Venom: Seed of Darkness #-1
Krobaa, The Abyss That Walked!
Stan Lee interrupts the current Venom storyline to address the reader. He tells them that he found an old story from the "Vault of Unknown Creatures Unleashed". A story so horrific, that it is not for the faint of heart. For those who are prepared for the tale, he asks to brace themselves for existential excitement in the "Manicial Marvel Manner"...
April 21
At the offices of the Daily Globe, a number of reporters are planning to hang out after work and play a game of poker. They briefly consider offering their co-worker, Eddie Brock but laugh at the suggestion. Watching him working away on a story on an old-fashioned typewriter they mock Eddie for not using a computer like the rest of them.[1] Brock ignores this, thinking his co-workers as nothing more than idiots, scoffing them for using modern conveniences when a true reporter lives and breaths by writing on paper and getting his hands covered in ink. Leaving the office for the night, Eddie thinks that his latest story will land him on the front page for weeks, leading to national syndication and all the fame and recognition he feels he deserves. He walks through the bad part of town on the way to his apartment, taking in the faces and editorializing on the dark secrets behind the face of every homeless person he sees. Once he arrives home, Eddie gets in front of his typewriter and begins writing up the story about a strange thing that he witnessed, proof of something that lives in the inner darkness of man. This story, he feels, will be the one that finally puts his name on the map. This thing is a creature he calls Kobraa, the Abyss that Walked.
March 30
It began outside of the town of Morristown, New Jersey, at old Kingsbridge Mansion. Doctor Nigel Donlevy is working hard on his latest invention.[2] With his work complete, the scientist activates his latest invention the Klystron Monitor. At first, the machine begins working as planned but suddenly it begins to overload as something on the other side takes control, causing the device to explode. This opens a portal that allows Krobaa, a black liquid-like creature, to cross over from his world to Earth. Krobaa tells Doctor Donlevy that he will assist in helping him obtain what he seeks. Attempting to flee, the doctor is unable to stop the creature from swarming him.
At that moment, Eddie Brock is sorting through a number of stories that are set to be published in the Globe and cannot believe some of the outrageous headlines they publish. That's when he answers a call for someone looking for his colleague Cal Carlchok. Eddie tells the caller that Cal is nowhere around. The person frantically tries to tell him about something that is killing people and that he has holed up in a convenience store off route 17. Before he can say anything more, the caller suddenly screams, this is followed by maniacal laughter before the line goes dead. When Eddie asks his co-workers where Cal is, he is told that Carlchok could probably be found in the nearest bottle. Brock grabs his jacket and rushes out to find Cal right away.
Meanwhile, across the Hudson River, Krobaa is laying waste to Morristown, senselessly slaughtering anyone who gets in his way, reveling in the chaos and fear that he is creating in his wake. Back in Manhattan, Eddie finds Cal Carlchok in a nearby bar and tells him about the phone call. However, Cal is not longer interested in stories about the paranormal, confident that in drinking his life away and taking on safer assignments, like dog shows. When Eddie tries to remind Cal of his duty to inform the public, the broken down reporter explains that despite the fact that the truth is out there, nobody cares to know about it for it will muddy their perceptions of a safe and sane world. Shocked to hear this, Eddie decides that he is not going to let himself become a washed-up drunk like Cal and races off to cover the story himself. Racing to New Morristown, Eddie witnesses Krobaa and is so shocked by the sight of the creature he crashes his car into a telephone pole. Still, Eddie manages to gather his wits and openly mocks the creature. As Krobaa tries to kill Brock, he evades the alien creature's blows. When it boasts about being a creature of "living darkness", it inspires Eddie to try and harm it with the flash on his camera. Surprisingly, this works, and with each subsequent photograph, the flash weakens Krobaa to the point of death.
As the creature dies, Krobaa thanks Eddie Brock for stopping it, as he has single-handedly stopped the seed of darkness that it was about to spread across the universe. As Krobaa crumbles to dust, Eddie is shocked to discover that it was bonded to Doctor Nigel Donlevy who was acting as the monster's host the whole time. Physically unharmed by the experience, Donlevy explains that Krobaa was an explorer seeking new worlds by creating a symbiosis with creatures native of this world. However, Krobaa was unprepared for the human mind, particularly the ID and this experience drove the alien mad. Ultimately Krobaa committed suicide rather than live like that. The entire experience has convinced Donlevy that humans are nothing more than primal beasts and breaks down in front of Eddie, leaving him to ponder the true nature of man....
After finishing his story, Eddie Brock takes it to his publisher, Barney Buskin, the following day. After reading this, Buskin crumples up the story, telling Eddie that he can't publish it. When Eddie points out all of the corroborating evidence, Buskin tells him that the morgue file at the Daily Globe has countless stories about other such creatures. He tells him that the nature of the newspaper business is to sell advertising space, and they can't make any if they publish stories that will frighten the reading audience. This is what motivated Eddie Brock to re-write the story on his old typewriter so that he can tell the tale with a clear conscience.
May 5
Eddie Brock has finally gotten himself a computer. Writing about how he got rid of his old Corona typewriter, he struggles with finding the right words to explain it. Although, in reality, Brock tossed it out of his apartment in a fit of rage -- his narrative tries to convince himself that getting rid of the old thing was a good idea. He has put it in the past and now that he is getting with the times, he thinks that it will only be a matter of time before his "strikes oil" with one of his stories.
Recurring Characters
Eddie Brock, Barney Bushkin
Continuity Notes
The reporters tell Eddie to "join the 20th century". This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
Eddie Brock's narration states that Donlevy went from a Nobel nominee to an eccentric during the 70s and 80s. This should be considered a topical reference as well.
