Tag Archives: Venom

90s Marvel, Uncategorized

Dark Liaisons (part 2 of 4)

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Hello, Unspokenites and welcome back to my look back at the “Spirits of Venom” epic! Why is it an epic? Because this storyline literally made me drool as a kid at how amazingly badass it was! So I’m a little biased, sue me. (It’s true about the drool unfortunately. I’ve gone through more copies of these comics from slobber stains than a rent-a-Santa goes through pants due to pee puddles during the holiday season!) Well then, shall we return to our little tale? Let’s! I now bring you the second part of our story as it was originally presented in “Spirits of Vengeance” #5!

Blackness everywhere. Surrounding him. Forcing to pull him under. Johnny Blaze’s head throbs in pain. Must’ve hit it as he dove into the tunnel. As his vision clears, he’s met with a sight that can only be described as a war! Combatants on both sides are tearing into one another as the deadly Deathspawn surround them all! That’s when Blaze notices the priest from earlier! He’s down here too, caught in this chaos! But before the former Ghost Rider can react, the Deathspawn threaten to once again drown him in inky blackness! Only this time, he comes out firing! Hellfire blasts hit in all directions, causing the creatures to flee in fear! Unfortunately, they take the priest, Spider-Man, and others with them as captives! (Johnny Blaze is soooo cool! Long hair, sunglasses, trench coat, and a cigarette hanging lazily from his lips. Add to that the fact that he rides a motorcycle, and I’ve got a total man-crush!)

Ghost Rider demands that they pursue Spider-Man as he has been their ally in the past. Blaze begrudgingly agrees and fires once again into the crowd of Deathspawn! Unfortunately, Venom hears the sound of his web-slinging enemy’s name and rushes after Spidey at the same time! The result is winging the Venom symbiote with a hellfire blast! (Gulp! Venom’s gonna be a bit miffed. Maybe a gift basket with exotic soaps and a Hallmark apology card?) Venom screeches in anguish as it’s alien tendrils flail everywhere! A moment passes and the symbiote once again slithers to re-cover it’s human host. And then, with no warning, he grabs Blaze by the throat and pins him to a tunnel wall! The antihero’s boots dangle while he struggles to breathe! Blaze merely smiles as he presses the hellfire shotgun barrel closer into his attacker’s throat!

After harsh words are said, Venom turns away from Blaze and splashes after the creatures that abducted his arachnid arch-foe! His symbiote uses it’s camouflage ability to turn invisible as Venom presses on through the sewers. That’s when Ghost Rider looks down. The body of his own arch-nemesis, Deathwatch, lies at his feet! The Deathspawn must’ve been planning on resurrecting the villain down here! He places the corpse over his shoulder and listens to the nearest wall. Johnny Blaze questions his skull-faced partner. Suddenly, the Rider punches through the wall, stating that he can hear the cries of the innocent within the hidden chamber beyond! (Anyone else feeling slightly claustrophobic reading this? Yeah. Me neither. I think I’m gonna go pass out for an unrelated reason…..)

Ghost Rider and Blaze continue for a short while into the secret tunnel before the floor opens up into yet another chamber. As the two dark heroes examine this, Deathspawn suddenly spring from the large hole and lunge for Deathwatch’s body! They succeed in dragging it down into the darkness with them! Before the Rider and Blaze have time to think, Venom suddenly becomes visible nearby, knocking both anti-heroes into the dark abyss! Ghost Rider catches Johnny Blaze before he hits bottom and Venom lands next to them. But before the trio can fight further, Venom senses someone beyond this room and swings off to investigate! (Geez! Venom needs to chill out. He’s acting like my equally evil two year old great-niece, Eden! Someone needs to put him over their knee! Okay. Maybe that’s a dangerous idea.)

Thinking that the evil Deathspawn lie in wait within, Venom begins attacking the first solid bodies he finds! Ghost Rider quickly stops him though, forcing him to look at their surroundings. Terrified humans huddle amongst the decaying corpses of their fallen! They are meant to feed the very creatures they seek! That’s when Ghost Rider hears a familiar voice ask for help in the shadows. The three peer into the veil of blackness and see Spider-Man, the priest, and the others pinned to the wall with a sticky substance! As Ghost Rider works on freeing them, the minions of Deathwatch fill the chamber in mass! (Uh-oh! Looks like our heroes could really use a hand here! Where’s Spider-Ham when you need him?)

