| Planet of the Symbiotes | |
|---|---|
 The Amazing Spider-Man Super Special #1 (April 1995): "The Far Cry", Part 1 of "Planet of the Symbiotes". Cover art bySteve Lightle. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | June – October 1995 |
| No. of issues | 5 |
| Main character(s) | Eddie Brock Venom Spider-Man Scarlet Spider Carnage |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | David Michelinie |
| Penciller(s) | Ralph Cabrera (#1) Joe St. Pierre (#2) Kyle Hotz (#3) Darick Robertson (#4) Steve Lightle (#5) |
| Inker(s) | Dave Hoover (#1) Greg Adams (#2) Armando Gil (#3) Arne Starr (#4) Steve Lightle (#5) |
| Letterer | Bill Oakley |
| Colorist(s) | Tom Smith (#1-4) Marianna Lightle (#5) |
| Editor | Tom Brevoort |
| Collected editions | |
| Venom: Planet of the Symbiotes | ISBN 978-1302913656 |
"Planet of the Symbiotes" is a five-issuecomic bookstory arc written byDavid Michelinie and published byMarvel Comics in 1995. The arc spanned the five "Super Special #1" editions of theSpider-Man titles available at the time:The Amazing Spider-Man,Spider-Man,The Spectacular Spider-Man,Venom, andWeb of Spider-Man. The plot continued a narrative first published in the four-part limited seriesVenom: Separation Anxiety (1994) where doubt is placed in the mind ofEddie Brock about who is in control of the relationship between himself and the sentientVenom symbiote that grants him his powers.
The story centers on the invasion of Earth by an army of symbiotes and the efforts of Venom, Spider-Man, and Scarlet Spider to stop them.
Starting in theone-shot comicThe Amazing Spider-Man Super Special #1 (April 1995),[1]Eddie Brock contemplates his relationship with theVenom symbiote after seeingRiot,Phage,Lasher,Agony, andScream struggle to control themselves against their own symbiotes.[2] While teamed with Spider-Man against a terrorist group, Brock realizes the Venom symbiote is influencing him to kill. Spider-Man attempts to convince Eddie to abandon the Venom symbiote by blaming it for Brock's insanity. Brock forces the Venom symbiote to leave him, to allow him to think about the situation uninfluenced. Angry at being rejected, the Venom symbiote unleashes a powerful, telepathic scream that draws a spaceship of other symbiotes to Earth.[3]
Continuing in the same issue, the symbiotes begin possessing random civilians and committing murders. Brock, believing the Venom symbiote is to blame, teams with Spider-Man and theScarlet Spider to investigate. They eventually discover the symbiotes are creating a massive machine out of stolen Earth components. The three engage the symbiotes but find themselves overwhelmed. Scarlet Spider is revealed to be wearing a symbiote, which drags all three through the machine.[4]
Following part 2 in the one-shotSpider-Man Super Special #1 (July 1995),[5] the one-shotVenom Super Special #1 (Aug. 1995),[6] finds the three on another planet, a world conquered by the symbiotes, the machine revealed to be a teleporter. The symbiote that had bonded with the Scarlet Spider is revealed to be Venom who again bonds with Brock. Venom conveys the history of the symbiotes as a race of creatures intent on taking over host bodies from other races in order to feel emotion. The Venom symbiote was considered an aberration for wanting to bond with a host instead of dominating them. Venom also reveals the symbiotes intend to conquer Earth next. Spider-Man, the Scarlet Spider and Venom escape through the teleporter to Earth, but are followed by the symbiote invasion force.[7]
The Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special #1 (Sept. 1995)[8] continues the story with a symbiote releasing theserial killerCletus Kasady from prison, unleashing the bonded symbiote that makes Kasady into thesupervillainCarnage. Carnage absorbs the second symbiote and becomes stronger as a result. Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider and Venom launch an assault against the symbiote invaders but are overwhelmed. As they are about to be defeated, Carnage appears, having grown to building-size proportions by consuming symbiotes.[9]
The conclusion inWeb of Spider-Man Super Special #1 (Oct. 1995) finds Carnage seeking out Venom to kill him. Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider fight Carnage while Venom attempts to create a more powerful telekinetic scream to subdue the symbiotes. Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider defeat Carnage and Brock fully bonds with his symbiote to create the necessary scream. The scream creates enough pain and despair that the symbiotes commit suicide. Venom decides he is content to be both Brock and the symbiote.[10]
Atrade paperback book collecting the story arc was released in August 2018 under the titleVenom: Planet of the Symbiotes.[11]
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