I’ll admit. I fell into the superhero fatigue a bit. It’s the same old stuff these days really. Guys goes through some trauma, gets powers, gets the girl and then life goes on.
Last month, I was in the hospital. (Don’t worry, I recovered and I’m OK!)
Under the Doctor’s orders, I had to stay in a hospital bed for 10 days! I know what you’re thinking and the answer is yes, I can answer your question. I got a lot of reading done!
A fantastic graphic novel that I highly recommend is Agent Venom! It really kept my spirits up when I was in the hospital. Rick Remender and Tony Moore are a fantastic creative duo that delivered an awesome story arc I didn’t know I wanted!
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SPOILERS FOR AGENT VENOM!
The story centers around Flash Thompson, Peter Parker’s high school bully. Like most of you, I never really liked Flash as was often seen through the lens of Peter. Most of the time, he comes off as a jerk.
Man, does Agent Venom fix that!
When the story picks up, we learn that Flash has been through a lot! After high school, he enrolled in the army. He suffered a major injury while touring. Flash Thompson is now a double amputee. Despite losing both of his legs, Flash stilled manages to find purpose and meaning in his life. He signed up for the Agent Venom program!
The military managed to capture and contain the black venom symbiote that had frequent run-ins with Spider-Man and Eddie Brock.
The idea is that Flash willingly attaches himself to the symbiote so that he can go on super-secret missions for the military. When Flash gets attached to the symbiote, it gives him the use of his legs on top of all the extra abilities you get when you’re Venom!
There’s a catch though. These venom symbiotes are pretty dangerous. He can only use the venom symbiote for 48 hours. Otherwise, he runs the risk of losing control and putting innocents in danger (like the Hulk).
When he’s not doing secret missions for the military, he’s dealing with all of his personal relationships (like the rest of us)! We learn that he’s in a relationship with Betty Brant and still keeps in touch with his Mom and Pete. The Agent Venom story does an excellent job keeping the story grounded as it provides much needed interpersonal drama.
There’s a rift between Betty and Flash. Flash can’t exactly be transparent with Betty. He’s under a strict confidentiality agreement with the military. He can’t tell anyone that he’s Agent Venom. The public (and the other government departments who aren’t aware of this secret program) may not react well to the idea that the military is using a dangerous venom symbiote.
On top of that, he’s got to deal with his Dad. He’s not exactly Dad-of-the-year. Flash’s Dad is one of those guys who likes to live his high school glory days through his son.
As the story progresses, we learn that Flash’s Dad was hard on him growing up. High expectations were put on him. His Dad wasn’t exactly happy when his team lost games. To make matters worse, we learn that Flash’s Dad has been very abusive to him and his Mom. Flash’s Dad has a long history of alcohol abuse.
What makes this story so cool is that it provides context as to why Flash was such a jerk to Peter. Flash had it rough. He grew up in a really dysfunctional and unloving family. It’s no wonder why he had a chip on his shoulder growing up. The guy was just trying his best. It’s amazing that Flash Thompson chose a life of service given the crappy hand life dealt him.
Agent Venom is awesome as it balances the superhero antics we love with the interpersonal drama we can relate to.
After Flash goes on missions fighting Jack-O-Latern and Kraven, he comes home to deal with his abusive Dad. It turns out he’s at the end of his rope. He got diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver a year ago and didn’t tell anyone.
Man, does Flash have it rough. He’s got it rough but he keeps on trying.
I highly recommend that you check out Agent Venom!
I never though that I would empathize with Flash Thompson. He definitely went through a lot of humility. It’s not often that you get to see a character get redeemed this well.
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Stay groovy!