As Blaze fires into the horde of Deathspawn, opening a path for the humans to escape, Spider-Man swings off to get the priest to safety! That’s when things go from bad to worse as Deathwatch’s body is taken by his servants and drug away! Ghost Rider must now make a hasty decision. Will he follow his enemy’s corpse to stop his impending resurrection, or will he help the rest of the people escape? No contest. Innocent life must be protected. Venom, Johnny Blaze, and Ghost Rider run off to do just that!

To be continued…..

Dedicated to the “evil” great-niece I mentioned earlier, Eden Love Miller. You are truly the light in a sadly dwindling family line. I love you, sweetheart.

90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

Dark Liaisons (part 1 of 4)

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Fierce rage built up in him, ready to overflow like lava from an erupting volcano. Only his steel will stood between him and completely losing himself to it. If he were to succumb, would anyone be safe from his wrath? But enough about me quitting smoking this month. I should probably get on with the subject to this month’s article. This article will be the first of four as I take a look back at a personal favorite storyline of mine from my youth, “Spirits of Venom”! This narrative concerns part one which was originally presented in “Web of Spider-Man” #95. Enjoy the coming chaos, Unspokenites!

A storm raged overhead as Spider-Man swung upon his webline. In his other hand, he carried the bound form of one of his most relentless foes, the Hobgoblin! Hobgoblin struggled in his web cocoon but to no avail. He was trapped. As he relaxed his taxed muscles, he complained to his wall-crawling enemy about how this was all unnecessary. The man he had tried to kill was only a contract to be fulfilled after all. It was nothing personal. Plus in the end, he had only defended himself. These words stung Spider-Man and he let go of his captive! He let him fall several stories before catching him at last. He then roared into the face of the assassin about how the taking of any life couldn’t be any more personal and he’d see the goblin punished for what he had done! Then, Spidey continued his swinging, heading to the nearest police station. This had all not gone unnoticed however. They were being watched from a distance…..(Seems like Spidey’s in a really bad mood. Grum-pee! What is it about attempted murder that strikes a nerve in most superheroes? Go figure. He just needs a calming cigarette. Sorry. I’m doing my best here.)

The two beings that were witnessing this scene were far from your usual bystander on the street. No. These two perched instead upon the head of a gargoyle statue that was affixed atop a tall building. One of them was known as the hellish Demogoblin! The other had no known name. He was a savage doppelganger of Spider-Man himself! (How’d these two monstrosities meet? I blame online dating sites personally.) The Demogoblin spoke to his growling comrade about how he and the Hobgoblin used to be one being, but now he and the other “sinner” who carried him must be slain! He would kill the Hobgoblin but he’d save Spider-Man for the Doppelganger to do with as it wished! This terrible twosome then began their pursuit! Spidey’s spider-sense suddenly warned him of danger! He immediately let go of his webline and he and the Hobgoblin began to plummet! A smart move, as the six-armed Doppelganger narrowly missed with its many claws! The wall-crawler then fired another web upwards and swung both of them to the top of an adjacent building. That’s when the demonic Demogoblin made his grand entrance!

Riding atop his hellfire glider, he decreed that all sinners would be sent into the pits of firey Hell by his righteous hand, starting with the two before him! (Okay. So it’s become apparent to me that the Demogoblin is in need of some serious therapy! Am I wrong?!) He continued by stating that all who aided the sinner, Hobgoblin, would burn as well! Still carrying the ensnared Hobgoblin, Spidey threw a kick at the Doppelganger, sending it crashing into the Demogoblin and stunning them both! Obviously at a disadvantage, Spider-Man shot another web and swung away in hasty retreat! He didn’t get far, as the Doppelganger fired a web of his own! Only this one has it’s own unique razor-webbing and it sliced right through Spidey’s line! This sent both he and Hobgoblin into a forced nosedive towards the pointed peak of a church roof!

