Venom had several mini-series in the '90s, and an ongoing written by Daniel Way in the early 2000s, but those were always focused on Eddie Brock as the guy inside the symbiote. In 2011, though, Eddie Brock was trying to stay clear of the symbiote, and the living tar pit had been peeled off Mac Gargan after his stint being Norman Osborn's lackey. Left in the ever-so-trustworthy hands of the U.S. military, they decided to find a suitable soldier and get themselves a super-weapon.
Enter Flash Thompson. Having lost his legs serving in the Army in the Middle East during Brand New Day, Flash seemed quite eager for the opportunity to serve, and also use the symbiote as a stand-in for his legs. Remender sets Flash against Crime-Master, with his own, new Jack O'Lantern as chief henchman, but Flash is probably up against his own worst tendencies as much as anything. Remender uses Flash's own troubles with alcohol, and his ugly relationship with his abusive, alcoholic father.
Flash doesn't really know how to deal with problems in a healthy manner, so he lies. He's dating Betty Brant, but lies to her about where he's at, claiming he's speaking at events for veterans. He lies to his bosses about how long he wore the suit during a mission in the Savage Land, and doesn't tell them Crime-Master knows who's calling themselves Venom. Because he doesn't want to lose access to the symbiote, the power, the purpose it grants him.
Tony Moore drew most of the initial story arc, and the character design for this version of Venom reflects that it's worn by someone meant to think of themselves as a soldier. It shifts appearance to resemble, boots, shoulder pads, gloves. Flash is packing heat and pouches like it's the Nineties all over again, using the symbiote to hold and fire multiple guns at once. Don't let the Punisher see that or he'll start demanding an alien goo suit. Flash keeps the suit under control with sedatives, but as he loses control, the symbiote shifts to more closely resemble the design used when Mac Gargan was wearing it. The massive, steroidal monster that looks like it could swallow a person whole.
I've only bought selected parts. The initial 5 issues, and the "Savage Six" story that concluded Remender's stint on the book. After the first five issues, it jumped into several Spider-Island tie-ins, and two or three-issue arc, and then the "Circle of Four", which was some play off the New Fantastic Four by putting together "dark" Spidey, Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider in the persons of Venom, X-23, Red Hulk and that lady that took over as Ghost Rider after Jason Aaron's run. Not sure I'd agree with X-23 being more morally dubious than Logan, but whatever, I'm not dealing with that. Issues are surprisingly pricey, and Remender was replaced by Cullen Bunn, whose writing does zilch for me.
Also, just from what issues I do own, they weren't great about keeping a regular artist. Six different artists in 13 issues, and while Kev Walker and Declan Shalvey aren't too far apart, wedging Lan Medina smack in the middle doesn't work so well.
The comic never does, in the parts I read, address any ethical concerns about drugging what is clearly a sentient being so it can be used as a weapon without its consent. Even when Remender adds Flash to his Secret Avengers run, it's unaddressed other than Hanks Pym and McCoy devising a more efficient way to keep it drugged and compliant. I'm not expecting any better from those two, Hank McCoy may have lapped Pym and Stark both with it comes to be ethically compromised, but still.
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