Follow Marvel's Spider-Man and the Venomverse panel live from C2E2 2023!
Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski is here with Amazing Spider-Man writer Zeb Wells and more to talk Spidey & Venom
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Marvel Comics has returned to C2E2, and the big panel of this year's show is talking about the Spider-Man, Venom, and all things Spider-Verse. Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski is here, along with Amazing Spider-Man writer Zeb wells, Cult of Carnage: Misery artist Sabir Pirzada, Extreme Venomverse writer David Pepose, and Venom editor Devin Lewis.
And yes, Popverse will be there as well, liveblogging all the news and commentary from the whole thing.
Whether you want to follow along live to Marvel's Spidr-Man and the Venomverse panel at C2E2 2023 or you want to come back to
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Hello! This is Chris Arrant, and we are already situated for Marvel's Spider-Man and the Venomverse panel. It's scheduled to begin in about six minutes.
Zeb Wells and David Pepose have started the panel early.
Zeb Wells says the last two issues of the current Amazing Spider-Man are "extra-sized", and "he did alot". He won't say what Peter Parker did - the horrible thing that Marvel is marketing that fans will be upset over.
Fan Q: Why was Ben Reilly turned evil?
Wells: To enterain you young man.
Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski has arrived, signalling the start of the panel.
Cebulski formally introduces the panelists Devin Lewis (Venom, Daredevil and Carnage editor), Alex Paknadel (Red Goblin, Carnage), David Pepose (Savage Avengers, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Extreme Venomverse), Sabir Pirzada (Ms. Marvel show, Moon Knight, Cult of Carnage: Misery), Zeb Wells (Amazing Spider-Man).
Cebulski begins by talking about Carnage #11, showing off a new variant cover by Kendrick 'Kunka' Lim which they'll be giving away exclusive to those of us here.
CB: Who wants to know what Peter Parker did?
Zeb Wells on Amazing Spider-Man: "This current story is the one me and JRJR have been wanting to tell for the entire time. It is a six-issue story, the last two are going to be 30 pages long. I was discussing issue 26 with Nick, and some shocking stuff in there."
Next they show off the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #25, with Wells saying "Mary Jane looks happy there, and healthy.... there." Teasing MJ may not be healthly for long.
Next up, Amazing Spider-Man #26 with CB repeating the marketing slogan for this issue: "the most shocking issue of ASM in fifty years".
NExt they're showing off covers to ASM #27 and ASM #28, both coming out in June.
This is not-so-coincidentally the 10th anniversary of SUperior Spider-Man, and these ASM #27 and #28 covers feature Doc Ock. Hmm....
Moving on, they show covers to ASM #29 and #30.
ASM #31's cover is a "giant-size wedding issue" with setting up the next big Spider-event coming after. it also features the return of Tombstone.
Now they're talking about the Summer of Symbiotes, showing a poster by Philip Tan homaging Jim Lee's iconic pool shot from X-Men #1 - but featuring many of the symbiotes.
Zeb joked: "is the tagline still 'Sun's out, tongues out'?
In April, Alex Paknadel will be taking over Carnage with #12 from current writer Ram. #12 will be drawn by Francesco Manna.
Paknadel: "We've been following the Carnage symbiote for the most part, and Kletus has to an extent has been somewhat benched. But he's an interesting situation, because he's occupying a symbiote of his own - a Frankenstein symbiote with a symbiote dragon, the Extremis technology, and more."
"What's just happen now which leads to this is Kenneth Neally, who has been shadowing Carnage around the universe and is trying to get Kletus out to return to the stage in a pretty big, and gore-drenched way."
Next up, Red Gobin #3 - which coms out in April. "Alex's done a great job on this book, which follows Normie Osborn who has got his own piece of a symbiote," says Lewis.
"To my mind, the two things that belong naturally together are Lassie and ultra-violence. That's the way we conceived Red Goblin - a little kid with a really dangerous super-dog which'll eat your head."
Lewis jokes that he calls the Phil Urich symbiote "GobZombie" but he says it hasn't quite stuck.
Moving over now to Carane Reigns, with an Alpha #1 coming out in May by Alex Panadel and Cody Ziglar.
This will be the first crossover between Carnage and Miles Morales.
Devin says the first two words in this comic is "Carnage Rules", to applause from segments of the crowd.
After that, they're talking about July's Web of Carnage #1 - following the Carnage symbiote, written by Ram V and Christos Gage. No artist is named.