Several blocks away and beneath the streets of Manhattan, two other heroes were on a quest of their own. Ghost Rider turned his flaming head, searching for his evil prey as Johnny Blaze, the man who was the Spirit of Vengeance before him, followed with his hellfire shotgun in hand. They were hunting evil creatures called Deathspawn and they were last seen entering these sewers. Suddenly, Blaze aimed upwards as he sensed something watching them from above! That’s when Venom dropped from the ceiling! (Damn! Who else is in this issue?! Why not add in Archie and Jughead while you’re at it?!) Ghost Rider and Blaze both assumed that Venom was here for them. That’s why they were surprised when he leaped past them to the killers that were hiding in the shadows! They were more human looking versions of these Deathspawn and as Venom tussled with them, more apparition-like creatures crept out to attack the dark heroes!

Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Hobgoblin had survived their fall. Spidey achingly pulled the goblin inside of the church through an unlocked window with sore arms. Hobgoblin once again stated how much easier this would all be if the web-slinger were to cut him free. Spider-Man of course declined. Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a priest carrying a flashlight in shakey hands. He called out for them to reveal themselves in a frightened voice. Spider-Man stepped from the shadows, immediately putting the priest’s nerves at ease. Spider-Man asked for help. But before he could even finish his sentence, the priest agreed. He knew the goodness in this hero’s heart and was happy to be of service. (Finally! A bit of good luck for Spidey. I get tired of the whole “misunderstood hero” thing. The guy’s been around since 1962 for God’s sake! Yet he looks to be about 20 to 25 years old…..Comics are weird.)

The priest led them to the catacombs beneath the church to hide from their attackers. After, he then returned to the church’s main floor. But upon his arrival, he was terrified as he was standing face-to-face with the fanged Demogoblin and his many-limbed cohort! The priest ordered them to leave. This was hallowed ground and it would not abide their evil! Growing increasingly impatient, the Doppelganger lept towards the priest’s throat, ready to draw blood one way or another! But the Demogoblin would have none of this! Wasn’t this a man of God not unlike himself? No. The priest would live. He caught the beast by one of it’s arms and forced it back! Instead, he force the priest to lead them to their prey! Terrified, he began to lead them downstairs. Spidey’s luck held however and he noticed the trio before he could be attacked from behind. He made his presence known so that the Demogoblin would forget the priest. It worked! Too well, apparently, because the goblin threw a flaming pumpkin bomb towards Spider-Mans masked face! (Speaking of mental problems, can you imagine how much therapy this priest is gonna need after this night? Hell, you’d think any average person would need some strong meds just to live in a comic universe!)

In the sewers, Ghost Rider, Blaze, and Venom were having trouble of their own! For every Deathspawn they struck down, two more seemed to materialize! Venom, always a loner, soon tired of this and went after his original prey, the human-looking twin Deathspawn! Blaze fired his mystical weapon at the ceiling of the sewers, creating a large hole for them all to escape from. But Venom only cared about his own mission. He webbed up the two villains and escaped from the hole alone! In the church, Demogoblin threw the priest towards Spider-Man to exchange for Hobgoblin! Spidey caught him just as Venom burst through a recent hole that exploded from the catacombs floor! (Aaaand both stories have now intersected. Excellent storytelling. And the writer of this comic isn’t that bad either. ) Venom then spied his longtime arch-nemesis and leaped towards the wall-crawler, forgetting his webbed-up prize from moments ago! However, the Doppelganger would not be denied Spider-Man’s blood! It threw itself full force into Venom and the two monsters clashed in the shadows!

Demogoblin approached Spider-Man, ready to collect Hobgoblin! But this was interrupted as hellfire erupted from the large hole in the floor! Out came Ghost Rider, Blaze, and a horde of fleeing Deathspawn! When the Demogoblin spied Ghost Rider emerging from the sewers below, his fanged mouth spread into an awkward smile! He would slay an actual demon this night! Calling Ghost Rider by his supposed true demon name, he attacked the Spirit of Vengeance! To make matters worse, the still-bound Hobgoblin was being drug into the sewers by the evil wraiths! Ghost Rider and Demogoblin followed, entangled in battle! The same thing for Venom and Doppelganger as they fell in next! Blaze cleared the church catacombs of any remaining Deathspawn spirits with his hellish rifle! He then jumped in as well! (Whee! Sounds like fun! And less dangerous than most amusement park rides too!)

