Tangled web of venom-by JHB

Tangled Web Of Venom #1

-Jaremy H Bill 2016-

Panel 1. (We see the skyline of Philadelphia during the sunset, larger buildings casting shadows on the smaller ones)

Mania:(vo) Welcome to Philadelphia, The City of Brotherly Love. Nice, right?

P2 (we see a man walking down a dark street, with three other thugs following not far behind, he is obviously worried about them)

Mania:(vo) Too bad that's only skin deep now days. Last year, some bad people showed up and started causing a lot of trouble for the city.

P3 (the man has arrived at his car and is beginning to open the door, from over his shoulder we see the reflection of one of the thugs the moment before he strikes the man's head)

Mania:(vo) But we took that guy down, so crime should have gone down with him, right?

P4 (the man has been knocked to the ground, Thug 1 is kicking him while he's down, Thug 2 is kneeling down robbing him, and Thug 3 is off to one side, just watching it it happen)

Thug1: Get his keys!

Thug2: I got his wallet too! Let's go!

Thug3: Holy crap, guys, is he okay?

P5 (H1 and H3 argue while H2 climbs into the man's car)

Thug1: who cares?! We got his stuff, let's go!

Thug3: Dude, he's not moving!

Thug 1: So what,. We have his crap, we need to leave!

P6 (Thug1 shoves Thug 3 back over the man, causing Thug 3 to fall)

Thug1: Then stay here with him, dumbass!

Mania: (vo) But it didn't, in fact more guys like him showed up.

P7 (Thug two has picked himself up, he speaks into his cellphone as he watches the taillight soft the car off in the distance)

Thug3: Hey, a guy got robbed on Quezon and he ain't moving man! I-I think he needs an ambulance!

Mania:(vo) More of them everyday.

P8 (inside the car Thug2 is driving while speaking into his cell, Thug1 is digging through the stolen wallet, neither of them notice a Thump on the roof above them)

Thug 1: Dude, this guy is loaded!He has like three different platinum cards in here and almost two hundred in cash!

Thug2: Shut up, I'm calling the shop, letting them know we're on our way.

P9 (profile shot of thug 2 while he speaks on the phone, Mania's head hangs upside down in the driver window unnoticed)

Thug2: hey, do you guys have any room tonight?. . . I don't know, 2011?

P10 (from the same angle as in P9 we see Thug2 has turned his head while still speaking into his phone, Mania greets him with a large Venom-smile)

Thug2: It's got all the bells and whistles. . . No it's nice man

P11 (the profile shot has become expanded enough to show Thug 1, who remains oblivious to Mania, who has gripped Thug2 by his face)

Thug1: So how much we getting?

Thug2: what the fu-!

Thug1: Oh man, this dude's wife is kind of a babe. Dude, check her -

P12 (Thug1 holds the picture up in time to watch as Thug2's feet are pulled out the window)

Thug1: -Out?

P13 (Mania stands on top of the speeding car and casually tosses Thug2 into the empty street)

Mania: (vo) We don't mind though, we never really get bored

P14 (The car swerved and crashed into another car Mania just effortlessly leaps away from the danger)

Mania: (vo) We are Mania, Philly's brand new Super Hero

P15 (cheesecake shot as we see the car wreck from around Mania's hips as shed approaches)

Mania: (vo) It all started when a new PE teacher was hired by my school.

P16 (We see Flash sitting in his wheelchair blowing a whistle)

Mania: (vo) Coach Thompson, he was an army vet who lost his legs over seas, reduced to a P.E teacher. It was a tragic irony that made it hard not to pity him.

P17 (same shot as P16, only Flash is silhouetted and his shadow forms Agent Venom on the wall beside him)

Mania: (vo) Then I found out who he really was, Venom, or the latest person to host the alien.

P18 (Mania looks down at her reflection in the passenger door window)

Mania: (vo) Long story, what you should know is a psychopath calling himself Jack O Lantern killed my dad.

P19 (same shot as p18, only Mania's reflection has changed so that she looks more monstrous, with a large Venom smile)

Mania: (vo) He tried to kill me too, but Coach stopped him. He tore off some of his symbiote and used it to protect me.

P20 (Mania tears off the car door, Mephestio can been seen grinning in the reflection of the backseat window)

Mania: (vo) He never even tried to save my dad, just let him burn and bleed to death! He never-

P21 (we see Thug1 from over Mania's shoulder, aiming a sawed off shotgun at her)

Mania: (vo) No wait...that's not right

P22 (From outside the car we see Mania take the full force of the shotgun blast which has launched her off her feet)

P23 (Thug1 runs away in a panic while Mania lays motionless on the ground)

Thug1: Holy crap! Oh god oh god, what the hell was that!?

P24 (Mania groans as she sits back up)

Mania: (vo) That was a shot gun! Even with the symbiote protecting me I still felt that, like my chest caved in.

P25 (from over Mania's shoulder we see Thug1, a good distance away, still running for his life.)

Mania: (vo) We should have listened more when Coach was my raining us.

P26 (Close up shot of Mania's face, her eyes have narrowed and her face has split into a monstrous snarl)

P27 (we see Thug1 running toward us, with Mania swinging after him)

Mania: (vo) He should have been a better teacher.

P28 (Mania pounces onto Thug1 knocking him to the ground)

Mania: (vo) Burned our life to the ground

P29 (profile shot of Mania as she pounds her fist down onto Thug1 whose hands can be seen trying to defend himself)

Mania: (vo) Abandoned us!

P30 (same shot as p29, only Mania has pulled her fist back, it has blood on it, and struck with her other fist, Thug1's hands go rigid)

Mania: (vo) Left me alone with a demon!!

P31 (Same shot as p29 and p30, only Mania's expression has changed, she is now wide eyed with shock as she strikes with her fist again, Thug1's hands have fallen and can no longer be seen)

Mania: (vo) A demon...inside of us

P32 (from Mania's point of view we can see her bloody fist and half of Thug1's badly damaged face as he makes choking sounds)

Mania: Oh God!!

P33 (Mania swings swings away from Thug1 in a sudden panic)

Mania: (vo) I wasn't going to stop...we were going to beat him to death

P34 (closer to Thug1, we watch Mania swing off as a man steps into view beside Thug1, all we can see is his fancy shoe)

Mephestio: She's coming along nicely, still a frightened little bunny, but she'll get there.

Thug1: Hnn, ghk!

P35 (from Thug1's point of view we see Mephestio looking down at him, his face is upside down and his eyes and mouth glow like fire, he has a wide smile on his face)

Mephestio: I can help you if you'd like, Jason, if you're willing to make a deal.