Venom #36

There's something quietly striking about this 2013 cover by Declan Shalvey — a blond, trench-coat-clad figure wearing the Venom symbiote chest insignia strides purposefully through what appears to be a Philadelphia plaza, a grand fountain and city hall tower glowing in the background while ordinary pedestrians go about their evening, completely unaware. The contrast between the dark, symbiote-touched hero and the mundane city life around him sets an unexpectedly grounded, almost melancholy mood that suits the issue's title, "Simple," perfectly. With Cullen Bunn writing and Pepe Larraz on interior art, this chapter of Venom promises that understated tension the series does so well.