The original Venom storylines in Amazing Spider-Man frame him as a pastiche of late-80s toxic masculinity. Just as his body exaggerates and dwarfs Spider-Man’s superhero physique, his performance of masculinity is defined by excess 1/7 #venom #comics
I work at Kotaku now! :)
You can go watch back today's KFGD to hear me talk about it a little if you want. You could also read my alma mater @gibiz.bsky.social to learn more! www.gamesindustry.biz/kotaku-hires...
Venom abandons his assault on Spider-Man in order to save a baby from falling into a river, stating “Innocence is precious. It should be cherished, protected always.” Art from Amazing Spider-Man #332, with pencils by Erik Larsen, inks by Mike Machlan, and colors by Bob Sharen.
While Venom’s sense of victimhood drives his violent, jealous behaviour, his identification with innocence also plants the seed of his future status as an anti-hero. The only priority greater than revenge is to protect others he perceives to be as “innocent” as himself. 7/7
The cover of issue 6 of Venom: Lethal Protector, depicting a close-up of Venom and Spider-Man squaring off. Art by Mark Bagley.
All this makes Venom a classic case of a villain serving as the dark, distorted reflection of the hero. By amplifying Spider-Man's masculinity to dangerous degrees, he presents readers with a critique of the gendered performances being modelled in superhero comics. 6/7
The title and abstract of an academic journal article entitled "Overdoing Gender: A Test of the Masculine Overcompensation Thesis," authored by Robb Willer, Bridget Conlon, Christabel L. Rogalin, and Michael T. Wojnowicz.
In this regard, Venom serves as a case study of “masculine overcompensation thesis,” a theory that posits that men will resort to extreme acts of masculinity when they perceive a threat to their gender identity. 5/7
Eddie Brock reveals that he is Venom to Spider-Man, accusing him of stealing career and his future. Art from Amazing Spider-Man #300, with pencils by Todd McFarlane
Constantly lamenting their victimhood at the hands of Spider-Man, Brock/Venom become locked in a competitive drive to restore their manly status by dominating his competitor and stripping away his status as a hero, husband, and professional. 4/7
Eddie Brock explains his quest for revenge on Spider-Man during their initial meeting in Amazing Spider-Man #300, with art by Todd McFarlane and writing by David Michelinie
His compulsion to physically overpower Spider-Man is paired with a competitive desire for social markers of masculinity. Eddie Brock believes that Spider-Man intentionally destroyed his reputation and career as a journalist, triggering a persecution complex that drives Venom’s quest 3/7
Panels of Venom/Eddie Brock lifting large weights while ranting about his and the symbiote’s shared hatred for Spider-Man. Art from Amazing Spider-Man 316, with pencils by Todd McFarlane
One example is Eddie Brock’s fixation with weight lifting, which is framed as both an outlet for his anger and a way for him to enhance the symbiote’s strength. These scenes draw on popular perceptions of roid rage, which was a topic of public concern at the time of publication 2/7
The original Venom storylines in Amazing Spider-Man frame him as a pastiche of late-80s toxic masculinity. Just as his body exaggerates and dwarfs Spider-Man’s superhero physique, his performance of masculinity is defined by excess 1/7 #venom #comics
Imagine being the captain on Hindenburg 2 and not being nervous
Every superhero is a metaphor that fights other metaphors of the same clade
The Flash is a physics, who fights other physics (mirrors, aerodynamics, cold). Superman is a god, who fights other gods. That’s so good, but Batman is a fear who fights other fears. That’s always the easiest match to sell.
American comic writer Tini Howard on the set of the game show Jeopardy!
Yooooo!!!! Tini Howard was just on Jeopardy! #comics #jeopardy #readmorecomics
Jeez, 23 years at the company.
I realize that Marvel is whiffing it on pretty much every level these days, but perhaps it would be worth Disney saving some of the people who were there back when it was more successful?
Venom/Eddie Brock, his symbiote half dissolved, struggling in the grasp of a large mining mech in an underground city below San Francisco. Panel from David Michelinie and Mark Bagley's Venom: Lethal Protector (1993)
Lastly, since I know scholarly articles like this can be a bit dense, I’ll be posting some mini-essay threads about Venom over the next few weeks (very much a complete rip off... er, loving imitation of @sequentialscholars.bsky.social)
The entire issue follows the theme of “Queer Comics” and has some really interesting looking articles.
Personally, I’m looking forward to reading Anindita Das’ article on Shōjo manga once my semester is done. So please check out the entire issue:
www.closure.uni-kiel.de/closure12/au...
An image of Spider-Man and Venom giving thumbs up. Art by Mark Bagley. Panel from Amazing Spider-Man 363 (1992)
This is an article that I’ve wanted to write for a long time, and I’m thankful for the editors at Closure for giving it a home!
Also, a big thank you to @annapeppard.bsky.social for her feedback on one of the earlier drafts 🫶
Very excited to share my article "We Are Venom: masculine bodies and queer intimacies in early Venom Comics” has been published in the latest issue of CLOSURE Kieler Journal for Comics Research
www.closure.uni-kiel.de/closure12/fr...
Fascinating that he has the same dipshit half smile in every photo
to be fair, this is a photograph of my actual doctor
Tried to read a listicle of games from 2010 yesterday on (what used to be) a fairly well reputed website and the page just kept crashing from the amounts of spam
Lovely more academic-minded thread about Absolute Wonder Woman. 🖤 [Beware of spoilers for the first volume].
I wrote a whole thing about this project and it's place in public-facing scholarship for "The Conversation" if anyone would like to read about some of the ideals informing what we do. theconversation.com/want-to-talk... #comicsstudies
I just backed The Comics Staple - A Comics News Zine on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/tif...
My #dragrace18 hot take is that Darlene Mitchell and Jane Don’t’s relationship is essentially what happens when a dog and a cat become best friends
#dragrace
A screenshot of my cover with this quote: David Perry is one of the most trusted voices on how to think, write, and work in public. He has a clear ethic about the critical importance of intellectual labor at a moment when the risks of being public have rarely been greater, and the reasons why academics must risk it have rarely been so clear." - Tressie McMillan Cottom, New York Times columnist, author of Thick: And Other Essays
My next book, a practical guide for how to write for mass media, publishes four weeks from today. I hope you'll consider ordering it now, inviting me to speak, and to tell others. Here's what @tressiemcphd.bsky.social said about my work.
Pre-order here: www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...
Cover of Absolute Wonder Woman #1 showing Diana riding her Pegasus.
Absolute Wonder Woman debuted in October of 2024 as part of DC’s wildly successful new “Absolute” line, written by Kelly Thompson with art by Hayden Sherman, lettering by Becca Carey, and colours by Jordie Bellaire. #wonderwoman 1/6
Amazing timing! I just picked up the first trade.
