Spider-Man: Birth of Venom (Bargain of the week)

Scene from Secret Wars  #9

Picked this edition of the Ultimate Marvel Graphic Novel Collection up for 3 quid, and enjoyed it thoroughly.I was never a huge fan of Venom but must admit his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #300 is a classic. Being a proud owner of that much coveted issue it was nice to have it in reprint form, so I can read it and not worry about damaging the valuable original.
        However the real reason I enjoyed this so much is because of the classic alien costume saga, which details Spidey's battle with the evil black suit which eventually bonded with bitter, hate-fueled reporter Eddie Brock to form Venom. This version  has less material than the Marvel US version but it still weighs in at a chunky 200 pages in sturdy hardback.

Spidey gets suit removed and ends up
with paper bag  over his
head and old FF uniform thanks
to the Torch.

      It's really Spider-man at his downtrodden angst ridden best as Tom Defalco brings that sense of reality to the character that made him great in the first place. I'm a huge fan of Ron Frenz and his artwork lovingly apes some of the creepier elements of Spidey's co-creator Steve Ditko, imbuing the story with that sense of paranoia and angst. We learn about Mary Jane's tragic upbringing as she reveals to Parker that she always knew he was Spidey, making these stories particularly historic in the Spider-man canon. We also see the first appearance of the Puma who would feature in Parker's life intermittently over the next few years.

Puma

   The story moves at a brisk pace and engages the reader, the only problem  I have is that the sub plots with the Kingpin, Rose and the Hobgoblin were not resolved within this volume. (I have my eye on the Origin of the Hobgoblin book, and would be nice if this book featured the climax of that story).
     A worthwhile investment even at full price!

Starfire from the New Teen Titans by George Perez

 One of the most exotic creatures in all of comicdom, Starfire, as brought to life in this wonderful commision from George Perez. (I found this one on the Twelfth Night website, a great resource) Princess Koriander's story is a troubled one, sold into slavery by her evil sister Komandr and forced to endure untold horrors at the hands of her alien slavers, hers is a story of survival. Her origin can be found in Tales of the New Teen Titans # 4 (1981) an exellent story by the great team of Wolfman and Perez. The great news is it can usually be picked up for one or two bucks..Unlike those whingers over in the X-Men, no matter what problems the Titans had, and they had a lot  individually and collectively, they never let them grind them down and always had time for a laugh and some fun, and that is one of  great charms of this comic book in an era of gritty socially conscious storytelling. Starfire always maintained a beautiful innocence even in light of the tortures and degradations she recieved, A wonderfully conceived character, apart from her obvious charms.