The Reign of Venom (Comics): Modernism Modelling

[Abishai100]

Venom is a fictional comic book super-villain and nemesis of the heroic webbed-wonder Spider-Man (Marvel Comics). Venom was once a 'normal' distemperate American man named Eddie Brock who was terrifyingly transformed into a brutish mayhem-artist by a strange living alien substance called the Symbiote.

Venom represents mayhem and general turbulence and creates problems for Spider-Man who tries to defend the American city from all kinds of insanity and terror.

The name of this comic book super-villain can be likened to 'poison' (or snake venom); since Spider-Man represents urban sanity (e.g., coordination control --- like a spider!), Venom represents loss of self-control and over-indulgences in narcissism and strength (e.g., tyranny).

The modern world is gauged by networking (e.g., Wall Street, European Union, Facebook, etc.). Urban hubs of commerce such as Tokyo and New York symbolize human activity geared towards traffic management.

The popularity of Spider-Man (Marvel Comics) indicates a social interest in creating dialogue about urban profitability (and happiness), so Venom characterizes our fears about urban decay (and destruction).

Americans like 'shock-value' art, and horror films have become very popular in the USA. The iconic American horror film super-psycho Leatherface (the chainsaw-wielding cannibal from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film franchise) terrorizes pedestrians and indicates an American interest in characterizing self-destruction.

We can perhaps liken Venom to Leatherface, since they both represent general turbulence and pedestrian angst about the modern world. Leatherface wields his handy-dandy 'modern' weapon (the chainsaw), and Venom is a transformed brute who terrorizes the American city.

As long as we deify pedestrianism in the modern world (e.g., Times Square), Venom (and/or Leatherface) will symbolize the 'jagged edge' of urban management, so we can see how a 'philosophical analysis' of this comics art avatar helps us understand modern notions of terror.

We should ask questions such as "How are Venom and Leatherface (modern art avatars) conceptually different from similar 'terror-modelling' avatars of other eras, such as Dracula, Grendel, and the Wolfman?"


"One day men will look back and say I gave birth to the 20th Century." - Jack the Ripper


Venom (Marvel.com)

Grendel

 

[Abishai100]

The Doomsday By-line


Venom is a character who lends himself to rather interesting terrorism dialogue.

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Eddie Brock felt like he was ten times the man he was before as the Symbiote-transformed Venom. He snarled and lashed his tongue around while surveying the city skyline from a building rooftop. Venom hated post office workers more than anything --- those who worked for UPS, FedEx, etc. He never understood (even as Eddie Brock) why human beings were so darn obsessed with paper-mail distribution, and now that email was reducing the demand for paper-mail, Venom wanted to strike at the heart of postal services highways.

Venom had devastated countless mail trucks from across New York and even in Washington, D.C. He was officially the super-ghoul of the modern world. No one knew what to do about Venom and his antics except the shrewd and valiant Spider-Man whose citizen-identity was the affable photojournalist Peter Parker of the Daily Bugle. Peter (Spider-Man) looked at his cobweb shooters while preparing to soar off the roof of a building and onto an armored truck (filled with money) about to be robbed by Venom (Eddie Brock).

Spider-Man soared down and wrestled Venom to the ground and tied him up with his cobwebs. Venom was furious but helpless and was carried off to Oscorp, where his Symbiote-composition and impact would be studied by the employees of Dr. Norman Osborn (who had himself yet to transform into the maniacal mad scientist and terrorist which he would be someday, the Green Goblin). Venom was kept in a glass cage filled with oxygen-rich vegetation. He was sent food in through an air-tube. Scientists observed him around-the-clock and noticed subtle differences between the Symbiote and its host, Eddie Brock.

Peter Parker was reading the latest issue of the Daily Bugle searching for his newest photos of Times Square terrorism-related homeland security personnel when he stumbled upon an Oscorp-highlight headline which read, "Venom/Symbiote a Schizophrenic!" Peter immediately realized that such press would infuriate Eddie Brock who would feel like a human freak-show. Spider-Man soared into Oscorp and guarded it night-and-day until Eddie was separated from the Symbiote properly. Spider-Man (Peter) wondered to himself for a moment if all his vigilantism fervor had made him cold to the charms of women.

Venom had escaped from Oscorp and was terrorizing the traffic and thoroughfare at the JFK International Airport in New York. Spider-Man soared in and wrestled him to the ground before Venom picked him up and threw him through some airport glass panels. Spider-Man recovered and hung up Venom on the roof of the KLM Airlines terminal and literally trapped him in a cobweb cocoon. When Spider-Man asked Venom why he was so anti-social, the Symbiote-psycho replied in defiance, "Terrorism is destiny!"

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