Venom: Separation Anxiety

Comic Info

Venom: Separation Anxiety #1

Reprints Venom: The Mace #1-3, Venom: Nights of Vengeance #1-4, Venom: Separation Anxiety #1-4, Web of Spider-Man (1) #118-119, and Spider-Man (1) #52-53 (May 1994-March 1995). Venom continues to protect the undergrounders of San Francisco though the battle is getting harder. When he learns of a new Spider-Man in New York City and the potential return of his symbiote spawns, Eddie Brock is headed back to the Big Apple…and Venom always takes a big bite!

Written by Carl Potts, Howard Mackie, and Terry Kavanagh, Venom: Separation Anxiety is a collection of Marvel Comics Venom limited-series from the 1990s. Following Venom: The Enemy Within, the collection features art by Liam Sharp, Ron Lim, Steven Butler, Tom Lyle, and Ron Randall, and the issues were also collected in Venomnibus—Volume 1. The collection also features the first appearance of the Scarlet Spider in the Venom-Spider-Man crossover storyline “The Exile Returns” which were collected multiple times as part of the Clone-Saga (including Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Saga Epic—Book 1 and the Spider-Man Clone Saga Omnibus—Volume 1).

I really liked Venom when he first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man. He was dangerous, deadly, and a clever storyline to spin out of the black costume. The 1990s were not kind to Venom. The popularity of character meant guest-starring and limited series all over the place. The character quickly became watered down. This collection is a nice trip back to the 1990s, but it doesn’t mean that it is that good.

Venom: Nights of Vengeance #1

The collection features three limited series and the Spider-Man crossover. Of the three series, Venom: The Mace is probably the most forgettable simply because not much was ever done with the character besides this entry. While the Venom: Nights of Vengeance was not particularly entertaining either, it at least benefited from having a known costar…even if it was the Ghost Rider knock-off.

The Separation Anxiety storyline was probably the most entertaining of the limited series. The other symbiotes were fun, and the characters develop a bit more since the Venom: Lethal Protector story barely used them. This is combined with a Ten Little Indians type of story where someone is a killer, and though the killer was pretty predictable, it still is nice to have a mystery involved.

The Clone Saga was much maligned at the time of its release, but there was something enjoyable about it. The story kicks off the Clone Saga and Venom’s involvement almost seems secondary at points. It is a necessary part of the Venom story to get him back to NYC, but it feels a bit extraneous.

If you are tired of today’s heavy-handed comics and just want some “non-filling” comfort comics food, Venom: Separation Anxiety might be the solution to this. The comics aren’t serious, and they are rather generic, but that sometimes is just what you need when read…a nice escape you can laugh at. Venom: Separation Anxiety is followed by Venom: Carnage Unleashed.

Related Links:

Venom:  Lethal Protector

Venom:  The Enemy Within

Venom (2018)