Only Spider-Man and the priest remained now. The rest of the combatants had already vanished into the sewers. Spidey spoke of his wife and family awaiting him at home. If he jumped in as well, there was a good chance he’d never come out alive again. The priest replied that he had already saved countless lives in his superhero career. There was no need to prove anything else. He should follow his heart. Spider-Man thanked the priest before he lept into the abyss and most probably his own certain doom.

to be continued…..

Dedicated to my nephew, Blade Miller, one of the strongest men I know.

90s Comics, 90s Marvel, Uncategorized

The Case of the Venomous Offspring (Part 2)

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RCO001_w_1463374424-1-1-1-1Greetings and salutations, you sexy and clever fans of The Unspoken Decade! What’s that? Why am I kissing your butts? Me?! Never! Can’t a narrator praise his amazing readers? Good. I’m glad we cleared that up. (By the way, have you all been working out? It shows!)

Now that everyone is feeling good about themselves, let’s begin my review of the second half of the “Venom: Lethal Protector” storyline, shall we?

When we last left our hero, he had been captured by an organization called the Life Foundation, and the villains were only interested in his symbiote’s offspring! Nope, things don’t look good for ol’ Venom! As we begin this issue, things haven’t gotten any better. Brock and his symbiotic “other” continue to float in an energy orb of comprised of pure sound. Venom thrashes and roars in defiance as Carlton Drake calmly looks on. Venom threatens to “suck his lungs out through his nose!” (Now that’s thought provoking. Can this be done? Does one need symbiotically enhanced lungs or simply Justin Beiber-level of ability to suck? Hmm….)

RCO004_w_1463374573-1-1Drake merely brushes the threat away and begins speaking of his master plan. Simply put? He wants Venom’s offspring to enhance bodyguards for the wealthy that have already purchased condos from him. (Devious, eh? He’s essentially like if Dr. Doom had an evil love child with the Monopoly Guy!) Just then, the fifth and final symbiote is born and quickly contained. Venom continues to thrash in outrage!

Meanwhile, Spidey is seen doing what Spidey does best – fighting crime. As a group of young hoods race away from the convenience store they have just robbed, they take their collective gaze off of the road ahead just long enough for the Amazing Spider-Man to drop down onto their hood! He webs their windshield and leaps to safety. The escape car, now driving blind, hits a nearby tree! Later, as the local police thank the wall-crawler, he asks for change to make a call.  (For you youngins, the change is for an ancient device that we neanderthals called a phone booth. Nope. No cell phone for selfies or texting! Truly frightening, huh?)

RCO006_1463374573-1He notifies his wife that, though Venom has recently dropped off of the grid, crimes are being committed in true symbiote fashion all around the city. His stay in San Francisco may just be longer than expected. Back in the desert compound of the Life Foundation, Venom continues to attempt an escape. Sadly, the force of the Sonics is just too strong for the symbiote. But for the human within….? The thought coming to the venomous duo, Venom grins his many-fanged smile.

RCO011_1463374573-1

Back to ol’ web-head. Following a few leads he finds himself in a mall. A young woman is thrown from above, but Spidey gets there just in time to catch the girl, saving her from certain death. He then follows the gaze of the onlookers and sees the source of their fear….a female symbiote?! Rather than acting afraid of the sudden appearance of a seasoned superhero, she seems positively pleased! (You know, there’s just something exciting about a woman who could either kiss you or bite your face off on a whim. Mmmm! Sexy!)

RCO017_1463374573-1Back to Venom. While the villain has his back turned, speaking further of his sinister plans, Venom suddenly reaches through the orb with his human arm and seizes a guard! He then throws the minion into the control center for his prison, effectively shutting it down! Now free, the Lethal Protector begins tearing his way through the security personnel as if they’re no more than tissue paper! As he reaches for Drake, however, he is suddenly shot in the back by a sonic rifle! Brock and the symbiote drop unconscious. (Nekkid again, it should be noted. Someone, anyone, get this man some tighty whiteys!)

