest Monsters

What a headache….

Psaro's luck just seemed too hate him some times…

Where the Hell is this place!? How are those steel machines moving so fast?! The buildings are as huge as a castle and are all lit up!!! And… ah forget it. It doesn't matter, Psaro's top priority should be finding a way home. His Zoom spell can't locate home and he only has 10 of his Monster companions with him and items from his world safely in his bag.

Walking around the Street Corner he saw people walking up and down the sidewalks minding there own business. Hmm… Psaro should set up a glamour spell, didn't want too draw too much attention too himself. Doing so Psaro appearance morphed and by morphed I mean his ears were round instead of pointed. With everything set up Psaro began his exploration of this strange new world.

Eddie: Venom! VENOM! Watch were where going here! I don't wanna go flying off the side of a building.

Venom: You worry too much. As long as we are bonded together, their is nothing too fear. I am agile and very tough!

Eddie: Ya ok but still. Hitting the side of a wall is not on the bucket list for me pal.

Venom: What is a bucket list?

Eddie: Why? Why ME!?!?!

Eddie couldn't help but shout as Venom took the wheel on one of there night strolls throughout San Francisco. It had been at least 2 Months since Eddie had broken into the Life Foundation and met the Alien Symbiote who was named Venom. There relationship for the first couple of weeks was very rocky but as they got too know each other it got a bit better. Eddie had been trying too get better with this Full-Form they could take on together. Though this was a night that Venom wanted too go explore more the city. Something that Eddie sort of dreaded as Venom was a maniac behind the wheel.

Eddie felt himself touch down and look over a side of the building slightly thankful that Venom had stopped.

Venom: Eddie! Bad Guys!

Never mind, the situation just got a whole lot worse. The Bad guys were a bunch of street punks around 3 of them who had corned a young teen and were demanding his money and valuables. The Teen for his part looked incredibly unamused at this situation.

Eddie: Venom wait! You are just going too beat them up a bit. NOT bite their heads off!

Venom: BUT EDDIE!!! I'm very hungry and these are bad guys. You said I could eat the heads of bad guys!

Eddie: Ya I said bad guys and I meant seriously bad guys like serial killers. Not some wanna bees Master mind thieves!

As Eddie and Venom squabbled over the punks would be there next lunch a bunch of screaming sound caught there attention.

And much too both of there surprise all the Punks pants had caught on fire!

Psaro: * Thoughts* And so my Headache returns…

A couple of would-be bandits thought that it would be a good idea too try and rob him. Psaro told them quite a few times too piss of and leave him be as he was not in a mood too deal with people like them, but the idiots just laughed and continued there very sad attempt at being scary.

Psaro felt the Capsules in his bag shake with vigor, a signal that his Monsters wanted too come out and beat up the bandits for trying too brashly rob their Lord and friend.

Psaro would have too finish this quickly before Nero came out of his Capsule.

Deciding too end this quickly, Psaro snapped his fingers confusing all the punks for a couple of seconds before each one felt heat on their pants and smelled smoke. They let out a comical combined scream and began too run around and roll on the ground as Psaro took this chance too walk away.

Psaro: Hmmph, nothing but fools.

Though one of the punks did put out the fire on his pants and not taking the hint, got angry and rushed at Psaro with a Metal Bat from behind. Though this was a great mistake as Psaro effortlessly flicked hand backwards, surging with electrical might as a it flew towards the metal Bat and gave a powerful electrocution that had the punk fall too the ground twitching and groaning in pain. This scared the other 2 Punks who grabbed there friend and ran off with them all while calling him a freak.

Psaro walked off rubbing his head in irritation at the whole thing while he had unknowingly gained another follower who was tailing the Prince in curiosity

I'm not surprised that somebody tried to mug Psaro on his first night. Those punks are lucky Nero didn't come out as a massive black dragon is far less nicer than magic. Venom is definitely taking the Prince and Eddie goes along with it.

[acourtofsnakes]

Let The Devil In, Chapter 6 - Eddie Brock/Venom x F!Reader

Gif by @mistress-gif​ 

Summary: You and Eddie head off to Kasady’s execution, and things go much differently to what you expected. And the rest of the night certainly doesn’t get any better. 

Warnings: Swearing, prison, mention of death sentence/execution, mention of abuse, death of a parent

A/N: Back on the cliff-hangers 🥰

Words: 4.6k

Permanent Taglist: @greeneyedblondie44 @mamacitapascal @mypedrom  @undiscovered-misunderstood @kaylee-krystal @queenofthefaceless @gallowsjoker @kirsteng42​ @rosiefridayrogersunday​ @salome-c​

LTDI Taglist: @threeminutesoflife @torntaltos  @potter-solomons @cc13723things @xxlumos

LTDI Masterlist | Masterlist

It’s not every day that you get to go to the execution of a serial killer. 

It wasn’t exactly something that had been on your bucket list, either. 

But it was just one of these things that came with the job, you supposed. 

Eddie had called you this morning, telling you about the postcard he’d received. Or rather, the invitation. To Cletus Kasady’s death sentence. 

Somehow, you’d both secured rights to speak to him before it happened, to take down his last words before he said goodbye. 

But… you’d been thinking. 

About how hard Eddie had worked. The fact he had found the location of the bodies - with Venom’s help of course. The words he’d written and the pain he had eased from the families who had fallen victim to Kasady’s terror. 

And you’d decided. You were going to give him the story back.  

You’d only written your introductory piece, having helped Eddie write up about the murders but his was his name on the main story… and it should stay that way. 

It had cemented in your head after his call, and you had decided to tell him upon meeting him before you headed to the prison. 

Now, what did one wear to an execution?

~~~

“You look ridiculously hot, you know that, right?” Eddie’s voice was a little gruff as he looked over at you, seated in the passenger seat of your Baby. 

A grin curled your lips as you focused on the road, heading toward the prison, “Oh yeah? Tell me again and maybe I’ll believe you.” You chuckled softly, voice teasing. 

Eddie laughed too, rolling his eyes playfully and he reached over, resting his hand on your thigh, “Ven agrees with me. He says you look edible, and not in the same way he wants to eat me.” He frowned a little when he repeated it, realising what Vee meant. “Rude.” He muttered it softly under his breath. 

Oh, how you loved your boys. 

You looked over at Eddie as you waited for a traffic light to change, and you dropped him a wink, “Well, you can both have me as a snack anytime you like.” 

Eddie’s hazel eyes glimmered with dark excitement and delight, showing the exact direction his - and Venom’s - thoughts had gone to. 

He opened those plush lips to speak, but you swiftly cut him off. 

“Unfortunately, that’ll have to be later because we’re almost here.” You pulled away from the traffic lights, tapping your fingers to the radio, in a light, happy mood despite what you were about to witness. You supposed you should be more serious, but your good mood couldn’t be helped. 

Look who was sitting next you, laughing and giving you bedroom eyes. 

You’d been inseparable over the past couple of weeks and… it felt good. 

Really good. 

And you knew the way your heart was headed, even if it did terrify you. Did he feel the same? Were you imagining all of this? 

Before you could develop into a full internal spiral, the sat nav beeper to inform you of the upcoming right turn, which would lead you to the prison. 

As you turned off and drove down the quiet, barren road, Eddie chuckled at something. 

You raised a brow, shooting him an incredulous look, “Vee giving you an inside joke?” 

Eddie turned to meet your gaze, his plush lips pulling up into a grin and shook his head, “Don’t I take you on the most romantic dates?” He motioned to the prison looming up as you got toward the gates. 

You gasped playfully, putting on a gushy voice, “Well I have never been somewhere quite as stunning as this, I must say. It’s simply amazing.” 

Eddie beamed at you, before a guard came to each of your windows and double checked who you were. 

Once cleared, you drive into the car park and pulled the Chevy into a space. 

You gazed up at the concrete building after you both got out, shielding your eyes from the sunny glare, “I just don’t know how you can to this one, Eddie.” 

He looked over at you, the sun bouncing off his hair and turning it golden, “Oh, sweetheart, it only goes up from here.” 

