Marvel Comics has created an expansive, incredible universe filled with some of the most iconic characters and beloved stories. There are countless pages of comics for fans to enjoy but every now and then, a single panel stands out in our memories. Whether it’s the incredible artwork, a major reveal or moment in a story or even just a really funny line from one of Marvel’s more comical characters, some comic panels just deserve to be recognized.
With that in mind, I want to take a look at some of my favorite comic panels. Each week, I will select one panel from a new Marvel comic as a “New Favorite” and one panel from an older comic as a “Classic Favorite” and provide some context as to why those two panels are so great. Sometimes I might get a little loose with what I consider a “panel,” because comics tend to play by their own rules. But at the end of the day, we’ll have two glimpses of two great Marvel comics, one old and one new.
So without further ado, here are my picks for this week’s top Marvel Comics panels:
Classic Favorite: “Venom: Dark Origin” (2008)
Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Angel Medina
The origin of Venom is pretty well known. Spider-Man came back from the Beyonder’s Secret Wars with a brand new suit. Turns out that suit was actually an alien being that was slowly corrupting him. When he realized he needed to separate himself form the alien parasite, it found a new host in disgraced reporter Eddie Brock, creating a brand new enemy for Spider-Man.
A story can be completely different from another point of view though. That’s what made Zeb Wells’ 2008 story arc so great. It gave us a fresh look at the origin story of the Lethal Protector and a chance to see just what Eddie Brock went through.
This particular panel comes as the symbiote is bonding itself with Eddie and he sees images of the Secret Wars, featuring many of the heroes and villains involved. It’s an action packed panel and a really nice touch to remind fans of just where the symbiote that created this iconic character came from.
New Favorite: “King in Black #5”
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Ryan Stegman
Before I get into this panel, I have to explain that only two comic book panels have ever made me leave my seat and pump my fist with excitement. The first one came in Brian Michael Bendis’ 2011 run on Moon Knight, which was featured in Panel Picks before, The second one, came this week in Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s “King in Black” finale.
This series was absolutely incredible, delivering one huge moment after another and none were bigger than the one you see above. Venom, now imbued with the Enigma Force shows up just in time to face off with Knull and decides to grab a couple of weapons. The first is Thor’s legendary hammer Mjolnir. The second is a sword made from the board of the Silver Surfer. In this moment, Eddie Brock proves himself worthy of wielding immense cosmic power.
It was an incredibly powerful moment that preceded the final showdown between Venom and the King in Black. And of course, it was accompanied by some more breathtaking artwork. This issue was loaded with great peanles, but it really all came together in this one. This is absolutely one of my favorite panels of all-time.
You can check out “King in Black #5” now.
Be sure to check back next week for more of my favorite Marvel Comics panels.