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| Spectacular Spider-Man #2 (265) |
 WRITER: Paul Jenkins
PENCILLER: Humberto Ramos COVER BY: Humberto Ramos and Wayne Faucher INKER: Wayne Faucher STORY TITLE: The Hunger - Part 2 of 5 REVIEW: A series of assault in New York City has left seemingly unconnected victims in a strange coma. Each victim has somehow been drained of their adrenaline – the only clue to the identity and purpose of their mysterious attacker is a set of small puncture wounds just above the kidneys. While the NYPD investigates (i.e. Detective Neil Garrett), Spider-Man wrestles with feelings of remorse over the injury of his long-time friend, Flash Thompson. Flash's abduction at the hands of Spider-Man's archenemy, the Green Goblin, has rendered him brain dead. Even though Spider-Man knows he could have done nothing to prevent Flash's injuries, he blames himself. Shortly after a visit at the hospital, Spider-Man goes on his regular patrol, his thoughts consumed by Flash's predicament. His attention is soon diverted as he senses danger coming from a railway tunnel below. There, he encounters a twisted form of the half-human, half-alien symbiote known as Venom. This is where this issue picks up. ACT 1: Subway trains zooming around them, Spider-Man and the symbiote keep fighting. In a last moment of despair, Spider-Man manages to drop Venom in the path of an incoming train. Once the train has passed, Spider-Man is unable to find the Venom. The latter is seen clutching to the side of the train, which is rapidly going away moving away. ACT 2: Meanwhile in Greenwich Village, Detective Garrett has been called to the scene of another attack by the mystery assailant first heard of in last issue. Garrett's captain arrives on the scene and reveals to him that they have discovered that all of the victims are undergoing treatment for some form of cancer. Garrett tries to figure out why. ACT 3: Spider-Man heads back to his apartment, where he briefly talks to Caryn's dog, Barker, and sneaks past Big John Anderson, who is asleep on the rooftop, the result of too much boozing. Meanwhile at Eddie Brock's apartment, the symbiote torments him from the darkness of the shadows. They merge once again. Elsewhere, Detective Garrett is trying to make sense of the recent attacks and the fact that all of the patients were sucked dry of adrenaline. ACT 4: A few days later, Spider-Man is on patrol when he encounters a couple guys robbing a small convenience store. Minutes later, the cops arrive on the scene and find the two robbers all webbed up and ready to go to jail. Spider-Man is seen leaving the scene. Meanwhile, Eddie Brock/Venom is standing on the edge of a rooftop when the symbiote suddenly takes control of him and sends him falling over the edge. Frightened to the core, Eddie releases an adrenaline rush, which the symbiote absorbs. It then proceeds to save Eddie's life by joining back with him and stopping their fall, inches from the asphalt concrete. ACT 5: Meanwhile at St. Mark's hospital, Liz Allen-Osborn worries that now that Flash is leaving the hospital, she will not be able to take care of him as much as she would want to. Aunt May tells her not to fret about it, as she has come up with a rather wonderful idea. ACT 6: A few days later, Spider-Man meets with Detective Garrett and they share information about the recent attacks and the mystery assailant behind them. Spider-Man reveals that Venom is behind the attacks, while Garrett explains to him that the attacker has been sucking his victims dry of adrenaline. Spider-Man tells Garrett that Eddie Brock is unwillingly involved and that the symbiote alone is responsible for the attacks, and that it is actually looking for a new host.
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