~~~

Cletus Kasady was sitting in the corner of his cage, eating what was presumably his last meal. 

As you and Eddie where escorted in, his head swivelled, tracking you both with that unnerving, unhinged gaze. 

He seemed oddly at ease for a man who was about to die in front of the families he had torn apart.

You heard Eddie mumble under his breath, quieter than a whisper, “This is a me thing not a we thing.” Clearly telling his alien to rein it in. 

“Oooh, happy day for you, Eddie Brock.” He cocked his head as he watched the object of his obsession grow closer, “What a scoop you had, huh? But now it’s the end of the magical…” He pondered his words, waving his fork in the air, “Misery tour.” 

You joined Eddie’s side, letting your arm brush against his as a subtle little gesture to say you were there but this was his moment. 

Cletus’ gaze shifted to you, that sick grin lifting his lips and he gasped softly, “Oh, and you bought the pretty one back to say goodbye to me.” He blew you a kiss, “Are you going to weep for me, my love?”

Ew.

“Tears of joy, Mr Kasady.” You returned his grin with a saccharine smile, dripping with sarcasm. 

Cletus chuckled, near beaming at you, “I do wish we could have had longer to play together. But thanks to your boyfriend over here, we can’t.” He pouted at Eddie, as his grin faded, and a strange light entered his eyes, “You know, Eddie, I worry for your soul. How are you going to live with the weight of snuffing out a man’s life?” 

You quirked an eyebrow, trying to figure out his angle, the game he was playing. 

Eddie watched him quietly, then shrugged lightly, “I don’t know. I was uh, kinda hoping you could give me a couple pointers there.” 

Kasady chuckled that childish giggle again, pointing at Eddie, “You’re a funny little guy, aren’t you?” He looked at you, “I bet he makes you laugh all the time, doesn’t he?” 

You watched Eddie pull his recording device from his pocket, showing it to Cletus before leaning forward and setting it down on the bars. 

Weird, surely Vee could remember everything he said? Maybe they were arguing again. 

Without looking at Kasady, you answered the murderer in his cage, “Like you wouldn’t believe.” 

Just what was he up to?

Cletus was back on his monologue, clearly gearing up for something, “Consequences.” He drew the word out, as if savouring it, “Every decision you ever make,” He pointed his fork at Eddie again, “Who do we leave behind? And how do we leave them?” 

He paused, obviously for some kind of dramatic effect, “A connubial bed… empty? Waiting in the darkness for the rescuer that… never comes. Because of you.” He gave Eddie a certain look, a weighted one that set the hairs on the back of your neck rising. Like a cat eyeing up a mouse it wanted to toy with. 

Eddie was still and silent beside you, a slight furrow between his brows like he too, was trying to figure out what the fuck Kasady was going on about. It made you wonder if Venom was talking to him. 

Kasady continued, motioning once more with that fork like he was a preacher or evangelist holding the attention of many as he spewed his words, “You and I are the same, Eddie.” He nodded solemnly. 

Despite his weird attention toward you, it was like you weren’t there. Whatever he was planning, it had sole focus on Eddie… And that was dangerous. 

Of course, they could just be the ramblings of a murderer… But this murderer was unhinged, and very, very meticulous. Not to mention near obsessed with Eddie. 

“No. No we’re not.” Eddie’s rough rumble broke the strange atmosphere, and he crossed his arms, still close to your side. 

Cletus carried on as if Eddie hadn’t even spoken, “Twisted insides, mean daddies.” He pouted again, “You feel like home to me, Eddie. Like family and that is all I ever truly wanted in this world.” He sighed; brows lowered as if the memories were painful. 

Now that was news to you. You knew that Eddie hadn’t gotten on with his father, but you didn’t know the true extent of it. He didn’t talk about it and you didn’t push him, the same as he didn’t push you about your mum. 

A quick glance told you that though Eddie appeared relaxed, his shoulders had turned stiff. That although he was nodding along like he was humouring Cletus… The words were maybe starting to hit home. “Yeah well, killing your grandma and your mother sure is a funny way of showing it.” His voice was a tad lower, tighter. You’d only notice it if you knew him well, recognised his tells that showed his true emotions. 

Cletus nodded, looking down like a child admitting they had done something wrong. 

He was so fucking weird. 

You looked around the chilly room, the guard slouched in a chair in the corner, waiting for Cletus to be done. 

“Is there anything you want to unburden yourself with?” Eddie unfolded his arms, clearly as eager to get this done with as the rest of you, “You know, before you...” He trailed off, pointing to the room at the far end of the hall where Cletus’ execution could take place. 

What else could he possibly have to say? 

Cletus sucked his lower lip between his teeth, nodding again, “Yes. Yes, there is.” 

Dumb question. 

He rose from his stool, padding over to the bars in front of where you and Eddie stood behind the yellow line, “I have wishes, Eddie.” He brought his hands to his chest, and then spread them toward Eddie like an offering. 

You rolled your eyes, shifting on your feet and muttered under your breath, “Oh joy. Anyone see Aladdin?” 

Eddie’s lips twitched and he looked down at you, eyes twinkling despite the darker shade they had taken. 

“Excuse me, Eddie. This is my time with you, not hers.” Cletus’ voice was sharper, waiting for Eddie to give him all the attention and he relaxed when Eddie had done so. 

“I want to wish you… This heartbreak.” He practically snarled the last word through gritted teeth, the atmosphere changing into something that tasted like danger. “I wish for you to see out your days alone, just as you always have been.” 

You frowned, back straightening with a lick of fury and you stepped forward just a tad, “Watch it, asshole.” You spat the words, not caring that the guard had sat up in his seat, more alert now. 

Eddie gently tugged you back to his side, a faint tremor in his hands that told you Vee was equally as pissed, “Where are you going with this?” He shrugged; his voice nonchalant but you saw right through it. 

“You are a cancer, to everyone who ever loved you, Eddie.” Cletus’ eyes and words held Eddie, trapping him as he spoke the cruel things you knew ran through Eddie’s mind in his darkest moments. 

