*Warning: This article may speak negatively about Venom. I apologize in advance.*
Ok, great... half of the readers are mad already. Let's start over.
I have always loved Spider-Man, and so of course Venom is Amazing. He was the main villain to Spider-Man as far as I was concerned...no offense Goblin fans. Shoot! Everyone is going to hate me by the end of this article. If having Sony in charge of Venom makes you feel warm and fuzzy, then you are probably Topher Grace's family. I am worried and if prices for Venom comics are any indicator of fan confidence, things may not be looking too great...it may be time to start overpaying for Hydro-Man first appearances.
Venom comics have been hit or miss over the past few months. For ease of discussion, we will focus on Venom: Lethal Protector #1 and the see-saw that has occurred most recently. Since the announcement of a Venom movie, the 9.8 graded copy has gone from $70 price range to $120 price range and everywhere in between. Newsstand copies (Newsstand vs. Direct Article coming soon...a bit of relevant info in my previous blogs here) have been even more pronounced with copies starting at the same $70 range and now showing massive separation from their direct counterparts at near $200 per copy. Fair Market Value (FMV) remains around $100 for the direct version. This book shows the nerves of fans and collectors. The long term trend for pricing is negative for all grades above 9.0 and as low as 53%. Typically, there is a surge leading up to a movie, which makes this concerning. The Captain Marvel trailer moved price points higher and churned inventory...the Venom trailer was aight and did little for the market.
Here is my main problem: I don't like the idea of a Spider-Man movie sans Spider-Man. Remember a few months back when IHOP said they were changing to burgers as a promotion? People lost their sh*t. People want pancakes at IHOP...I don't want Venom without Spider-Man. Sony keeps dropping rumors about an entire Spider-connected-wannabe-universe-with-secondary-spidey-characters-thing. To me it sounds as dumb as my previous sentence. Sony may be wasting Venom here, so it would be nice if they didn't mess up Morbius, Silver Sable, and the rest of the crew. Marvel will throw 30 heroes into a movie and make it work but Sony can't develop a creative way to use these characters that does not look like money grab. Just because you can do something, does not mean you should... With great power comes great responsibility (looking your way, Sony).
So what is the best case scenario? Venom is an amazing movie. Then what? A sequel that also neglects Spider-Man? Venom meets WildThing (I got a little sick thinking about that)? No Spider-Man means no good can come of this experiment long term. Venom: Lethal Protector #1 may be the type of gamble you like to take on, but at this point it is risky. The census on this book is high, the pricing is currently all over the place, it is not trending positively, and not stabilizing... none of these are great reasons to invest. We are definitely not poised to see a Killmonger or Peter Porker situation because of this movie. Due to all the uncertainty, the risk may be worth passing on for now.
Are you excited for the new Venom movie? Is Spidey a necessary component for a Venom movie? Should Sony be allowed to make offshoot Marvel universe movies? Let us know your thoughts!
