Venom by Rick Remender Vol. 1 (TPB)

Flash Thompson. Once a bully to Peter Parker, than a close friend & Spider-Man’s #1 fan. After hitting rock bottom as a hopeless alcoholic, he sobered up and enlisted in the army where he served his country well. Then disaster struck, he lost both legs in the heat of battle and was sent home a decorated war hero. Still willing to serve his country, the government had a proposition for him. Merging with the Venom symbiote, which they kept imprisoned, and armed to the teeth, he became the new & improved Venom, secret government agent.

With awesome powers and the ability to walk again, they send him on missions too hot for the average soldier. But there’s a catch, after 48 hours as Venom, the symbiote takes complete control of the host, but the government has a fail safe plan and they will not hesitate to use it, decorated war hero or not. Fighting mercenaries & super villains like Jack-O-Lantern, Kraven The Hunter, The Human Fly & even his childhood hero Spider-Man, Flash will come to realize that the toughest battles to come will be with his personal life.

A very sombre look on the life & times of an iconic Spider-Man character, filled with pulse-pounding action & compelling drama. Venom’s new gear looks more like The Punisher, but every once in a while, Flash’s anger gets the better of him and he reverts to the old hulk-sized Venom with claws, gnashing sharp teeth & a protruding tongue. You gotta love Jack-O-Lantern, think The Joker with a flaming pumpkin head & a Hobgoblin-like glider with a bag of twisted arsenals and you get a general idea. There’s also a strong supporting cast of characters like Peter Parker, Betty Brant & General Dodge to help the story flow.

Written by Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force) who knows how to spin a dark tale & illustrated by Tony Moore who I haven’t seen since the first couple of issues of The Walking Dead. His drawings look even better in color. Also illustrated by Tom Fowler (Hulk : Season 1) & an incredible cover by Joe Quesada (Daredevil : Guardian Devil). Originally published as Venom #1-#5. From Marvel Comics.