You looked at the guard, “We’re done here. Get him out, before I kill him myself.” You pointed at the monster in question, feeling the anger sear through your blood, along with a fierce need to protect Eddie from the words.

But he wasn’t done, “You deceived your trusting fiancé, made her lose everything.” Cletus finally looked back at you, his face twisting, “Why, I bet you’ve already done something catastrophic to this one. How long before she sees through your lies and learns what you truly are?”

Eddie let out a shaking breath, his face paling and every single muscle in his body was taut as a bowstring. It was either in defence… or restraint for his friend swarming inside him, no doubt spitting curses and death threats. 

And you were right there with him. You’d flip a coin with Venom to decide who got to rip Kasady’s head off. 

Cletus sighed, shaking his head in disgust, “Well, it’s no wonder Daddy could never love you, is it? You killed his wife, your mother, just by being born.” He hissed the last word, sealing the nail in his coffin and also pressing the trigger on a certain symbiote. 

You didn’t have time to register the horror and guilt on Eddie’s face, nor the way your heart broke for him as the revelation, because Eddie was suddenly flying forward, past the yellow line and right up to the bars. 

Cletus skittered back, and that’s when you saw the thick, black tendril spurting from Eddie’s chest and wrapping around Kasady’s throat in a chokehold. 

“No!!! No, no, no, stop it!!” Eddie was helpless to stop Venom, too busy clinging to the bars to stop his face being jammed into the metal from the force of Venom’s assault. 

“Shit.” You breathed the word, then ran forward too, trying to pull Eddie away from the bars, “Hey!! Knock it off!!” You were speaking to Venom, hoping he would listen to you like he usually did. 

Or not, because the next second, Cletus was slammed into the bars, face to face with you both and he reached for Eddie’s hand, wrenching it free and he bit down harshly into Eddie’s skin. 

Eddie cried out in pain, and the sudden shock and noise brought Venom to attention, and he shot back into his hosts body in order to heal the wound. 

“Hey!! I told you to stay behind the line!” The guard was finally there, pulling you and Eddie back away from the cage sharply. “You’re done. Both of you.” 

You quickly grabbed the recorder before rounding on him, knocking his hands away, “Oh now you’re helping!! Where were you before? Napping?” You snapped at him, sliding your hand around Eddie’s arm and looking at the wounded hand he was clutching at. 

Cletus however was off again, staring at Eddie like he was… well, an alien. “What are you?” He whispered the words, blood on the corner of his lip, “I have tasted blood before, and that is not it.” He surged forward, clinging to the side of the cage as the useless guard started herding you, “Eddie Brock has a big SECRET!!” He started yelling, reaching through the bars, “His little girlfriend is on it too!!” 

“Shut the hell up, Kasady.” The guard all but threw the pair of you outside the door, another officer coming forward to take you both out. 

You shot a glance to the back of the officer’s head, and then slipped your arm through Eddie’s properly, “Are you okay?” You whispered it softly, searching his face with worried eyes. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but then you were at the front desk and being asked to sign out. 

One of the other men on duty tilted his head, looking at Eddie, “Hey, aren’t you Eddie Brock?” 

Eddie didn’t even look at him, inside slipping his good hand into yours and pulling you from the building, “I don’t know anymore.” 

You followed him out into the fresh air, hurrying to catch up to his side just as he started talking again, “I don’t want another word from you. I don’t want to hear you, see you, or even feel you. Just don’t.” 

Eddie was walking quickly to your car, and only let go of your hand when you reached the vehicle. His jaw was set rigid enough to cut diamonds, his brows lowered and eyes more a stormy brown than their usual green tone. 

“Eddie…” You watched him over the roof of your car, trying to think best how to break him out of this shell. 

