Comics
‘Venom’: Sony Revives ‘Spider-Man’ Spinoff!
Back in 2005-06 Bloody Disgusting broke the news to the world that Venom would be the main villain in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. What we didn’t know is how bad he’d butcher the character, one that Raimi himself said he never identified with.
It’s always been a bummer how Raimi’s Spider-Man franchise ended with a whimper, and left us hardcore Spidey fans scratching our heads as to why he would treat Eddie Brock so poorly.
Thankfully, there’s a new beginning. And it’s partially in thanks to Suicide Squad and the success of Deadpool.
Now that Sony has set Spider-Man on its rebooted path, the studio is setting its sights on other Spider-Man franchises, the main one being Venom.
THR reports that Sony has tapped Dante Harper (Edge of Tomorrow) to pen a script for the dark spinoff, Venom, something that is being envisioned as a franchise apart from and unrelated to the upcoming Spider-Man movie in the works with actor Tom Holland.
Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, stewards of the Spider-Man properties, are producing and overseeing the project.
Venom was introduced in 1988 in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #298-300, scripted by David Michelinie and drawn by the legendary Todd McFarlane and Mike Zeck.
The character is an alien symbiote that need a human host to survive (Peter Parker brought the alien back from outer space in “Secret Wars” #8). In return, the alien empowers its victim with incredible powers. Parker was able to separate from the alien before becoming fused indefinitely, while Brock and the symbiote found perfect unity in their hatred of Parker (who cost Brock his journalist job).
For the longest time, Venom was a villain but then morphed into an anti-hero and even (almost) good guy, explains the site. In his current incarnation, Venom is paired with Flash Thompson, a Peter Parker bully-turned-close friend and now a government agent.
The character made its screen appearance in Spider-Man 3 and was played by Topher Grace. A spin-off has been in development in several incarnations, with Gary Ross and Josh Trank among the director coming and going, and writers such as Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool) and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci penning versions.
Adds the site: This Venom is meant to not only stand on its own but to also launch its own franchise.
Venom was an astounding character, as was his counterpart, Carnage, but I really am going to be saddened that we’ll never get to see him battle Spider-Man in an epic clash of the titans such as the one that took place in “Amazing Spider-Man” #316 and #347.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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