Venom: Sign of the Boss #2

Feb 22

Feb 22 Venom: Sign of the Boss #2

Sign of the Boss: Act Two

While attempting to stop the assassination of Franco Santera, the president of a South American country, at St. June Church, Venom has been attacked by Ghost Rider, who thinks the symbiote is responsible for the carnage that has taken place. As the two battle it out, Franco is furious that the pair are interrupting his well-laid plans. As the pair argue over who the bad guys really are, Danny Ketch's friend Melissa Maro struggles to try and figure out what to do. Behind her, Stigmata -- Santera's super-powered bodyguard -- struggles to get free from her bonds. As Melissa gets closer to Santera and his associates, he hears them complaining about how everything is going wrong and realizes that his claim to change his human rights record was all a lie in order to bilk people out of money. As Franco argues with the woman he claimed to be his wife, they are interrupted when Ghost Rider is sent flying into the altar.

As Ghost Rider and Venom continue to fight, Teraknid recovers after being given a dose of his own venom. Seeing the situation deteriorating, he correctly figures his boss is not impressed. He thinks how Franco Santera grew furious when global sanctions kept him from earning money from his country. To that end, he hired Teraknid and his minions to as part of a ruse to fool the world into thinking that Santera had turned over a new leaf. This was all an effort to trick the United States into believing it. Blaming Venom and Ghost Rider for foiling these plans, Teraknid prepares to leap into battle when he is struck over the head and knocked out by one of the nuns. Meanwhile, Ghost Rider has restrained Venom with his chain and is about to subject him to his penance stare. Revealing his human face, Eddie Brock tells Ghost Rider that he has reformed and is working with the United States government and that he deserves a chance to prove himself. His words get through to Ghost Rider who removes his chain and the pair work to take down the terrorists they think are trying to eliminate President Santera.

While outside, there is still a jurisdictional spat between Sgt. Stacy Dolan and other members of the NYPD over who has the right to command over the situation. Watching from the sidelines are government agents Daryll Smith and Agent Jones who cannot believe how long this spat has been going on for. Back inside, Melissa is treating the priest who suffered a gunshot wound earlier while President Santera and his fake wife continue to argue over what needs to be done. Grown fed up with their bickering, Melissa tells them that a man is dying and demands that they help. Insulted by being spoken to this way, Franco slaps Melissa across the face and decides to start executing everyone himself. Not far away, Stigmata continues to try and break free from her bonds when she is freed by one of the nuns. Able to speak her prayers again, Stigmata summons power to transform into an angelic form. When she confronts Franco, he opens fire upon her but the bullets harmlessly bounce off Stigmata. That's when Venom snares the dictator with some webbing and throws him face-first into the burning hands of the Ghost Rider.

By this time, the NYPD has finished figuring out what to do when suddenly both Ghost Rider and Venom come crashing out the front door of the church and retreat. Back at his safehouse, Venom explains to Agents Smith and Jones that Santera was a fraud and that Stigmata took him away after he was stopped. That's when Agent Jones explains that Stigmata was actually an agent of the Vatican Secret Guard who was sent to verify if Franco's apparent reformation was true. Venom isn't impressed to hear this, wishing that someone at the Vatican could have told them what her true mission was. Later, Franco Santera has been imprisoned by a Vatican run prison in the Alps. His face horribly scarred by the Ghost Rider's hellfire, the man seeks penance by reading the Bible and praying.