He looked at you, but only for a brief moment, “I’m fine. Really. Let’s just go home.” He tried for a smile, but it failed on his lips, and he ducked down to get in the car before you could try again. 

~~~

The sounds of the tv filled your apartment, acting as a background noise whilst you made dinner. The news was on, talking about some latest celebrity scandal that was sure to make the front-page news tomorrow. 

Eddie was coming over soon, having stopped by his apartment on the way home from the prison to pick up some clothes and send off his article - so, you offered to make food for when he got here.

You’d tried again to get him to talk, and he all but begged you to believe that he was okay, so you relented. Having had a similar moment in the past, you knew best to leave it, let him come to speaking on his own terms. Sometimes he needed to be pushed, but other times it just made him retreat further into himself. 

Besides, he no doubt wanted to confront and berate Vee about his actions – so it really was best to stay out of that shouting match. 

It still made you smile, to think about how your relationship had changed its dynamic. 

From verbally cutting each other one second and having hate sex the next… To waking up in each other’s arms and decided who was going to do dinner that night. 

Maybe it always meant to be this way, always destined to develop into this unique relationship with your Eddie. 

And his alien. 

That thought had you chuckling softly, shaking your head as you chopped up the vegetables for your meal. 

Things definitely had changed. And for the better. 

You had a call on the way home from your mother’s nurse, and she told you how well your mum had been doing recently. She’d been well and stable enough to run the art class yesterday, and even asked about you. Apparently, she’d woken up and asked the nurse when that sweet girl would be coming to see her, the one that had the same colour hair and the same smile as her husband. 

She was finally remembering you again. Sure, it wasn’t her remembering your name or that you were her daughter but… It was something. She recognised you and saw that link to you and family. 

Maybe you should bring Eddie. 

Would she like that? Like to meet him? 

You pondered that thought for a moment, wondering if maybe it would grasp at some other memory she had. You’d previously told her about him and knew that she watched his show back when he still had it. 

Perhaps seeing the pair of you together would trigger something? 

It was certainly worth a shot. 

“We interrupt this story to bring you some breaking news. We have just received word from police officers at San Quentin Prison that a high-level, extremely dangerous prisoner has escaped.” 

What the fuck? 

The knife slipped in your hand, missing your finger by mere millimetres as you spun round and ran to the tv. 

There was no possible way. None. Surely. 

Oh, but there was. 

Next to the news anchors face, was the mug shot of Cletus Kasady. 

“Holy shit.” You breathed the words, turning the volume up and you grasped the back of the sofa. 

Bear lifted her head from the sofa, looking at you quizzically and then flopping it back down again.

“Officers say that Kasady somehow escaped his execution, killing many of the police officers on his way out. They are asking the public to stay off the streets tonight, and make sure they lock their doors and windows. If anyone has any information, please call the number on screen now.” 

The sudden blaring noise of your ringtone made you jump about a foot in the air, making Bear bark at the same time. 

You clutched your now racing heart, reaching down to pull the phone from the side of the sofa and also give Bear some soothing pats as she shot back up, “Easy…” 

Thankfully, it was Eddie’s face on your home screen and not that of a murderer. 

Not that he’d have your number anyway, nor would you have him in your contacts but still. 

“Hey, Eddie. Did you-“ 

“Are you at home?” Eddie’s voice was frantic, slightly off-kilter. You couldn’t blame him, but he was usually pretty calm in these situations. 

You turned the volume down on the tv, leaning against the sofa, “Yeah, I’m home. Are you okay? I know you were on your way here but maybe you should stay inside. I’d say we’re pretty high up on his list, wouldn’t you?” You ran a hand through your hair, wanting Eddie and Vee by your side where you could make sure they were safe, but equally not wanting them wandering the streets. “I’ll come to you.”

They could take Cletus, easily but that wasn’t the point. 

“No, no. No I’m coming to you. Stay inside. And shut your curtains. He doesn’t know where either of us live, though he might have an upper hand in finding me at this point so I probably shouldn’t be near you, but I have to make sure you’re okay.” You could hear him move around his apartment, as well as the tone of voice which was rapidly losing its hold on calm. 

Something was wrong. 

Aside from the obvious, of course. 

You frowned, looking toward the windows as if Cletus was hanging upside down in front of it like a killer Spider-Man. “Eddie, slow down. Breathe. Why shouldn’t you be near me? You haven’t done anything.” 

Eddie laughed, but it was strained and panicked, “Yeah, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Uh… You remember when Venom attacked him at the prison?” 

“Yes it’s kinda hard to forget, but if you’re worried about pissing him off, I hardly think that makes you more dangerous to me. You being by my side doesn’t make me any more or less of a target.” Where was he going with this?

“No, no. I know it’s not that. It’s just that…” He trailed off and realised what the problem was. He sounded… lost. Like he was out of sorts, couldn’t grasp what was happening. 

Was this just to do with Cletus? 

You were quiet for a second and then said softly, clearly, “Come here, Eddie. You will not make me anymore of a target. Us being in the same place only makes more sense, then he can’t use one of us to get to the other. So just... come here and be safe, okay? Nothing you do will hurt me.” You tried for humour now, “Besides, if he does come, Vee can just eat him.” 

Then you heard Eddie swallow thickly.  His voice hoarse, “Well, that’s the thing. Venom isn’t here.” 

Huh? 

You paused your pacing, frowning yet again, “Not here? What do you mean he’s not here?” 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say… When we got back earlier, we argued. Badly. And we fought… again.” That was nothing new, “I thought it’d be like before, but he really pissed me off. He blew the last time Cletus would be on record and he could have gotten you hurt. We… He’s gone. I set the fire alarm off, and he left. I don’t know where he is.” Eddie’s voice cracked a little at the end, and that’s when you knew that as much as he was angry at Venom… He was worried. 

You were stunned. 

They argued, pretty much most of the time and you knew Eddie was pissed at Vee but… for them to quite literally part ways… 

“There’s a serial killer on the loose, possibly coming to kill me and my girlfriend and I’ve lost my alien.” Eddie laughed again, a higher and even more strained laugh and he sounded like he was about to descend into a panic attack. 

Girlfriend?

Lost alien?

Murderer on the loose?

This was all building up really rather quickly. You resumed your pacing, brain still stuck on that word Eddie has used and your heart was swelling with joy despite the situation, “Okay. Okay. Breathe, just... take a moment and we’ll work through this, alright? Did you see where he-“ 

A knock at the door stopped you cold, freezing you halfway across your living room. 

You stared at the door like it had teeth.

“Eddie, is that you?” The words were a soft whisper, just in case, you know, there was a murderer the other side of the door. 

Bear immediately started growling, her ears pricking up in alert… and she hardly ever growled.

Eddie’s voice had sharpened, more alert, “No, that’s not me. I’ve only just left my apartment. Don’t answer it, okay? I’m on my way.” 

His words were almost drowned out by another rapid knock, harder this time and more insistent. 

Adrenaline snuck into your blood, and you tiptoed over to the kitchen, picking up the large knife you’d been using to cut up peppers. “You can’t come here, what if that’s Kasady out there? He’ll kill you, Eddie. Or eat you.” 

“Ma’am, this is the FBI. Please open the door, we have a few questions.”

Oh for the love of God, you were going to have a panic attack yourself in a minute. 

