Synopsis of Venom: The Mace (1994)

Venom: The Mace is a three-issue Marvel limited series written by Carl Potts, penciled by Liam Sharp, and inked by Bill Reinhold, first published in 1994. It introduces the cyborg mercenary Mace and explores the uneasy alliance between Venom and his enigmatic foe marvel.fandom.com+1.

Issue #1 – “Hard Hits”
In a San Francisco alley, Venom defends two homeless squatters from violent attackers. One of them is Sam Felix, who is grateful for Venom’s protection. When the attackers fire, the bullets pass harmlessly through Venom, who spits them out as a warning. Venom kills the attackers and tells the squatters to return underground, where he plans to meet Beck Underwood, a lawyer he’s recently befriended marvel.fandom.com.

Meanwhile, Mace — a cyborg bounty hunter — is hunted by other cyborgs working for the Sunrise Society. Outnumbered, he uses high-tech maces and cloaking tech to escape, narrowly avoiding a car and a red-armored cyborg mercenary who electroshocks him before fleeing  

Back in the underground, a group of squatters is harassed by two men demanding “rent.” One, Alan, resents the harassment and later becomes a key player in the series’ moral conflict  

Issue #2 – “Fatal Flaws”
Venom and Beck confront Mace in San Francisco. Beck tries to stop the fight, warning Venom that some of the squatters are actually part of the Sunrise Society’s operations. Mace, invisible to most, uses his infrared vision to track Venom. Venom matches his invisibility but is unaware of Mace’s heat-sensing ability  

The fight spills into the squatter’s area, angering Alan, who wants both to be killed. Mace stabs Venom in the chest, but the symbiote burns, forcing Venom into a dead-end alley. Mace insists their fight is not personal, saying he’s just “earning his keep.” Venom retaliates by creating shields to block Mace’s laser attacks  

Series Context
The series blends action, moral ambiguity, and character-driven tension. It questions Venom’s role as a protector and introduces Mace as a complex, tech-savvy antagonist. The story also explores themes of trust, loyalty, and the blurred line between hero and villain  If you want to read it, Venom: The Mace is available digitally via Marvel Unlimited and in print through comic retailers