He Who Eats

When a woman is savagely murdered out back of the Lizard Lounge, NYPD Detectives Clark and Steen.[1] They have one of their technicians to try and enhance the footage so they can get a better look at the creature. Unfortunately, the quality of the footage is not good enough and all they can pull up is a blurry image of the killer. Whatever it is, it has massive teeth and ate the woman's brain, leading Detective Steen to conclude that their killer is Venom. However, Detective Clark isn't entirely sold on that idea and offers a number of other possible theories.[2] Clark doesn't believe it could be Venom, as all his talk of "eating brains" is just that, talk. He also points out that Venom thinks of himself as a hero, all be it one that is out of his mind. Still, Detective Steen thinks they should continue trying to capture Venom, even at the risk of leaving the real killer out on the loose.

Meanwhile, Eddie Brock has gone to the movies in order to have a warm place to sleep. However, after three screenings, one of the ushers has had enough and kicks Brock out of the theater. Even though he has to kick the homeless man, the usher feels bad and gives Eddie some money to get something to eat. Eddie decides to do just that and eventually decides to go into the Daily Grind coffee shop. At that moment, the detectives have called in Doctor Ashley Kafka and Doctor Camille Pazzo to help on their case, due to their past experience with symbiotes. After examining the evidence, the two psychologists don't see a reason for Venom suddenly murdering random people. However, when Detective Steen suggests that they go out and capture Venom anyway, the doctors look forward to the opportunity. While at the Daily Grind, Eddie Brock purchases a meal from Shirley Washington. He begins thinking of ways to earn money now that his underground hideout has been compromised, he will need a place to stay.[3] He is about to eat his meatloaf when suddenly Ben Reilly shows up for his shift. Eddie senses that this is Spider-Man and quickly departs. Ben realizes that Eddie Brock was in the diner, but can't abandon his shift to go after him. Not far away, Brock resists the urge to kill the wall-crawler, because he promised his ex-wife Anne Weying that he would not.[4] He thinks about how she will only take him back if he separates from his alien other for good, but he knows that it's not that simple.

While at police headquarters, Doctors Kafka and Pazzo are interviewed by reporter Trish Tilby. However, when they are questioned about the brain-eating killer, Detective Steen takes control of the interview, saying that she believes that Venom is the killer and that the NYPD will bring him to justice. This doesn't sit well with Doctor Pazzo, who reminds Detective Clark that they aren't actually sure who the killer is. While not far away, Eddie Brock decides to stop feeling sorry for himself, as he has innocent people to protect. Changing into Venom, Eddie Brock then goes on patrol across the city. Elsewhere, a woman named Donna gets ready for a night on the town. Her sudden return home frightens her roommate Zeena, who was in the shower. As Donna leaves, she thinks about how naive her roommate is and how she has no idea what she has gotten herself into. Donna, on the other hand, knows what she is doing. Getting into her car, she then drives out in the city to continue her search. Meanwhile, Venom interrupts an armed robbery at a nearby bodega. When he sees bystanders running away from him in fear, Venom wonders why unaware that he is wanted by the police. At that same moment, Detective Clark and Doctor Pazzo have gone to a police bar, The Minstrel Boy, to compare notes. She tells him about her past experiences with symbiotes, particularly the mad man known as Carnage.[5] However, what she does know about Venom, she doesn't think he would murder a woman in cold blood. However, she does offer one possible theory -- that the stress caused by being a fugitive could be having a negative impact on Eddie Brock's mental health. That, perhaps, he is suffering from schizophrenia and it is another personality -- one capable of murder -- that is committing these crimes. To complicate things, Brock may not be aware that he is suffering from multiple personalities. They are then interrupted by Detective Steen, who tells them that the mayor has just authorized them to use of police helicopters to hunt down Venom.

As these events are developing, Zeena spends her evening watching television by herself, unaware that the killer has just broken into her apartment. Attacked by the killer's tentacles, Zeena scrambles to the phone to call the police. Although she manages to get through the 911 dispatchers, all they can do is listen in horror as the killer murders Zeena. The following morning, Eddie Brock is on a rooftop once more thinking about what he should do next in order to turn his life around. That's when he is spotted by a police helicopter. Recognizing Brock, the officer orders him to surrender. Not wishing to be arrested, Eddie turns into Venom and flees the police helicopter under a hail of bullets.