“Who was that? Is that the FBI? Don’t answer the door, they might be lying.” Eddie’s voice was uneven, like he was running now. 

You made a noise of exasperation, “I can’t just ignore the door, Eddie, it’s the FBI!!” You tiptoed to the front door, peering through the peephole. 

There were two officers there, dressed in FBI jackets and they were holding their badges up to the eye hole. They knew you were in. 

You whispered down the phone, “I’ve seen their badges. I’m going to open the door; I can get rid of them. Or maybe they know about Kasady.” 

Now it was Eddie’s turn to make a noise, “No! Don’t, please don’t answer it. They might be trying to trick you out. Just please wait inside and I’ll get rid of them when I get there.” The panic in his voice tugged at your heartstrings, still not used to the worry. 

But this was you. You weren’t afraid of many things anymore. And besides, this might give you a chance to help Eddie. 

“Look, if they see you, they’ll think you have something to do with it. They’re still investigating you for all the Life Foundation stuff, right? Maybe I can help. Besides, I don’t think it’s that. They’re probably just wanting to know if Kasady told us anything about where he might be going. I’m opening the door.” 

You didn’t hear what Eddie said next, as you unlocked the door and pull it open a little bit, enough to show your face, “Hi, can I help you?” 

The first man showed you his badge more clearly then put it away, “We hope so, ma’am. I’m sure you’ve heard the news about Cletus Kasady.” 

Relief flooded your system, and you made a mental note to say I told you so to Eddie layer. You nodded quickly, “Yeah, I just saw it. It’s terrible what happened to those officers.” 

The agent nodded again, then motioned to the door, “That’s what we’re here for. If we could come in, we’d like to ask you some questions.” 

You looked back into your apartment and then back at the two agents, “About Kasady?” 

The second man stepped forward now, shaking his head, “No, ma’am.” He held up a picture. 

A picture of someone you knew like the back of your hand. 

“We’d like to ask you some questions about Eddie Brock.”

previous | next

[iamnmbr3]

Quarantine Rec List Part 2

Figure we could all use a laugh so for part 2 I’ve pulled together some of my favorite funny fics. I’ve done a few picks for symbrock, kylux, stucky, and drarry. Enjoy. :)  

Venom (Symbrock)

The Search for Shmoo by zuzeca (complete | 7,067 | E ) 

In which Eddie finds himself unprepared for the realities of Klyntar sexuality, and Venom considers the potential merits of Viagra.

Real Life Has No Manager by susieboo (complete | 3,372 | G )

Look, Colin doesn't mind weirdos. Not as long as they pay for their groceries, anyway. But sometimes... sometimes, you see something and you just have to draw a line in the fucking sand.

[Ten vignettes about a cashier who witnesses Symbrock and their usual bullshit, because Eddie must seem like a real weirdo to anyone who doesn't know about the Symbiote. Oneshot. Humor.]

Star Wars (Kylux)

Workplace Romance by liesmyth (complete | 5,728 | M )

“Kylo Ren,” Leia says, resolutely. “Absolutely does not have a trifurcate dick. Trust me on this.”

In which everyone on board the Finalizer hate-ships Hux and Ren - and Ren's mysterious, probably prehensile, alien dick. Hard.

You're Awful by zamwessell (complete | 2,352 | G )

“Why are you trying to inspire them with speeches?” Ren asks. “I thought they were programmed from birth to obey.” “And why would I take any advice from you, Mr. I-Inexplicably-Have-A-Black-Bucket-Over-My-Head?” “Careful.” “I’m sorry, Darth I-Inexplicably-Have-A-Black-Bucket-Over-My-Head.”

General Hux and Kylo Ren hate working together. For different reasons.

Through A Cat's Eyes by Sath (complete | 2,034 | T )

Millicent the cat, as the most important person in Hux's life, relates all that really matters about Hux and that horrible interloper, Kylo Ren.

Harry Potter (Drarry)

Slammed by Faith Wood (faithwood) (complete | 2,038 | G )

Potter develops a worrying habit of randomly wall-slamming Draco all over the castle.

MCU (Stucky)

Tinfoil Hat (or Bucky Barnes Vs. The Pigeon Uprising by GoodbyBlues (complete | 3,733 | T )

Based on the Tumblr prompt 'I went to water my plants on the balcony and you're on yours with a tinfoil hat, what the hell are you doing?'

buachaill sciobail by silentwalrus (complete | 5,271 ) 

“Okay,” Sam says. “Okay. Alright. O-kay. I just, I gotta say, man, when you told me ‘Bucky is a selkie’ this is not... really…. what I... imagined.” “What did you imagine?” Steve says. Across his lap - or rather covering his entire body from the waist down - the eight hundred pound tube of blubber that is J.B. Barnes blows a snot bubble.

Things the men of the Howling Commandos are no longer allowed to do in the SSR by Odsbodkins (complete | 769 | G )

The Captain America: The First America version of Skippy's list - Things the men of the Howling Commandos are no longer allowed to do in the SSR.

Part 1

[l1ana]

Dating Peter Parker while being Eddies' younger sister would include...

Dedicated to @gaynessnyoom for giving me this idea tysm bb

———

You had moved in with Eddie, claiming that you needed a place to crash at for some time

Which was odd since you were in college

Whatever, Eddie loved you with his entire being. Obviously, he let you in without hesitation

To be quite frank, he was getting tired of being alone accompanied with a blood hungy parasite every day

You staying at his place clearly made days much more brighter

You both loved exchanging stories about one another during your time apart and laughed it up

When Venom came into the picture, things didn't really change much besides you and him having constant arguments on which sort of sweets were better

Venom made an oath at the moment he saw you to protect you from whatever harm may come your way with the same amount of force that he protects Eddie with

They both loved you like a daughter — In spite of Eddie being your older brother

Your pictures of different monuments and various attractions served as good fuel for his career

Photography was your more proficient skill

One day while you were walking around the city, snapping a few pics, you saw it— Or rather, him

Spider-man, the hero of Queens

Lounging in an alleyway, sat in a hammock made of spiderwebs with a pair of headphones on

His red and blue color pallet immediately caught your eyes and you took a picture with no second thoughts

While you were fawning over catching a picture of someone so famous, the camera flash had caused the spandex-attired male to turn in your direction

Oh dear how he felt his heartbeat speed up three times than usual

Good lord you were a goddess in his eyes

He was stammering and tripping over his own words, unable to get anything out

There goes his spiderman charm

“So you're the real deal, huh?” You asked, stepping into the alleyway while looking up at him

“M-mhm, yup. In the flesh— whoa!” He stood up in his hammock but immediately lost balance, slipping and falling into the dumpster besides you. His head popped up from the pile of garbage bags

“More like in the spandex...” A gag came from your lips. “...And rotten foods.” You giggled, plucking a half-eaten banana from off his head

‘Im in love’ He thought then and there

From that point on, a beautiful relationship formed between you and Spiderman, the both of you meeting up in secluded areas of the city and exchanging joyous words every day

The time you and his geeky self -aka Peter Parker- met up was when you and Eddie paid a visit to the Bugle, in search for some juicy news to cover and report on

Peter had intentionally bumped into you in hopes to start up any sort of small talk. It was then that he found out that you wanted to dig deeper into Spidermans background and find out more about him

He promised to take you out, claiming that he had some “interesting spots that Spiderman likes to hang out at”

Of course, you took his words and set off with him

Eddie and Venom were definitely cautious of Peter

‘We should bite his head off.’ “Venom, no.” ‘What if he takes advantage of her?’ “He seems like a nice guy. Besides, [Name] can take care of herself.” ‘He's checking her out, Eddie.’ “...” ‘Exactly.’

