Venom: Sinner Takes All #2 (1995)

Coming to the aid of his ex-wife, Anne Weying, Venom finds himself in a stand-off with the new Sin-Eater. Not only does the spree killer have his double-barreled shotgun pointed at Anne's head, but he is also rigged with explosives and has his thumb on the detonator. The Sin-Eater intends to kill Weying for being part of the legal team representing Fordham Rhodes, a video game developer of questionable morals. When Sin-Eater pulls the trigger on his gun, Venom manages to leap in the path of the bullets. That's when police chief Eamon Reilly tries to distract Sin-Eater with his flashlight. The killer fries to shoot Eamon, but the bullets strike his flashlight instead, plunging the hospital room in darkness. By the time Reilly lights the room with his lighter, Sin-Eater has managed to escape. With back-up prepared to burst into the room, Eamon decides to let Venom leave with Anne, not wanting anymore bloodshed. Leaping from the rooftops, Venom asks Anne where they can go where she will be safe and they can look after her wounds. However, she can't bring herself to look at him unless Eddie shows her his real face. He complies and soon thinks of someplace where he can take her. Meanwhile, at the Little Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Emil Gregg -- a man who once falsely claimed to be the original Sin-Eater -- checks in for the evening. The woman working the front desk is actually an undercover police officer, who reports Gregg's arrival to Eamon Reilly once he is out of earshot. When Gregg retires for the night, he earns the ire of his fellow bunk mates for repeating Bible verses too loud. Soon the police storm the room and check Gregg's bags. Instead of the Bible tracts that he claimed were in it, they find the Sin-Eater costume and his weapons. Figuring that Emil is the new Sin-Eater, he is quickly arrested unaware that the actual killer is sleeping in the cot next to Emil. Intentionally framing Emil for his crimes, the real Sin-Eater whispers Bible verses to himself. Meanwhile, Venom takes Anne Weying down to a long-abandoned bomb shelter beneath Manhattan that was building during the Cold War. When they arrive, Brock explains to her that this facility once served as his base of operations. Getting Anne into a bed, Eddie notices that her sutures have ripped open and she is bleeding again. To make matter worse, the painkillers keeping Anne at ease have also worn off. Wondering what to do next, Venom is surprised when his other suggests bonding with her to heal Anne's wounds. Although Eddie is willing to share his symbiosis with the woman that used to be his wife, Anne is horrified at the idea of being bonded to the alien symbiote. Eddie assures her that it is the only thing they can do, and he stays by her side as the symbiote bonds with her as well. The three beings find themselves in a symbiotic bond. As the symbiote heals Anne, Eddie comforts her and convinces her to keep calm. While at Midtown Central police precinct, Emil Gregg is being interviewed by the authorities. Although Emil fully admits that he is the Sin-Eater, Eamon Reilly asks his colleague Detective Steen what she thinks. Steen doesn't like the full confession, especially without a lawyer present, but she is certain they will get to the truth once forensics comes back with the results from the evidence they gathered. With nothing else to do until then, Reilly orders Gregg to be put into isolation. As Emil is being walked through the bullpen, one of the officers on duty consoles the mother of one of the officers killed during Sin-Eater's attack on the hospital. When Gregg is identified as her son's alleged killer, the woman pulls a gun out of her purse and shoots Emil in the chest. While back in the bomb shelter, Anne Weying's vital signs continue to fade and she goes into a coma. Realizing a partial bonding won't save her, Eddie orders his other to fully bond with her. At first the symbiote protests, not wanting to sever its bond with Eddie, but Brock threatens to abandon it forever if it doesn't comply with its wishes. With no other choice, the symbiote fully bonds with Anne, turning into a white shroud that covers her from head to toe. Standing over her body, Eddie promises that everything will turn out okay. While back at the police station, forensics come back with the results of their tests. As it turns out, none of it fits with Emil Gregg. Checking their records, the fingerprints on the weapon actually belong to former Airborne Ranger named Michael Engelschwert. Back at the homeless shelter, Michael Engleschwert climbs out of bed and begins packing his bags. Singing "Amazing Grace" he also annoys the other tenants, but they decide not to say anything to disturb him, as they know that something is wrong with the veteran. At that very moment, Eddie Brock's vigil over his ex-wife is interrupted when two homeless men enter the shelter who have been using it as a secret hideaway. Seeing intruders in their domain, they pull out weapons willing to fight for the squatting rights. Although Eddie puts up a good fight, without his symbiote he is no match for his two attackers. However, before they can kill him, Anne wakes and fully bonded with the symbiote she is prepared to kill in order to defend Eddie, transforming herself into the She-Venom.