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Venom Vol 1 157

Quote1  I must go protect the innocent creatures that maniac is trying to hunt. I'll try to keep Alchemax's name out of it.  Quote2
—Venom

Appearing in 1st story

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Synopsis for 1st story

Outside New York City Hall and on the television in Dr. Steven's lab, recently-elected Mayor Wilson Fisk proclaims the law and order of the city is his number one priority before discussing the conformation of rumors that a community of humanoid dinosaurs has been discovered living under the city. Eddie Brock laments that Dr. Steven has made a mess of things, and Dr. Steven rebukes him for letting the community of dinosaur-people live freely in the sewers when they could lead directly back to Alchemax. Eddie remarks that he was referring to Dr. Steven's stitching of the bullet wound in his shoulder, saying he expected a chemist to have steadier hands. Protesting that he's not a chemist, Dr. Steven says he'd told the symbiote to keep Eddie unconscious - which it hadn't - and that he gets nervous when people are staring at him. Eddie remarks that he didn't expect Dr. Steven to stitch him up, asking why he didn't take him to an infirmary, and Dr. Steven replies that Eddie's arrangement with Alchemax is a secret, the frequent Venom sightings and associated negative press are making Liz Allan angry, and he doesn't know anyone not on the floor.

Eddie growls that his arm will heal but what he'll do to the person who stabbed him won't, prompting Dr. Steven to ask who hurt him. On the television, Fisk introduces Police Commissioner Chris Rafferty, who in turn introduces Sergei Kravinoff, who he states is a donor to the city's parks and wildlife preservation efforts. Kraven proclaims that he's dedicated his life to the study and preservation of the natural world, pulling out the severed head of the dinosaur-man he'd killed and pledging himself to protect the city and its helpless children from the monstrous threat. Dr. Steven remarks that Kraven's physique is impressive for his age, attributing it to a diet of lion meat.

Eddie transforms and hisses at the TV as the reporter states that the cannibalistic monster called Venom has been seen in the catacombs as well and is believed to be hunting alongside the dinosaur-men. Dr. Steven concernedly states the police are looking for him, but Venom retorts that the police have always been looking for him, part of the reason why his arrangement with Alchemax was kept secret. Dr. Steven asks what's stopping the police from following Kraven - a renowned superhuman hunter - to the dinosaur-people and then to Alchemax, and Venom grimly replies that they can't follow Kraven if he's dead. On that note, Dr. Steven asks Venom if he actually eats people, but instead of answering Venom asks if Dr. Steven has any weapons, poison, or serum to prevent the symbiote from going berserk. When told no to each, Venom notes that Dr. Steven isn't very useful, prompting him to remind Venom that he saved his life with his shoelace. Web-swinging into the night, Venom tells Dr. Steven not to let Liz know he was there. Dr. Steven says he won't, morosely turning to watch the TV as the reporter asks for people with knowledge of Venom's whereabouts to call the police.

At the New York Corrections Supermax Facility for Superhuman Incarceration, Lee Price meets with his lawyer who tells him that two of the men Price attacked in the cafeteria died. Unmoved, Price coldly asks if his lawyer came all the way down to the prison to tell him bad news, but the lawyer instead unfurls a copy of the Daily Bugle proclaiming Venom's resurgence, saying it's the opposite.

In the sewers, Venom incapacitates and impersonates one of the members of the NYPD SWAT team sent to assist Kraven, learning their plan, perimeter, and which entrances are being watched. Noting that sooner or later they'll find the village, Venom de-activates traps set by Kraven, using his invisibility to follow him and avoid detection. When satisfied that Kraven is unaware of his presence, Venom snares him with tendrils. Kraven remarks that he expected Venom to make it through his traps, and Venom replies that in that case Kraven shouldn't be surprised by what's about to happen next either. Kraven reveals he can't hear what Venom is saying due to wearing industrial strength ear protection, remarking that a contact of his introduced him to an old enemy of Venom's with powers uniquely suited for combating him: Shriek. Stepping into the light, Shriek blasts Venom with a sonic attack, slamming him into the wall of the chamber and dispersing the symbiote. Kraven tells Shriek to blast Eddie again, but instead she _targets the roof of the tunnel, causing a massive cave-in that collapses the aboveground residential area. Venom tries to stop the cave-in with webbing but is overwhelmed and buried. As they flee the debris, Kraven berates Shriek for robbing him of the chance to claim Venom's head as a trophy. Gleeful at the devastation she caused, Shriek replies that Kraven wanted Venom dead so she killed him. Remarking that he'll just have to enslave some dinosaur-people to excavate Venom's corpse, Kraven loads his rifle and tells Shriek to stay out of the way, as the hunt is about to begin.

At the Dinosaur-People's village, Tana argues with a dinosaur-man named Heno, saying that it's too dangerous to send out foraging parties. Heno retorts that Tana said the Savior drove off the one who attacked her, but Tana replies that Venom was hurt and Longo was killed in the process, and they don't know for sure if her attacker was truly driven off.

Watching from a tunnel above them, Kraven tells the leader of the SWAT team to fall back and not interfere. The sergeant protests, saying they should at least deploy tear gas, but Kraven refuses and says the dinosaur-people are his to engage, and that his bait will be arriving shortly. Heno tells Tana they have no choice but to forage since they're running out of food, just as a horde of rats run into the chamber.

Buried beneath tons of rubble, Eddie regains consciousness and realizes that several of his ribs and one leg are broken, and that under normal circumstances the symbiote would heal him but that it's still in shock from being blasted by Shriek's sonic attack. Feeling alone for the first time since their reunion, Eddie notes that he can sense its fear, and beneath that a growing rage and bloodlust that he won't be able to keep in check without the treatment, which he's overdue for. Without the treatment the symbiote will die and leak from his pores, but before that it will degenerate into a feral monster driven by a mindless fury. As the symbiote covers him, Eddie dejectedly notes they only have a few hours left before they both die.

Solicit Synopsis

LETHAL PROTECTOR Part 3

• After saving the dinosaur people beneath the streets of New York from Kraven, VENOM has become the master hunter’s new prey!

• Vengeful, relentless and unable to be killed, Kraven finds himself a heartbeat away from adding a new trophy to his collection – THE HEAD OF EDDIE BROCK!

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