Eddie sighed, speaking up to call your name. “Hey, uh, [Name],” You whipped your head around, grabbing Peters hand to stop him from walking off without you. “Yeah? What's up?” Eddie sighed again, probably anticipating you to feel offense to what he said: “I know that you're, uh, grown and all but... Y'know, be safe out there. Don't wander into the unknown, kay?” But instead you laughed at him in the most innocent way possible. “Don't worry, don't worry. I can stand my own.” And smiled so brightly it made his worries wash away.

And just like that, you were gone

‘We should follow them’ “Can you not? I'd like to respect her privacy as a grown woman, thank you very much.”

Sightseeing new places was definetly checked off of your bucket list

Peter practically dragged you everywhere he found to be a great site for dates

Yes, he was trying to find a way to turn this into a date

And yes, he was worried on whether you'd catch on to it or not

Most of the places he went to, he was commonly known in

“Hey Peter, who's the lucky girl?”

Que the blushing nerd

“She's, uh, new in town. I'm just taking her to some places Spiderman likes to stop by to. A-also, we're just aqquantices.”

“Haha, yeah. Well try not to confuse where the line ends at, okay?”

You and him were pretty much already talked about to be a couple

It was extremely embarassing for Peter, whilst you displayed no problem with what they were saying

Soon enough, you earned a spot in the Bugle as a worker, right in the same position as Peter

“[Name]? Wh-what are you-” “Guess who found a new job?~” He swore his heartbeat could be heard from miles away

You and Peter poking fun at one another

When he first grew the balls and finally asked you on a date, your affirmation had him absolutely ecstatic

Him taking you to one of the places he told you that his alter-ego liked to hang out at, which to say was spotted at a high-up place where you could see the city sparkle beautifully

“D-dude... This is awesome...!” “Not as awesome as you.” Peter would whisper under his breath, to which you'd clocked your head round and ask him to repeat what he said. “Nothing.” He replied with a sweat

A devious grin grew on your face. “Peeeeeettteeerr~” You sang. At that moment, the brunet knew he was screwed. “You like me don't you?”

Welp

Time to jump off the building and hopefully land into another dumpster ans roll away never to be seen again

“I-I-I mean, well, I guess if you mean by having a strong sense of attraction towards you then... M-maybe I...” “Awww, you totally do~” You have him a quick peck on the lips, then ruffling his hair. “Well, I like you more so don't start thinking that I don't!” Poor boy fainted on the spot

Eddie and Venom getting a tad bit worried of you whenever you claimed you were going out late at night

‘Where is she going?’ “To mind her own business, much like you should be doing.”

Most of the time when you did do so, you'd be skipping to Peters apartment

q̶u̶i̶c̶k̶ r̶e̶m̶i̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ y̶o̶u̶ a̶n̶d̶ p̶e̶t̶e̶ a̶r̶e̶ a̶d̶u̶l̶t̶s̶, l̶i̶k̶e̶ i̶n̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ 1̶9̶s̶

Whenever Eddie heard you enter the apartment at such a late time at night, he'd just start fearing that you would walk right back out

He loved you so much and really didn't want to see you leave his life again

The concern on his face when he'd found out you brought your own appartment room had mortified you

“You're honestly... Gonna go?”

“Oh chill out Ed. I'm just down the street, okay? Nothing bad is gonna happen to your little sister so quit whining.” You'd reassure with a light kiss on his forehead. “You too, Venom. I know you're worried about me and as flattering as that is I'd appreciate it if you saw me capable to take care of myself, thanks.”

Of course, you paid visits to them every now and then just so that neither would get this feeling of loneliness again

Peter helped spruce up your apartment room with some of his own decor

“You sure this okay?” “Of course, I've always wanted a part of me inside you—” He mentally slapped himself to stop something he knew was inevitable. “I-I-I mean, like, I uh.... I...”

Quick and steamy makeout sessions to stop his stammering

Very gentle™ when having sex

Like, neither of you are virgins and are aware of what goes on during intercourse but still

Also, he made sure to put a condom on so dw

Remember kids: You can't make love without a glove

Don't be a fool, cover your tool

Don't be silly and wrap your willy-

You loved running your fingers into his hair w̶h̶i̶l̶e̶ h̶e̶ r̶e̶a̶r̶r̶a̶n̶g̶e̶d̶ y̶o̶u̶r̶ i̶n̶s̶i̶d̶e̶s̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶ h̶i̶s̶ d̶i̶c̶k̶ because of how soft and curly they were

Apparently he was sensitive to you tugging his hair cuz the moment you did he was melting into your body

G̶u̶e̶s̶s̶ w̶h̶o̶ f̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ a̶ w̶a̶y̶ t̶o̶ t̶u̶r̶n̶ P̶e̶t̶e̶r̶ P̶a̶r̶k̶e̶r̶ i̶n̶t̶o̶ a̶ s̶u̶b̶?

Eddie would drop by your job sometimes just to check in on you, and would usually catch you in mid-talk with Peter

‘Is this the guy she's been going out late at night with?' “Can you at least try to be supportive of her decisions?” ‘You're worried for her... WE'RE worried for her.’

He always came in unnoticed and left unnoticed, much to his relief because he didn't want to seem like a stalker in your eyes

When you finally decided to let both Eddie and Venom into your house, they had devoured a quarter of your food that was meant to be for Peter for tomorrows dinner

Not like you told him that you and Peter were a thing

“We're sorry for eating all your food...” “It's okay. I understand. We all get hungry sometimes.”

Later that same night after Peter dropped by, you both setteled for pizza with a side of takeout

“So do I wanna know about the how, where and why a majority of your food is gone?”

“No,” You took a bite of your pizza “No you do not.”

Romcoms were tonights theme

“Do you think we'll ever be like those guys on TV?” “Peter, we're even better than them.”

Smothering him in smooches whenever he's feeling down

Lots of snuggles

Always coming through the fire escape part of his apartment and greeting him from there

Too bad big brother Venom and Eddie were stalking you

“When were you going to tell us about your male companion?” A familiar voice asked as you unlocked your apartment door and walked in, the lights clicking on

Oh fuck

Okay I've reached the limit, time to make a part 2

[lettherebevenom]

FMK for Eddie: Peter Parker, Cletus Kassidy, Harry Osborn

Eddie swallow tire-like orange juice infuses rubber scrambled eggs that so sweetly was prepared by his one and only at the moment, god that sounds depressing even thinking about it. Venom was asking him strange questions this morning with little to no sleep there was no sugar coating on his side. “Can I kill two?” Eddie purposed which got shot down. NO, LOSER. ANSWER THE QUESTION. The symbiote was playing with a chatterbox that the girl down the hall gave it and he had been blowing off this particular question since they got it. “Simple, Marry Hazza... duh, no brainer he’s got the money plus I’ll be able to cross off my bucket list that I slept with a rich guy.” He started with a smile over to Venom whom’s beady eyes looked up from the moving points of the box, judgement he felt. LAME-O. Eddie just rolled his eyes at him. “Can’t fuck Cletus even if he is from some kind of back swaps... So, screw Peter over just better then he did me.” He nodded thinking he was pretty clever though apparently Vee wasn’t amused by him was so ever of its poker face had gotten better. HAHA, GROSS. He took a sip over Orange juice mixed with chocolate milk, oddly refreshing in the mornings. “Cletus out of the picture forever. Sad to see him go before Christmas card session but our Christmas card photo should be us with thumbs up over his dead body, sounds like a plan no?” 

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 29 January 2018

Quick Bits:

Avengers #678 is more gorgeous artwork from Pepe Larraz and David Curiel. The intrigue and mystery to the story is also being teased out a bit more, just enough internal questions about Voyager and Grandmaster’s opponent to keep you hooked amidst some all out action between the Avengers, Black Order, and Lethal Legion.

| Published by Marvel

