Venom Vol. 2 #40

This volume is issue #40 of Marvel's Venom (Vol. 2, 2011–2013), and the first part of the three-part short story "Mania." Published September 4, 2013, it is written by Cullen Bunn, drawn by Jorge Coelho, with a cover by Declan Shalvey. It continues the story of Flash Thompson as Agent Venom and for the first time puts his relationship with the new symbiote host Andi Benton (Andrea Benton) at the forefront. After her father's murder, Andi is eager for revenge and insists on tracking down Lord Ogre. Flash wants to restrain this impulsive, inexperienced young woman, offhandedly gives her the codename "Mania," and must also deal with leads from his news contact Katy. He heads to Texas to investigate a corpse identical to that of demonologist Daimon Hellstrom, then visits Hellstrom himself in a Virginia prison; Hellstrom warns him that a hellish war called "The Descent" is coming and tells him that the Mephisto brand on him has been removed. Back in Philadelphia, "Mania" ignores instructions and storms a nightclub alone to fight criminals and Lord Ogre's henchmen, The Freakshow, and finally draws the attention of the antihero Crossbones and a band of Nazi cultists. This volume is a setup piece for multiple threads, advancing the story's atmosphere around questions of "who should control the symbiote's power," "whether a young host should be held responsible for out-of-control actions," and "the line between revenge and justice."