DJ> I wish that venom & carnage were both permently killed off, & the
 DJ> sandman revert back to being the creep we all knew & loved as a
 DJ> creep.
 DH> You won't get an argument from me about Venom and/or Carnage.
 DH> Quite frankly, I was incredibly sick of seeing both of them by the
 DH> time I stopped buying the Spider-books.  You may get your wish with
 DH> regards to the Sandman... although I don't know whether you'll see it
 DH> in the Spider-man titles.  There was a rumour going around about him
 DH> switching sides again and rejoining the Frightful Four over in a near-
 DH> future issue of the "Fantastic Four"... but with Scott Lobdell going
 DH> or gone, that may go out the window as well.
HEY!
I like Venom and the Punisher (1980s-1990s version, not 2099) as
anti-heroes.  It gives the reader (when the story is written
properly) a chance to see exactly what "vigilantes" can be,
instead of the "good little boy" image that Spiderman and Daredevil
try to give the public.  Having the Sandman as an anti-hero in the
Silver Sable comics also makes (a little) sense, as Silver Sable
gave the Sandman, a chance to do two things he liked semi-legally:
make money and beat people up.
Having Venom become the "Lethal Avenger" was great, and a few of
the mini-series that Marvel's put out have shown him to a great
effect, IMO.  There is the problem, however, about how "nice"
and "soft" both Venom and the Punisher have become ever since
they've become "heroic".  It's true that they've become more
"user friendly" over the years.  It is about time that people
were shown what really goes on inside their minds, because -
after all the smoke clears - they are both killers, as is
Wolverine of the X-Men, Deadpool, Cable, and Bishop (also of
the X-Men).
I think that both Venom and the Punisher were both Spiderman
villains, right?  Also, haven't Venom, Punisher, and Wolverine
all fought both the Incredible Hulk and Captain America?
... "I could have made a lot of money with him like that..." - Prydain
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