Black Crown Quarterly #2 adds some more comic previews, interviews, and various odds & sods to the mix. Rob Davis’ Tales from the Black Crown Pub remains the best thing about the anthology, but the Cüd comic is growing on me. It’s nice to see James Coe’s Bandtwits continue here, it was one segment I was expecting to see spun out to its own comic. Also, House Amok by Christopher Sebela and Shawn McManus is deliciously twisted.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Bonehead #2 puts a lot more meat on the bones of this series. Where the first issue was largely a beautiful showcase for Rhoald Marcellius and Sakti Yuwono’s art, this time Bryan Edward Hill dives into more of the world and what’s going on with “56″. It’s an interesting approach with what amounts to parkour gangs in what looks like an increasingly oppressive society, reminding me somewhat of Mirror’s Edge.

| Published by Image / Top Cow - Glitch

The Despicable Deadpool #293 reinforces the idea that we’re seeing Deadpool’s end of days (the writing on the wall that this arc is called “Bucket List” and we already know this incarnation of his adventures is ending at #300 notwithstanding), as the issue long fight with Rogue underlines Wade’s self-destruction and deliberate alienation of his friends and family.

| Published by Marvel

Eternity #4 brings the latest Divinity story to a close, kind of, as Matt Kindt dives deep into a meta narrative of construction, conception, and delivery of story and ideas. Trevor Hairsine, Ryan Winn, and David Baron also raise the bar with the execution of some of the glorious story ideas presented here.

| Published by Valiant

God Complex: Dogma #4 remakes Seneca, giving us a look deeper into the gods’ technology and adherence to mathematical projections for behaviour as “fate”. It also gives Hendry Prasetya and Sunny Gho a chance to show off again, delivering some beautiful artwork as it shifts between Hephaestus trying to save Seneca within the digital framework and the grit and blood of attempting to save him on the physical plane.

| Published by Image / Top Cow - Glitch

Hack/Slash: Resurrection #4 is messed up. This, of course, is a good thing as Tini Howard continues with the humour of Cassie’s relationship with Laurie and adding an interesting possible wrinkle to series’ mythology.

| Published by Image

Hungry Ghosts #1 is the start of an anthology series of food-themed horror stories with the overall narrative being linked through a game of kaidan (some would also know it as kwaidan)--basically a party game wherein participants tell one another ghost stories and then see whether or not they’ve been possessed in a mirror once they’re done--written by Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose, and illustrated by an assortment of artists. 

This first issue sets up the rules, the framing narrative, and a couple of stories. It’s good so far, with art provided by Alberto Ponticelli for the framing narrative and first story, Vanesa Del Rey for the second story, and colours by José Villarrubia. The first story is a kind of traditional cautionary tale of helping others, whereas the second is a kind of humorous horror story of the perils of being a dick.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Jean Grey #11 is an interesting, oversized finale for the series, which sheds a different light on what the Phoenix has been doing to young, time-tossed Jean, even as she goes through more purification by fire at the hands of other past remaining Phoenix hosts. Dennis Hopeless throws out some implications here that I really hope are followed up on in the near future.

| Published by Marvel

Joe Golem: Occult Detective #5 brings to a close both the “Flesh and Blood” arc and this second mini-series. This one has been good, with a nice mystery solved and some of the subplots of Joe’s history and supporting cast advanced. Patric Reynolds’ art is still a real treat, making the sunken NYC a real character in the book in its own right.

| Published by Dark Horse

KINO #3 spotlights again one of the things that I love about this series; the use of old style comics storytelling as a narrative device itself. I love that within the normal dark, stylistic intrigue of the main narrative, there’s a stylistic shift in both Joe Casey’s scripting and Jefte Palo’s art with Chris Sotomayor’s colours to a simpler superhero style when inside the KINO conditioning programme.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Phoenix Resurrection #5 is the epic conclusion to this series, which, despite some bombast, goes out with some emotional resonance, discussion, and character building rather than the usual superhero battle. It’s a fitting and mature reawakening for the “real” Jean Grey with Matthew Rosenberg giving us another glimpse as to why he should probably be one of the voices guiding the next stage in the X-Men’s evolution. Also, there are some great shots and reveals from the art of Leinil Yu & Gary Alanguilan and Joe Bennett & Belardino Brado, with colours by Rachelle Rosenberg. I know it’s not continuing into X-Men Red, but I particularly like the black and red variant on the Phoenix costume.

| Published by Marvel

Spawn #282 is ostensibly the conclusion to the “Dark Horror” story-arc, that gained this extra chapter somewhere along the way. As the story progressed, its felt like Todd McFarlane has been taking over more of the scripting, steering it more towards more traditional Spawn storytelling, and, although it has felt a bit at odds with the original oblique Japanese horror told through suggestion and conversation, it has still be entertaining. Also, Jason Shawn Alexander’s artwork has remained a beast.

| Published by Image

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #16 sees the crap hit the proverbial fan as Aphra and her team face off against an angry archaeotech trap. The humour hits probably and all time high this issue, as the relationship between Aphra and Tolvan develops further.

| Published by Marvel

Tales of Suspense #101 continues to be one of the best buddy comedy thrillers in comics right now. Matthew Rosenberg’s characterization of Hawkeye and Winter Soldier are hilarious and help propel them through the action and intrigue in the book. Travel Foreman’s art (with colours by Rachelle Rosenberg) also continues to impress with some really nice panel transitions and action sequences.

| Published by Marvel

Underwinter: A Field of Feathers #4 is dark, very dark. As Felix and Rose battle over their kids, something worse happens. Ray Fawkes manages to amplify the horror exponentially.

| Published by Image

Other Highlights: All New Wolverine #30, Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #15, Animosity #12, The Beautiful Death #5, The Beauty #19, Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #5, Black AF: America’s Sweetheart, Captain Marvel #128, Dark Ark #5, Defenders #9, Dread Gods #3, Elephantmen #80, Eternal, Falcon #4, Incredible Hulk #596, Infinite Loop: Nothing but the Truth #4, Invincible Iron Man #596, Jessica Jones #16, Kaijumax: Season 3 #6, Lazaretto #5, Maxwell’s Demons #2, Moon Knight #191, Old Man Logan #34, Outcast #33, Punisher: The Platoon #5, Quantum and Woody! #2, The Realm #5, Rick & Morty #34, Riverdale #10, Spider-Gwen #28, Star Trek: Boldly Go #16, Star Wars: DJ - Most Wanted, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny - Rose and Paige, Void Trip #3

Recommended Collections: Godshaper, Kill the Minotaur, Royals - Volume 2: Judgment Day, Saucer State, US Avengers - Volume 2: Stars & Garters, Venom - Volume 3: Blood in the Water, Violent Love - Volume 2: Hearts on Fire, Wayward - Volume 5: Tethered Souls

d. emerson eddy is revisiting The Moon and Antarctica. Wondering about the dark centre of the universe and all these tiny cities made of ashes.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 8 January 2018

Quick Bits:

Astonisher #4 gives us some nice quiet moments, as Magnus “convalesces” in a hospital filled with meteorite infected staff and patients, having been trapped there by his brother.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Avengers #675 kicks off the sixteen-part weekly “No Surrender” event, with Earth getting stolen off to somewhere, much of the planet’s superhero population being frozen in stasis (save for, it seems, the Avengers, and the X-Men members who pull double duty), and a lot of destruction occurring due to the shift. It’s a lot of moving parts, and like the just concluded “Worlds Collide” arc, it begins with the heroes randomly trying to save people with all of us left in the dark as to what’s going on, but it’s a decent start.

What is unquestionably great about this issue, though, is the artwork from Pepe Larraz. With David Curiel providing colours, the artwork on this book is just stunning. Larraz has really stepped up his game.