Just added (but not in the slide), Francesco Manna is drawing Web of Carnage #1. Lewis mentioned Morlun in relation to this issue, but teases if he's actually in the book.
In July, a new Red Goblin arc begins with #6 - Paknadel and Jaz Bazaldua working on a story titled 'Nature vs. Nurture'.
In May, Cult of Carnage: Misery begins - a "terrific book" by Sabir Pirzada and Francesco Manna. It stars Liz Allen as the new Misery, and also a single mom.
Liz has been running Alchemax for the past 10 years, and uses her company's symbiote strands to become a symbiote herself.
Lewis says an "all-new symbiote named Madness" will be debuting. It's based on Venom eating some toxic sludge decades ago, and Madness is a love-letter to that. The character is created by Sabir and artist Francesco Mortarino.
Now they're talking about Venom.
Lewis confirms Eddie Brock is coming back to the Marvel U after dying in Venom #1. "It's like reading Terminator. A brutal, kick-ass new version of Eddie."
Devin says they'll be reviving a minor Marvel character named Flexo, who'll be in a Marvel Free Coic BOok Day issue as well as Venom #19 in May.
There's a new version of Venom shown for June's Venom #21. with four arms and a white-red suit.
Now we're talking about Extreme Venomverse #1, which comes out in May. "There's nothing more fun than giving fresh spins to symbiotes, and that's exactly what we're doing here," says Lewis.
Now we're talking about Extreme Venomverse #1, which comes out in May. "There's nothing more fun than giving fresh spins to symbiotes, and that's exactly what we're doing here," says Lewis.
They talk about a new Venom where the symbiote and Eddie Brock take the spot of Spider-Man after Peter Parker dies after trying to repel the symbiote with that classic bell tower scene.
Pepose talks about his story in Extreme Venomverse #2 (drawn by Ken Lashley), with a life model Venom - a Venom symbiote bonded with a SHIELD LMD designed to hold the symbiote.
They confirm a venomized Jeff the the Landshark debuting in Exteme Venomverse #5, with Kelly Thompson and Gurihiri returning for this special story.
Peach Momoko has created a new Venom character named Venomblom, for Extreme Venomverse #4.
In August comes Death of the Venomverse #1 by Cullen Bunn and Gerardo Sandoval.
This will be weekly in August, for 5 issues.
This will pave the way for "at least the next year of Carnage stuff" says Lewis.
Next up fan Q&A!
Fan Q: A Superman cosplayer asks if there's a Peter and Ben Reilly teamup?
Devin: We have a ton of affection for Ben Reilly. We're always looking for a time and place to do that.
Marvel is giving out Marvel calendars to everyone who asks a fan Q, with CB Cebulski joking "Does DC give out calendars to fans?"
Cebulski also teases that Kaine will be in Dan Slott and Mark Bagley's Spider-Man #6 or #7.
Fan: What do symbiotes taste?
Fan Q: What do the symbiotes taste like?
Wells says they have a musky taste, but each color is different.
Pepose; Venom tastes like licorice, Carnage tastes like strawberry.
Fan Q: Fans have debated whether or not that Spider-Man cannot be married. Is that true?
CB: That's for me, I guess. I would say its not a mandate, but its a prefernece. The way that editorial works. Marvel has always been a fan- and talent-friendly company. For some of us, MJ was single when we grew up - but for others, they remember them as married. SHould they be married? Not a question we can answer, but something could change - maybe by Zeb - about if they should be married again. There's no mandate, its about what we think is best for the stories.
Fan Q: A Kraven cosplayer asks what health of comic industry in 5 or 10 years?
CB: Very quickly. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Comics aren't dying. There's some changes obviously. Challenge now is #1 getting new readers in. Trick is to get them into our universe; that's why for us, sales are up. But its getting people to understand Marvel Universe isn't impentetraable. Everyhing needs to be new reader friendly. We think we need to embrace digital comics more.
CB: Digital comics will never outsell print, but people are embracing digital a little more. Telling digital stories to bring people in the print comics.
CB: We've got a great future ahead of us.
Fan Q: Can there be a Carnageverse?
Lewis: Keep reading, true believer.
Fan Q: Can there be a Marvel con?
CB: Yes we would love to do a Marvel event or Marvel celebration. There's a lot of different ways to handle it. Will we get there hopefully? Yes. Someday we'll do something celebrating things we all love. But right now? Can't say for sure or not.
And that's it for the panel. Thanks for following along!