We then return to the mall, where Spider-Man battles the female symbiote with all that he has! As the fight rages on, he notices that she is extremely fast and strong but couldn’t be any more of a rookie in combat. Using this to his advantage, he lures her away from the civilians, pretending to surrender, and then springs into a fierce attack while she’s unprepared! Now down, she calls for an extraction. She tosses another would-be victim toward a wall. Spidey quickly cushions the man with his own body. Returning his gaze to the symbiote, he sees that she is gone. A hovercraft begins to lift off, but before it can get too far, the wall-crawler fires a web onto it! He is then pulled with the vehicle towards its destination. (Has anyone else noticed how this has become less of a Venom miniseries and more yet another excuse to showcase Marvel’s “big gun,” AKA Spider-Man? Like the dude doesn’t have enough comics in the 90’s! Let the V-Man have his moment in the sun! Geez! Rant over.)

Meanwhile, in a dark and hidden room, the torture of a homeless man finally comes to an end. Treece grows impatient. He wants the homeless exterminated. That way, he can claim the gold he’s discovered beneath the park! If he could just locate their hidden lair….

RCO023_1463374573-1When the craft reaches the Life Foundation compound, Spidey enters and sneaks along the ceilings, unseen until that’s no longer an option. He battles armored goons left and right, slowly advancing upon the room where Venom is held captive. Within, Drake has decided that Eddie Brock has become more trouble that he’s worth! Using his sophisticated machines, he actually painfully strips the Venom symbiote from Eddie Brock! (Way to go, web-head! Just had to stick your nose where it didn’t belong! Now there is no Venom to finish this storyline! Well, I guess I could finish this with some thoughts on Marvel’s Powdered Toast Man Special #1. What’s that? Oh. The comic’s not over yet. Well, color me embarrassed. Please. Do continue.)

Moments later, Spider-Man breaks into room only to find a taunting Carlton Drake on a computer screen, and what appears to be the fresh corpse of one Eddie Brock lying on the floor!

RCO005_1463374619-1On to the next exciting issue! Spidey, still fighting guards, replies that Venom is a lot harder to kill than he thinks. Just then, one of the lab techs alerts Drake that they have found a faint pulse! Eddie Brock lives! Disgusted with this turn of events, he switches off the monitor and orders the tech to perform an autopsy anyway! As for Spider-Man? Let him meet “the children!” The five symbiotes enter the room! (Man! Spidey looks like he’s kinda screwed, eh Unspoken fans? I mean, he usually has trouble with just one symbiote! Is the wall-crawler’s number finally up? Will Marvel lose its biggest cash cow without an “X” in the title? Stay tuned….)

RCO008_1463374619-1Meanwhile, Treece has had enough of his “homeless problem” and pulls the tarp from the back of a large truck, revealing crates of explosives! He means to bury those poor people alive! Seeing this, spies for the underground city return to their home with the alarming news!

Back in the desert compound, just as the Life Foundation lab techs are about to begin their autopsy, Brock suddenly leaps to life and attacks! A guard enters the room and fires a sonic blaster at our hero, but the joke’s on him. Without his “other,” Brock no longer fears loud noise! While it is assumed that these men are being beaten to death, Spidey continues his battle in a nearby room with the five symbiotes!

RCO011_1463374619-1Two of the aliens trap his arms in tendrils as a third charges with sharpened fists! When the symbiote gets close Spider-Man pulls all three together with his enhanced strength! Another then attacks with barbed hands and, strangely enough, excretes a strange acid from them! (Does anyone else remember this “acid thing”? I mean, I admittedly haven’t read this in years, but isn’t that a strange ability for a symbiote to possess? I don’t remember Marvel bringing this up ever again either. Hmmm. The House of Ideas, forget something? Impossible! Write in if I’m wrong here.) Spidey ducks and webs up their faces. Just then, Brock enters the room! He tries to call his symbiotic children to him in peace. They answer by attacking him in unison, forcing the heroic duo to momentarily retreat!

Webbing the door behind them, Brock leads Spidey to the dissection room, and they each arm themselves with the fallen guards’ sonic rifles. Both fire as the five symbiotes break through! Four are incapacitated but the fifth ducks the attack and lunges forward with bladed arms! Webbing the symbiote, both heroes retreat to yet another room. Once inside, Brock is relieved to see his “other” being held in stasis! Quickly breaking the alien free, the two become one once more, and Venom is reborn! (That’s right kiddies, daddy’s back and it’s time to line up for your spankings!)

