The biggest saga in Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman's run on Venom comes to an end with King in Black #5, the climactic final issue of this Marvel Event. The story has built to a showdown between Knull, the god of the symbiotes and the embodiment of evil, and Eddie Brock, now empowered by the Enigma Force as Captain Universe Venom. It's an epic battle that will redefine one of Marvel's most high-profile heroes.
Unlike Absolute Carnage, which felt like it had built up too much action to be a true event finale, King in Black #5 kept the momentum building with non-stop fighting. That momentum carried over to the final issue, which was a true culmination of all the work Cates and Stegman have done to elevate Venom into the A-list of the Marvel Universe. The big fight between Eddie and Knull was exactly what the event needed to be.
It was also a nice way to wrap up this particular saga with the conclusion of Eddie and Dylan's father-son relationship. It's clear that Cates and Stegman care about this storyline, and they don't shy away from making it as emotional as possible.
Despite the fact that this event had some pretty crazy ideas at its core, and that the tie-ins did lean a bit on the core Venom book for exposition, it was still an excellent comic. There's an obvious sense of craft behind it, and a lot of fun. This is what happens when a creator loves a character and works to make it the best version of itself that it can be.
