The Best Venom comics to read before Venom: The Last Dance

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Following the monumental reveal that the universal threat, Knull the symbiote God, will make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut later this month in Venom: The Last Dance, Marvel fans worldwide are gearing up for an epic conclusion to the trilogy. Well-received by fans for their accurate character portrayals, the Venom movies offer an ideal mix of story and action, featuring vivid storytelling infused with crucial source material.

Debuting way back in the original Secret Wars event, the Venom symbiote has enjoyed an impactful role in Marvel history. Here, spending time on various hosts, Venom has evolved into a complex character and the subject of many quality stories. Therefore, using three decades of symbiote immersion, I have identified the best Venom comics for fans looking for relevant facts on Venom before The Last Dance.

Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #300

The first full appearance of Eddie Brock as Venom. Downtrodden and desperate, disgraced reporter Eddie Brock seeks an escape in church. Wavering between anger and shame, Eddie laments where his life went awry. Ultimately, Eddie erroneously blames Spider-Man for his current situation, believing Spidey’s apprehension of the Sin-Eater was the catalyst for his downfall.

Here, in Eddie’s darkest moment, the alien symbiote Spider-Man rejected following the Doom best Secret Wars (1984) finds him. Then, fueled by shared anger towards Spider-Man for slights, real and imagined, Eddie and the symbiote bond profoundly. The resulting creation is the symbiote monstrosity and Last Dance protagonist, Venom.

Venom: Lethal Protector (1993)

Feeling the call toward heroism from his developing psyche, Venom decides to take up the cape and vows to protect the innocent. Beginning his heroic journey in San Francisco, Brock encounters a labyrinthian city and five symbiote “children,” bonded to security personnel by perennial Venom antagonist Carlton Drake and the vile Life Foundation.

Notably, introducing the symbiotes Riot, Lasher, Scream, Phage, and Agony, Lethal Protector marks a pivotal point in Venom’s history. Undoubtedly, this must-read series propelled Venom into the mainstream, igniting his anti-hero transformation and introducing other symbiotes fans may see in The Last Dance.

Venom: Separation Anxiety (1994)

Confused after the events in the Lethal Protector series, Venom’s five “children” decide that Venom is their best chance at understanding their symbiosis and normalcy. Therefore, hoping for his aid, they free him from the Life Foundation’s captivity. But, untrusting of his former enemies and missing his Other, Eddie fights to survive long enough to reunite with Venom.

Signaling the first time Eddie separates from Venom since first bonding, Separation Anxiety is an early look into symbiote offspring and their often aggressive impact on human physiology. Most importantly, this Venom best highlights the acute separation anxiety instilled in symbiote and host, a dynamic likely upcoming in The Last Dance.

Venom vs Carnage (2004)

A pulpy noir story brilliantly accentuated by the writhing artwork of Clayton Crain, Venom vs Carnage profiles as a must-read material before The Last Dance. Notably, this series shows a paternal Venom as he tries to save his recently spawned “grandchild” from Carnage. Throw-in appearances by Black Cat and Spider-Man and Venom vs Carnage checks all the boxes.

This series shows how far Venom has come from his “gnaw on your spine” days, as he takes responsibility for his offspring and its actions. Indeed, while taking in this visual masterwork, fans are introduced to the Toxin symbiote and its host, police officer Pat Mulligan, complete with all of the familial complications being part of the symbiote hive entails.

Amazing Spider-Man (1999) New Ways to Die

This best Venom read picks up after Mister Negative mysteriously cures Eddie’s cancer. Then, reflecting on his second chance at life, Eddie is attacked by the former Scorpion and Venom’s current host, Mac Gargan. After Spider-Man intervenes, things turn epic as Venom interacts with Eddie’s blood, resulting in the birth of Anti-Venom, Venom’s fatal antithesis.

A popular, genre-spanning symbiote variation, Anti-Venom, is a powerful combination of residual Venom symbiote and Mister Negative’s Lightforce energies. This amalgamation is deadly corrosive to most symbiotes, making him their natural counter, potentially valuable intel for the symbiote battles on tap in The Last Dance.