| Published by Marvel

Barbarella #2 is full of more wonderful artwork by Kenan Yarar. His style reminds me a lot of Moritat and, when combined with the somewhat subdued colours from Mohan and rectangular word balloons from Crank!, gives the book a nice European feel. Mike Carey also introduces who’s probably going to be my favourite character, a nameless furry little Vix.

| Published by Dynamite

Bloodshot Salvation #5 brings a kind of closure to the present day arc involving Magic’s “Daddy”. Although not unexpected, it’s kind of abrupt and I’ve kind of got mixed feelings about it. I trust Jeff Lemire, though, that this is far from the end of this particular thread. Also, the “soon” arc manages to get even more insane.

| Published by Valiant

Coyotes #3 gets stranger. Even as we get more beautiful art from Caitlin Yarsky and explanations as to what’s going on from Sean Lewis, the story takes a dramatic turn to the weird. It’s pretty glorious.

| Published by Image

Dejah Thoris #0 is a nice tease for the new series from Amy Chu and Pasquale Qualano. The set up for finding a fabled lost city that was trying to preserve the old Mars is an interesting one.

| Published by Dynamite

The Despicable Deadpool #292 begins the next stage of Stryfe’s orders for Deadpool to kill people with the first part of “Bucket List”. The second kill is expedited fairly quickly, which is somewhat disappointing. I’m hoping that ultimately there’s something more to it that what we’ve seen.

| Published by Marvel

Grass Kings #11 brings a kind of ending to the inquiry into Jen Handel’s death, but as it explains out Archie’s affair, it raises even more questions about what’s been going on in the Kingdom. Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, and Hilary Jenkins consistently seem to be outdoing themselves with each issue.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Judas #2 again is a stunning showcase for Jakub Rebelka’s artwork. As Jeff Loveness weaves through Satan’s stories of Biblical baddies to convince Judas of a flaw in God’s plan, Rebelka just continues to blow me away with his art.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Monstro Mechanica #2 gives us more action and intrigue even as Leonardo’s assistant, Isabel, works out some of the kinks of the titular monster. The humour that Paul Allor and Chris Evenhuis inject into the series is delightful.

| Published by AfterShock

Old Man Hawkeye #1 is the beginning of a prequel to the original Old Man Logan story arc. It’s a little light on plot explanations, heavy on atmosphere and brooding, with some very nice art by Marco Checchetto and Andres Mossa. Ethan Sacks has that sad sack, worn out, and put down Clint Barton characterization down pat.

| Published by Marvel

Paradiso #2 reminds me of China Miéville’s Perdido Street Station in that Ram V and Devmalya Pramanik are managing to both push the boundaries of sci-fi and bring a city to life. In Paradiso’s case, this seems to be literal. I’m really loving the characters, the setting, and the art.

| Published by Image

Pestilence #6 concludes what has been an excellent series by Frank Tieri and Oleg Okunev, reimagining the Black Death as a zombie apocalypse. The artwork from Okunev has been kinetic and visceral, perfectly befitting the action and horror of a medieval zombie outbreak, while Tieri has managed to inject a lot of humour into the characters and a real sense of camaraderie among the knights, even in the face of multiple betrayals. I’m definitely going to be looking forward to the second series, and highly recommend the first to any who’ve not tried this.

| Published by AfterShock

Royal City #9 has one of the best silent panels I’ve seen from Jeff Lemire, who has always been very good at conveying a lot in silent panels.

| Published by Image

Runaways #5 gives us the secret of the cats, as Molly and Gert speculate on what’s going on with Molly’s grandmother. Kris Anka again nails some of the tiny details, like Molly’s alpaca stuffie and Old Lace eating out of a giant bowl alongside the cats.

| Published by Marvel

Secret Warriors #12 is the end to a series that I was surprised, but thankful, wasn’t just a mini-series timed to coincide with the Secret Empire event. It’s been a team of Inhumans (and later Magik) who had no real business being a team in the first place, and the series has been funny, heartfelt, and rather offbeat. Such that it’s perfect that this issue is probably the closest they’ve come to being a real team as they fight over a Marvel-themed version of Risk. And neglect Magik, who was really only there for the cake.

| Published by Marvel

Sleepless #2 grabbed me a little more than the first issue. The art from Leila Del Duca has been great throughout both issues, but in this issue Sarah Vaughn gives us a little bit more meat on the characters, the intrigue, and fleshing out some of the culture is very interesting.

| Published by Image

Slots #4 showcases something that Dan Panosian has been great at building in this series, aside from the usual phenomenal art, and that’s character. This issue features the continued budding relationship between Mercy and Lucy, but while it’s doing that, it’s also building up more of Stan’s flawed but somewhat noble half-assed altruism and also further reinforcing that Les is an utter scumbag. Great work.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Spider-Man vs. Deadpool #26 is the beginning of a concurrent, intermittent side story, set in the “far flung” future with Peter and Wade stuck together in the same retirement home, similar to how Deadpool 2099 ran in the main Deadpool book. Robbie Thompson is still providing a nice humorous story playing up the continued animosity between the two characters, but what really stands out is the artwork from Scott Hepburn and Ian Herring.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars: Darth Vader #10 is the battle between Darth Vader and Jocasta Nu that you were hoping for, but I’m not sure it’s entirely what you’d expect. The action delivered by Giuseppe Camuncoli art is entertaining and Charles Soule throws a couple twists in the tale.

| Published by Marvel

Sword of Ages #2 reminds me of the best of Walt Simonson and P. Craig Russell. Gabriel Rodríguez is doing something magical here with this mix of science fiction and fantasy, this issue making some of the parallels to Arthurian legend more explicit, even while branching out further into making this unique.

| Published by IDW

Taarna #1 was some unexpected Alex de Campi.

| Published by Heavy Metal

Witchblade #2 has me convinced that this series should be getting a lot more press than it is. This is a very mature reimagining of the series from Caitlin Kittredge, building slowly the characters and world of Alex Underwood’s life, as it feels like a taught mystery mixed with police procedural more than the offbeat horror-tinged superheroics of the original Witchblade. It’s very good.

Also, the artwork from Roberta Ingranata, with colours by Bryan Valenza, is wonderful. Ingranata’s page construction, panel composition, and establishing shots are just incredibly captivating, they go a long way into setting the tone and pacing for the story. 

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Other Highlights: Accell #7, Alters #9, Archie #27, The Archies #4, Black Panther: Long Live the Panther #3, Cable #153, The Damned #7, Daredevil #597, Eternal Empire #6, Hack/Slash vs. Vampirella #4, Mech Cadet Yu #5, The Mighty Crusaders #2, Ms. Marvel #26, Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe #1, Old Man Logan #33, Phoenix Resurrection #3, Port of Earth #3, The Punisher #220, Rose #7, Saucer State #6, She-Hulk #161, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny - Rey, TMNT #78, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #28, The Unbelievable Gwenpool #24, Venom #160, X-Men Blue #19, X-Men Gold Annual #1

Recommended Collections: Cowboy Ninja Viking Deluxe Edition, Curse Words - Volume 2: Explosiontown, Descender - Volume 5: Rise of the Robots, Doctor Strange - Volume 5: Secret Empire, Harbinger Renegade - Volume 2: Massacre, Hellboy & The BPRD: 1954, Mech Cadet Yu - Volume 1, Postal - Volume 6, Satellite Falling, She-Hulk - Volume 2: Let them Eat Cake, The Vision Deluxe Hardcover, The Wicked & The Divine - Volume 6, The X-Files - Volume 4

d. emerson eddy would very much like a chariot pulled by cats.