Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Unidentified Automatons (Only appearance; destruction)
- Agents of the Cosmos (Mentioned)
- Tarna
- Tarna's Symbiote (Apparent death)
Other Characters:
- Mercurio (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Flash's prosthetic legs
Vehicles:
- U.S.S. Enter Prize (First appearance)
- Flash's spaceship (Mentioned) (Destroyed)
- Tarna's spaceship (First appearance)
Synopsis for 1st story
Looking up at their new ship, Iqa remarks that she doesn't understand the scribbling on its side. Venom replies that on Earth, ships have names, and Iqa asks if they're all as terrible as the one he picked out: the "USS Enter Prize". Pik Rollo agrees with Iqa, and Venom says that they can all agree that it's nice to have a new ship after the destruction of their last one. Pik states that the ship's previous inhabitants - evil robots - will not miss it. Venom references the Terminator franchise's Skynet, confusing Iqa, then tells 803 to finish salvaging spare parts from the destroyed machines. As Hilla tears a robot apart, Iqa complements Pik Rollo on her daughter's prowess, saying that motherhood is no easy task and frightens even her. Pik tells Iqa that she would make a fine mother if she chose to have children, then praises Hilla for showing no mercy to her enemy.
803 alerts Venom to a problem, and Venom asks if he doesn't like the new name either. 803 points to an approaching ship, and Venom wonders if its occupants will be friendly, which 803 doubts. Tarna disembarks from the ship and greets Venom, who introduces her to his team. Iqa is suspicious, asking if Tarna is an ally or foe, and Venom tells her Tarna is supposed to be his mentor, and a bit of both. Approaching Tarna, Venom asks if she's finally come to train him, but Tarna replies that the Agents of the Cosmos are actually pleased with his progress, and that even she has to admit he is a worthy host. Venom is surprised by her praising him, asking her to skip to the bad news. Tarna tells Flash that he is not the problem, asking to speak with him privately. Venom asks if her problem is with his crew, but Tarna assures him that while dubious they are not the issue, asking to speak to him without their klyntar. Tarna's symbiote peels away and manifests its humanoid form, revealing her to be a Skrull. Tarna notes Flash's shocked reaction, and when he tells her that Skrulls haven't always played nice with humans, she assures him that her only allegiance is to the Cosmos. Flash separates from the Venom symbiote, while Iqa asks Pik Rollo if they are going to mate. Pik replies that she doesn't think that Tarna is Flash's type, to which Iqa reminds her of the Skurlls' shapeshifting abilities before saying she was talking about the two symbiotes. Concerned at the possibility, Pik covers Hilla's eyes, to her child's displeasure.
Flash asks Tarna what it's like being able to shape shift, but she gets to business and tells him there is a problem with his klyntar: the Agents of the Cosmos felt rage emanating from it. Flash tells her that it was bonded to Mercurio, but that it's recovered. However, Tarna replies that the incident with Mercurio, which she was already aware of, was only the first pulse of rage the Agents of the Cosmos sensed, and that the Venom symbiote's rage has only grown since then. Flash begins to protest, but Tarna interrupts, asking if Flash and Venom have been spending more time apart lately. When Flash asks if that's bad, Tarna says that it's not inherently a bad thing - as she trained her klyntar to do the same thing - but that separation requires trust and that the Venom symbiote cannot be trusted. She tells him that the cleansing process that the symbiote underwent is not an exact science, that some symbiotes are killed by it, and that even those that do survive must be constantly monitored for impurities. Flash asks if she means to say that they're not pure, but she corrects him, saying that the Venom symbiote isn't pure. Flash asks if they can take the symbiote back to be re-cleansed, but Tarna tells him the process doesn't work that way and that they will give Flash a new, pure klyntar. Flash refuses, asking what will happen to the Venom symbiote, and Tarna tells him it will be returned to the Cosmos. Flash retorts that she's just politely saying she's going to kill his friend, preparing to fight, and Tarna replies that he doesn't understand but that she's not asking, extending a spike from her wrist.
Watching Flash and Tarna brawl, Iqa inquires if they're mating, causing Pik to wonder if Iqa even knows what mating looks like. Tarna tells Flash she doesn't want to hurt him, angrily remarking that if he shows more allegiance to a simple klyntar than to the Cosmos than her initial assessment of him might be correct after all. The Venom symbiote wonders if they're training, but Tarna's symbiote responds that they have come to collect it. The Venom symbiote asks for clarification, and Tarna's symbiote says it's to be returned to the Cosmos. The Venom symbiote asks if that means they're going to kill it, but as Tarna's symbiote begins to clarify, the Venom symbiote roars that it's done thinking and attacks in a rage. Realizing that the fighting is genuine, Iqa moves to assist Flash while Pik helps the Venom symbiote. Tarna easily knocks Iqa aside, but the Wugin and Flash work together to immobilize her. Fighting side by side, Pik Rollo and the Venom symbiote push Tarna's klyntar back until it tosses Pik aside. Tarna gains the upper hand against Flash, preparing to stab him with her arm-spike, but Venom snarls at her to stop, its speech distorting as it grabs her. Realizing Venom has gone berserk, Flash pleads with it to stop, and Tarna's klyntar orders it to release its host. The Venom symbiote tosses Tarna aside and slashes her klyntar in half with an arm-blade, making its way to the front of the ship. As Flash calls out for it to stop, the Venom symbiote takes off, blasting Tarna's klyntar with the exhaust flames and laughing maniacally as it leaves its former host behind.
Solicit Synopsis
THE HUNT FOR BLACK OCTOBER STARTS NOW!
• Venom’s made a solid go as newly-recruited Agent of the Cosmos, aiding the hopeless and oppressed across the galaxy. He’s even picked up some powerful and powerfully odd allies (sad cyborg 803, strong serpent-tressed Iqa, and MERCENARY SPACE PANDA Pik Rollo). But even they might not be enough to stop what’s coming. A fearsome new foe has set sights on Agents of the Cosmos, so it looks like Venom’s training is about to get INTENSIVE.