Venom: Dark Origin (2008)

Venom: Dark Origin represents the preeminent tale of Eddie Brock and his journey toward his fateful encounter with the Venom symbiote. Dark Origin vividly depicts his early life, where the loss of his mother during childbirth left Eddie yearning for love he would never get. This void develops into Eddie’s innate feeling of being slighted, constantly seeking to validate himself, often through deception.

This Venom best shows Eddie’s tragic transformation into a man willing to cut corners as a journalist, ultimately costing him his career. Lastly, it artistically challenges Brock’s assertion that Spidey is the reason for his downfall, highlighting his early inability to take responsibility for his actions, a flaw Venom helped him overcome.

Venomverse Saga (2017)

Introducing the Poisons, a parasitic alien race hell-bent on conquest, Venomverse is a quality saga on the Venom symbiotes scattered throughout the Marvel Universe. A variant lovers’ dream, Venomverse features venomized versions of iconic characters like Captain America, Deadpool, Dr. Strange, and Wolverine.

In a rarity for Marvel, Venomverse also features Venom teaming up with a Carnage variant, brought together to save symbiotes across the multiverse. The ferocity of this father-and-son duo gives glimpses of the destructive power of a potential alliance, one many fans like myself would love to see in Venom 3.

Venom Inc. (2017)

Venom Inc. is a quick-paced and informative tale with Grand Theft Auto-esque vibes that deftly weaves in secondary characters impacted by Venom, like Andi Benton and Lee Price, with Eddie Brock, Peter Parker, and Flash Thompson. Indeed, all had their lives irrevocably changed by the Venom symbiote, yet harbor vastly different feelings towards it.

These differing opinions lead to a host slugfest with Spider-Man vs. Venom vs. Anti-Venom vs. Maniac and his Inkling famiglia. Introducing the evil Maniac symbiote, a new take on a beloved variation, and showcasing the indelible bond Eddie and Venom will share “to the end,” Venom Inc. honors Venom’s impact on many lives.

Venom: First Host (2018)

Fans looking for more history on the Venom symbiote before its comic debut on Battleworld, I’ve got a Venom best for you. Wrapped in engaging prose and bright visuals, Venom: First Host offers a candid look into Venom’s past. During a war with the Skrulls, Kree infiltrator Tel-Kar encounters Venom, bonding with it to further violent wartime mandates.

After escaping his decades-long torture, Tel-Kar heads to Earth to retrieve the symbiote, hell-bent on revenge. Here, readers encounter the juvenile symbiote Sleeper, a unique variation with a sensory skill set that becomes Dylan Brock’s feline. Lastly, First Host examines Venom’s ability to alter the memories of its hosts and itself, a dangerous slope likely explored in The Last Dance.

Venom: Rex (2018)

Kicking off his world-class Venom run, scribe Donny Cates further expands on symbiote lore with this foundational Venom read. Found in Venom (2018) #1-6, the Rex story arc illuminates critical history linking Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D., the symbiotes, humanity, and the suddenly manic Venom.

Needing answers in this rapidly evolving crisis, Eddie and his son Dylan seek out the mysterious Rex Strickland, a former spec ops soldier oddly familiar with the symbiotes. The ensuing revelations will see Venom pushed to the breaking point and beyond in an epic confrontation with the wyrm-like symbiote Grendel and its master.

King in Black (2020)

King in Black, arguably Venom’s best story, sees him lock horns with the primordial symbiote god, Knull. It’s all hands on deck as Venom must team up with the Avengers and X-Men to have any hope against Knull and his reign of darkness. Truly an emotionally charged tale taking Venom full circle, King in Black honors Venom’s Lethal Protector roots decades later as he risks everything in the battle versus Knull.

As the latest trailer revealed, The Last Dance will bring the Lord of the Abyss to the big screen, and from all indications, it looks to follow this iconic source material. Ultimately, even the film’s title, taken from a heartfelt conversation between Eddie and Venom, is an homage to this acclaimed series that any comic should check out.

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