Venom #13.2

Here's a comic that I normally LOVE to read, and is usually near the top of my new comic pile... Except for this month... The first two issues of this Circle of Four storyline have been REALLY lacking, as we've been focusing on the guest stars at the expense of the star of this series... The reason I enjoy this series, besides Rick Remender's above average writing is because I like reading about VENOM! Not Bad-Ass Ghost Rider, not X-23, not Red Hulk, but VENOM! Sadly I get the feeling I'll be getting LOTS of X-23 here and not much Venom...

Venom #13.2:

Summary: Surprise, surprise, this issue IS all about X-23 and Bas-Ass Ghost Rider! Needless to say, Rob Williams is the writer... Anyway, X-23 makes her way through Blackheart's lair while being heckled by her Antithesis. Yes, heckled. Meanwhile, while Red Hulk and Venom are being treated like little bitches, Bad-Ass Ghost Rider manages to save them by threatening Blackheart's girlfriend, which causes Blackheart to call all of the Antithesis's off of the hero they were currently tormenting so they could attack Bad-Ass Ghost Rider. The Antithesis's do as ordered and threaten Bad-Ass Ghost Rider, but she is soon joined by Venom and Red Hulk... Um, why? She's a BAD-ASS and needs no help! Red Hulk tries the logical strategy and tells the heroes to switch Antithesis's, hoping to confuse their enemies. Unfortunately, this works out TERRIBLY, and Venom's Antithesis kills Red Hulk(!). Red Hulk's Antithesis mortally wounds Bad-Ass Ghost Rider, but she's just too damn BAD-ASS to die immediately(you know, like Red Hulk did), and rushes off to stop Blackheart's girlfriend from destroying the talisman that was keeping Hell contained in Vegas while Venom holds the Antithesis's off. Back with X-23, she is tricked by Blackheart's smooth talking and is dropped into a pit of fire. Venom shockingly manages to kill two of the Antithesis's, but winds up being murdered by Blackheart's girlfriend. While that's going on, Blackheart is telling Bad-Ass Ghost Rider that he would use his powers to fix some mess she seemed to have made in Nicaragua... Provided she destroyed the talisman. Bad-Ass Ghost Rider does as Blackheart asks, and Dr. Strange and the presently NOT evil Daimon Hellstrom watch in horror, as they realize Hell was now free to spread across the entire planet.

Thoughts: Yup, Venom FINALLY got a chance to shine a bit here, so that's a good thing. Unfortunately, most of this comic revolved around Bad-Ass Ghost Rider... Which is, for me at least, a BAD thing. Seeing as that there are still three more parts to this story, I somehow doubt everybody died in this issue, although I WILL be holding out hope that for some reason Bad-Ass Ghost Rider DID die for real!

Score: 5 out of 10.

That's gonna leave a mark...