Recurring Characters

Venom, Detectives Clark and Steen, Ashley Kafka, Camille Pazzo, Phage, Trish Tilby, Scream, Shirley Washington, Devon Lewis, Ben Reilly

Continuity Notes

1. The date on the security camera footage here lists the year as 1996. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.

2. Detective Clark mentions a failed symbiote invasion. This happened during the Planet of the Symbiote story arc.

3. Brock occasionally used an underground shelter as his home since Amazing Spider-Man #300. However, this location was recently compromised by the police as seen in Venom: Along Came a Spider #1-4.

4. Again, as explained in Amazing Spider-Man #300, Eddie Brock blames Spider-Man for ruining his life after the wall-crawler captured the Sin-Eater exposing his interviews with the alleged killer to be false. After becoming Venom, Eddie Brock vowed to kill Spider-Man until he agreed to put aside his vendetta against the wall-crawler in Amazing Spider-Man #375.

5. Doctor Pazzo dealt with Carnage during Venom Carnage Unleashed #1-4.

Continuity Errors

1. Eddie Brock sets off Ben Reilly's spider-sense here. However, this shouldn't be possible. As explained in Amazing Spider-Man #300, the symbiote is immune to Spider-Man's spider-sense. As Ben Reilly is a clone of Peter Parker, his spider-sense shouldn't be able to detect the symbiote either.

Fear and Loathing

In Brooklyn, a member of the Easy X gang runs up and down the streets armed with a gun. However, he is only a decoy by a group that is searching for the symbiote that has been spotted in this area. As the creature has been clashing with the Easy X gang they are hoping to draw it out. This display has drawn out Hybrid, but he knows that this is some kind of trap and sends on his symbiote's tendrils down into a nearby building to scope it out. It sees a man in Guardsmen armor, which makes Scott Washington wonder if his former employers have come after him. However, the Hybrid symbiote remembers the Guardsmen as their torturers and wants revenge and attacks the armored man. As Scott struggles to keep the symbiote under control, he thinks about how he got into this situation. He recalls how he was a security guard at the Vault prison, where he made fast friends with Vance Astrovik.[1] This later led to his being part of a security detail for scientists who were experimenting on Venom's offspring.[2] Tortured the creatures merged together into a single hybrid entity. When Scott helped them escape, he was fired from his job. The Hybrid creature later tracked Scott down. By that time, Scott's brother was murdered by the Easy X gang, and Scott became Hybrid to avenge his death.[3]

However, Hybrid soon learns that these are not Guardsmen come to apprehend him when he is attacked by Wysper and her sonic blasters. These are actually the vigilantes known as the Jury. Hybrid tries to jam up Wyper's gauntlets with parts of his symbiote, but she blasts them outside. He is soon swarmed by the rest of the Jury who take him down with their sonic blasters. As they load Hybrid into the Justifier, the Jury allows the Easy X gang member to run away, as he has served his purpose. However, they fail to see that the gang member was poking at a portion of the Hybrid symbiote that was blasted outside of the building. It is still alive, and as the Jury leave, it begins to move. The portion of symbiote crawls all the way to the home of Dwight Simms, the only person who knows that Scott Washington is Hybrid. Realizing that his friend is in trouble, Scott tries to call the New Warriors hotline to get their help, but can only get through to the voicemail. Unable to do anything else, Dwight figures that Scott is on his own and hopes he can get himself out of whatever trouble he has gotten into.

By this time, Hybrid has been taken to the Jury's secret underground facility in the Bronx. There, Olivia Lentz congratulates them for a job well done and has Hybrid contained in a cell. The Jury has come to the mistaken conclusion that Hybrid is a former gang member and intends to try both the host and its symbiotes for alleged crimes. When they begin using sonic devices for a separation of the symbiote from its host, both Scott and the Hybrid creature scream in agony. That's when the technicians inform Lentz and the Jury that the bonding process too thorough and that he won't be able to separate the two beings without killing them. Figuring that this will save them a trial, Olivia orders the technician to proceed.

Recurring Characters

Hybrid, Dwight Simms, The Jury (Sentry, Wysper, Firearm, Ramshot, Bomblast), Olivia Lentz

Continuity Notes

1. Scott Washington befriended Vance Astrovik after he was found guilty of murdering his father in New Warriors #21.

2. These symbiotes were born in Venom Lethal Protector #4. They ended up in government custody after their hosts were killed in Venom Separation Anxiety #1-4.

3. Scott Washington becoming Hybrid was detailed in Venom: Along Came a Spider #1-4.