Published Mar 1988 by Marvel
Script by David Michelinie
Pencils by Todd McFarlane
Inks by Bob McLeod
Cover by Todd McFarlane
32 pages, full color

"Chance Encounter!" Part 1 of 2.
Chance is back in business and working a new job for the Life Foundation! The clandestine organization wants Chance to steal an arms shipment coming into the west side docks! That should be a piece of cake for the high-flying mercenary! However the Daily Bugle dispatches an undercover photographer to observe the delivery! And beneath the moonlit sky, fireworks explode when Chance and the Amazing Spider-Man throw down on the docks!

First appearance (and cameo on the last page) by Eddie Brock (aka Venom).
First appearance of Carlton Drake of the Life Foundation.
Cameo appearances by Mary Jane Watson, Joy Mercado, and Joe Robertson.
(Notes: Chance previously appeared in Web of Spider-Man 15. This issue begins Todd McFarlane's 2-year run as the penciler of the Amazing Spider-Man series.) . Cover price $0.75.

Venom is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a sentient alien symbiote with an amorphous, liquid-like form, who survives by bonding with a host, usually human. This dual-life form receives enhanced powers and usually refers to itself as "Venom." The symbiote was originally introduced as a living alien costume in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May 1984), with a full first appearance as Venom in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988).

The Venom symbiote's first human host was Spider-Man himself, who eventually discovered its true nefarious nature and separated himself from the creature in The Amazing Spider-Man #258 (November 1984)—with a brief rejoining five months later in Web of Spider-Man #1. The symbiote went on to merge with other hosts, beginning with Eddie Brock, its second and best-known host, with whom it first became Venom. Venom has endured as one of Spider-Man's most prominent villains, and was initially regarded as one of his three archenemies, alongside the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. Since his debut however, Venom has evolved into an antiheroic figure, slowly distancing himself from his initial goal to ruin Spider-Man's life to try and do good instead, even putting aside his differences with and helping Spider-Man at times. After Brock, numerous other hosts for Venom followed; some of the most notable are the villain Mac Gargan, who was the main incarnation of Venom from 2005 to 2009, and Flash Thompson, who became the superhero Agent Venom from 2011 to 2016, before Venom returned to Brock in 2017. Venom's most recent and current host is Brock's biological son, Dylan. Venom is also depicted as having spawned several children—Scream, Lasher, Phage, Agony, Riot, Mania, Sleeper, and most notably, Carnage, who becomes Venom's archenemy after being bound to serial killer Cletus Kasady.

A fan-favorite character and well-known figure in popular culture, Venom (primarily the Eddie Brock incarnation) has been featured in various media adaptations of Spider-Man over the years, including feature films, television series and video games. The character was portrayed by Tobey Maguire and Topher Grace in Spider-Man 3 (2007), with Tom Hardy primarily portraying the character in the Sony's Spider-Man Universe films Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021).

The Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom is among Spider-Man's most famous rogues, and is regarded by many as a dark reflection of the hero, with Venom and Brock's relationship seen as having romantic undertones, confirmed in 2017. Comics journalist and historian Mike Conroy writes of the character: "What started out as a replacement costume for Spider-Man turned into one of the Marvel web-slinger's greatest nightmares".Venom was rated 33rd on Empire's 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters, and ranked 22nd on IGN's 100 Greatest Comic Villains of All Time.

The Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom appears in the 2007 live-action film Spider-Man 3, portrayed by Topher Grace. In the film, the symbiote, after being rejected by Peter Parker (portrayed by Tobey Maguire, who also portrays the symbiote when bound to Parker), joins with Brock after the rival freelance photographer is publicly exposed and ruined by Parker. Venom seeks an alliance with Flint Marko to kill Spider-Man, but is thwarted and killed by one of the New Goblin's pumpkin bombs; however, a fragment of the symbiote earlier given to Dr. Curt Connors by Parker remains alive.

In March 2016, following the introduction of Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was announced that Sony was moving forward with a standalone film after hiring Dante Harper to write the script, and Arad, Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal producing. The film was initially reported to have no connection to the MCU nor have any relation to Spider-Man; it would be set in its own continuity. A year later, Sony announced that Venom would be released on October 5, 2018, with Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner signed on as screenwriters. It was reported to be Rated R and the first in a series of Spider-Man character-related spin-off films called the "Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters", later renamed to Sony's Spider-Man Universe. In May 2017, Tom Hardy was announced to be cast as Eddie Brock / Venom, with Ruben Fleischer attached to direct. Carlton Drake / Riot appeared as the film's primary antagonist, as did Anne Weying, Brock's ex-wife from the comics. The film has been described by Fleischer as taking inspiration from the works of David Cronenberg and John Carpenter. The supporting cast also consists of Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, and Jenny Slate. Variety reported that Kelly Marcel would write the script with Pinkner and Rosenberg. Filming officially began on October 23, 2017. Venom was released in the United States on October 5, 2018, with a PG-13 rating.

A sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage was released in the United States on October 1, 2021. Loosely adapting the events of the "Maximum Carnage" comic book story arc and The Venom Saga from the 1994 Spider-Man animated series, the film sees Venom and Brock having to battle Cletus Kasady / Carnage and Shriek while also learning how to better live and work together as the "Lethal Protector". The film's post-credits scene sees Eddie and Venom being transported to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where they witness J. Jonah Jameson expose Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man on television. This is continued in the mid-credits scene of the MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), where, just as the pair begin to learn about the heroes and major events that occurred in this universe, they are taken back to their home dimension by Doctor Strange's spell along with other universe-displaced individuals; inadvertently leaving behind a piece of the symbiote.