Venom: Lethal Protector II #5

The penultimate chapter of this 2023 Marvel series brings things to a fever pitch, with Philip Tan's cover depicting a cloaked, masked figure looming large above a savage, snarling Venom — symbiote tendrils writhing against a blazing yellow sky — while a fierce, feral creature claws its way into the foreground. David Michelinie returns to the character he helped define, joined by artist Farid Karami and colorist Arif Prianto, making this fifth issue a strong showcase for the creative team. If the cover's brooding intensity is any indication, "The Soul of the Monster" delivers exactly the kind of dark, high-stakes symbiote action this series has promised.