Spider-Island
Secret Wars is shaping up to be very kind to Venom fans. Not only do we get appearances by Eddie Brock, Zombie Venom and Hydra Venom, ComicVine announced today that Agent Venom would also be apart of a Secret Wars tie-in! Christos Gage and Paco Diaz will be revisiting Spider-Island in July:
The Spider-Queen has turned Manhattan into an island of Spider-Madness and Peter Parker has lost
With Spider-Man defeated and captive, does Flash Thompson, A.K.A. VENOM stand a chance?
Chirstos Gage on SPIDER-ISLAND
COMIC VINE: What can you tell us about this SPIDER-ISLAND story?
CHRISTOS GAGE: It takes place in a Manhattan where the Spider-Queen (villain of the original Spider-Island story) triumphed. She rules an island of people her Spider-Virus turned into huge mutant man-spiders, with her Spider-King (a transformed Captain America) by her side. Pretty much every human being in her kingdom is a spider-monster, loyal to her...except a stubborn resistance force of uninfected, led by Flash Thompson, a.k.a. Agent Venom. Flash is tormented by his failure in the final, decisive battle of New York's champions against the Queen, in which he was unable to save his hero, Spider-Man, who was lost in the fight and is presumed dead. Though the Venom symbiote is vulnerable to the Queen's sonic powers, Flash is determined to redeem himself, or die trying. And he has a plan...a way to turn old allies from pawns of the Queen into free-thinking beings. But in this world, there's no cure for the Spider-Virus. It's too late. The only option is to transform the subjects into something else...and that's how Capwolf, Lizard Hulk and other bizarre twists on familiar characters come into the story!
CV: How does it compare to the recent Spider-Island story? Does it continue or veer off from a certain point?
CG: More "veers off", and in my head, I know where. But we want this story to be completely accessible to people who haven't read the original, or may not remember it too well. So all you really need to know is the good guys lost, and almost everyone in Manhattan has been turned into a half-human, half-spider, completely loyal to the Queen!
CV: When did you come up with the idea for this story, back during the original or when you were getting ready to jump into this one?
CG: When Nick [Lowe] approached me about doing this one. I know what some of the other Secret Wars stories are about, and the common thread they have is a lack of limits. You can go nuts and let your imagination run wild. It reminded me of the old-school WHAT IF? tales. Accordingly, it was pretty logical to start from a place where the good guys lost and the Queen runs Spider-Island...but as for where it goes from there, I just threw off the shackles.
CV: What's the tone of the story?
CG: There's definitely a post-apocalyptic feel to it...that came about naturally, since 99% of New Yorkers have been turned into giant spiders. But I also didn't want it to be super-depressingly dark. Spider-Man stories, to me, have an element of hope to them, and I wanted to preserve that. Hopefully there is also a tone of, "I can't believe they did that!" So, although it's been ages since I watched them, maybe a feel of such classic movies as Escape From New York and The Warriors...where you're in an environment where everyone is out to get you.
CV: Will other characters besides Flash Thompson get a chance to jump in the spotlight?
CG: Yes! Some you've seen before in other settings, like Capwolf. Others are new twists on classic characters, like the Lizard Hulk. And there'll be a few who remain in their familiar state. Plus one very important figure we won't see until later.
CV: Were you given any restrictions or characters you couldn’t use for the story?
CG: Nope. I mean, uncharacteristically for me, I didn't try to put Devil Dinosaur in it, but that can only mean I got to do something else equally nutty. The great thing about Secret Wars is that you can do almost anything. As the advance images show, just because one title is using Venom or the Hulk or Captain America doesn't mean there can't be a different version of those characters in ours. That's the fun of it!
CV: Does the Spider-Queen have the same motivation in this story? Is Jackal around?
CG: Spider-Queen's motivation remains the same: to transform and completely control every denizen of Spider-Island, and kill any she can't rule. She is very close to reaching her goal. As for the Jackal, in the original story, the Spider-Queen appeared to kill the Jackal when she no longer found him useful, and that is the status quo here. But readers know he survived in the original tale. So anything's possible.
CV: If Spider-Island became a reality in your neighborhood, how would you cope with it?
CG: Mobilize a band of hardy survivors and...who am I kidding. I'd be the first to go.
Are you excited to have Agent Venom lead the revolt in Spider-Island? I wonder if Anti-Venom will factor into this story....
[Thanks to everyone who sent in a tip!]