RCO017_1463374619-1While Venom tangles with the other symbiote, he orders Spider-Man to look to the keyboards of the many computers for help of any kind! Accidentally, he discovers a ray that, once it hits the alien’s skin, ages it to death! Venom tells Spidey to hit them all with it as the others burst in! Spider-Man, not wanting to risk the lives of the humans within, refuses! (What a weenie! I’m sorry, but thats why I root for the anti-hero! I mean, I get the whole moral compass thing, but these guys had no qualms about making Spidey-kabobs just minutes earlier! Sheesh!)

Wasting little time, Venom sends a tendril snaking behind Spider-Man’s back. His spider-sense, of course, not sensing it, is caught by surprise when Venom chokes him out! At that very moment,  the five symbiotes break in! Using the ray at full blast, Venom ages the symbiote halves of the five humans to alien dust! The humans within survive, though unconscious. Spider-Man awakens in just enough time for both heroes to escape the Life Foundation compound before it explodes! Losing track of Venom, Spidey begins his search anew. Venom, on the other hand, heads back to San Francisco. He has unfinished business there!

RCO003_w_1463374663-1At the home of Roland Treece, the chief of security is in a state of shock! It seems that all security measures for the estate have been bypassed and all guards lie beaten and unconscious! Who could have done this? What happened? That’s when he turns and the answer to his question becomes clear…..Venom happened! To his credit, the man tries his best to protect the property, even from the likes of the Lethal Protector! But, in the end, he talks. (Finally, the secret of why there’s gold in them thar hills will be explained! Umm. At this point, do we even really care? Don’t we, the readers, just want to see justice served to the bad guy? Agreed. Moving on.)

RCO012_1463374663-1Learning that the homeless are in danger from the explosives in the park, an outraged Venom knocks out the security chief and heads toward the park. Spider-Man, however, is already there. When Venom arrives, he is met by two red-booted feet in the gut from our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, quickly followed by a quick punch to the jaw! Venom retaliates by entangling the hero in symbiotic goo! As the arachnid hero attempts to free himself, Venom states that there is no time to fight. Innocent people are in danger. He finishes by asking the hero for help. Surprised by all of this, Spidey agrees. (Wow! Venom was the voice of reason in this scene! Is the world nearing its end? Quick, someone check on Betty White! Everyone knows she’ll outlive the planet itself!)

RCO013_1463374663-1Now united, the heroes quickly leap into action! Never losing a step, Treece sends the digger armored suits to stop the heroes from reaching the bombs! Spidey lets loose a webline at one as it fires a heat ray and swings it towards another, effectively using both robotic armored suits to take each other out! Not to be outdone, Venom pushes a suit’s drill arm down, towards its own armored knee! Treece then does what anyone in his situation would do – runs away!  (Yep. Things are coming crashing down on the villain, aren’t they? He’d have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling heroes and their symbiote!)

Spider-Man continues battling the diggers while Venom races after Treece. The only problem is that some fuel has ignited due to the crashing of metal on metal. Fire. One of the two main weaknesses of the symbiote race! Inside a nearby trailer, Treece continues to begin the process of blowing the bombs! If he goes down, he isn’t going alone, it seems. Venom, risking the very life of his symbiotic “other” and fighting against unimaginable pain, reaches through the flames and pulls Treece out, ending the threat!

RCO020_1463374663-1Spider-Man runs up to check on his once-enemy. Venom is already healing itself. Sirens sound in the distance. Spidey turns momentarily. When he returns his gaze, Venom is gone. (Batman, eat your heart out!) Later, Eddie Brock is once again called upon by the council of the underground city. Having witnessed how he saved them, he is offered sanctuary. He accepts. Not only will he live as one of them, he will be their protector – a lethal protector!

End.

RCO023_1463374663-1(This article is dedicated to my lovely niece, Angel Marie Miller. You’ve always had my back throughout your young life. Always defending your uncle no matter what. Words cannot express just how much you mean to me. I love you.)