Horror Highlights: VENOM, VS PRESS, THE TOXIC AVENGER

A NEW SYMBIOTE SUIT EMERGES ON BATTLEWORLD!: “In Amazing Spider-Man #252 by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, Spider-Man returned from Secret Wars with a new black costume that was later revealed to be the alien symbiote VENOM! Now, over 40 years later, a new comic book legend begins with the debut of a symbiote costume in BATTLEWORLD #3 this November that will return the following month in VENOM #252.

BATTLEWORLD, a new limited series by Christos Gage and Marcus To, kicks off in September. The series follows the tradition of both the groundbreaking original Secret Wars and the 2015 Secret Wars event by bringing various heroes from the multiverse together on a patchwork planet for an epic conflict! Last week at San Diego Comic-Con, retailers learned that In BATTLEWORLD #3, one of those chosen heroes is revealed to be an all-new alternate Venom donning a Red and Blue Spidey suit! Created by writer Jordan Morris, who made his Marvel Comics debut earlier this year in Web of Spider-Verse: New Blood #1, and Marvel’s Stormbreaker elite artist and superstar Spider-Verse designer Luciano Vecchio, this mysterious new character will headline his own backup story by Morris and Jesús Saíz in VENOM #252, part of Al Ewing and Paco Medina’s current run. VENOM #252 will also reunite DeFalco and Frenz for a story that ties back to their classic Amazing Spider-Man issue.

In addition to Luciano Vecchio’s design sheet for the new costume, check out the main cover for BATTLEWORLD #3 by Leinil Francis Yu and a Venom Variant Cover by Phillip Tan. Plus, see new variant covers for VENOM #252 by R.B. Silva and Cory Smith that homage the original covers of Secret Wars #7 and Amazing Spider-Man #252. Don’t miss the most shocking costume reveal in 40 years by preordering both issues at your local comic shop today!”

BATTLEWORLD #3 (OF 5)

• Written by CHRISTOS GAGE
• Art by MARCUS TO
• Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
• Venom Variant Cover by PHILLIP TAN
• On Sale 11/26

VENOM #252

• Written by AL EWING, JORDAN MORRIS & TOM DEFALCO
• Art by PACO MEDINA, JESÚS SAÍZ & RON FRENZ
• Homage Variant Cover by R.B. SILVA
• Homage Variant by CORY SMITH
• On Sale 12/3

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VINEGAR SYNDROME RELAUNCHES PUBLISHING DIVISION AS VS PRESS: “Boutique home video label Vinegar Syndrome has relaunched its publishing division following the shuttering of Vinegar Syndrome Publishing in 2024. VS Press takes the already established name of Vinegar Syndrome’s in house screen printing studio to build a larger ecosystem of print based media which will include screen printed posters, various brand related zines and an increased focus on books.

VS Press’s publishing initiative released its first zine in May with VINEGAR ZINE-DROME #1, a perfect-bound zine offering new writing and artwork, and its first book projects with Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III novelizations, republished with the cooperation of their original author David Morrell.

The re-branding will include several new film related texts, starting with the August debut of The Basement Tapes, a lavishly printed, photo filled tome of VHS related ephemera curated by San Francisco collective Basement VHS. Mitsu Okubu and Luca Antonucci of Basement VHS had the following to say about their book with VS Press:

The Basement Tapes is a glimpse into our collection of VHS tapes. Born out of our obsession with b-budget horror, science fiction oddities, bizarre special interest tapes, and exploitation films, this publication is a love letter to these forgotten slabs. In addition to highlighting some of our favorite tapes, we’ve asked a few friends to write about why they love VHS, and we’ve included a few snaps of our subterranean studio space, where we host screenings every Wednesday night. It’s an absolute dream to have worked with VS Press on The Basement Tapes. We can’t wait to share our collection with you.

August will also see the release of the second periodical from VS Press, This Is Cinématographe: A Journal of American Cinema, which will be a quarterly publication of film writing about American cinema with a curatorial focus similar to that of the Cinématographe sub-label of home video releases. Cinématographe co-founder and curator Justin LaLiberty states that “The addition of printed publications makes perfect sense for a company as devoted to physical media as ours is. Not only is it a means to champion the art of publishing but it allows us at Vinegar Syndrome the opportunity to shine a light on people and films we admire that we may not otherwise get a chance to.”

The future of VS Press will include the launch of another periodical in Q4 of 2025 and numerous book projects to be released in 2026 and beyond.

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TOXIE’S ON THE PHONE!!! CALL MOVIEFONE FOR A TOXIC SUPRISE FROM PETER DINKLAGE: “CINEVERSE and MOVIEFONE have officially reactivated the iconic MOVIEFONE number in celebration of The Toxic Avenger!

Tapping into the throwback spirit of the film, fans can now call 802-377-FILM and hear a special message from TOXIE himself—voiced by none other than Peter Dinklage.

It’s a nostalgic, totally bonkers, and unforgettable moment we think fans are going to love.

Call in now and give it a listen ☎️🧪

Creatives are rotated daily, you never know what you’re gonna get when you

dial-in!

802-377-FILM”