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Web of Spider-Man #31-32
Amazing Spider-Man #293-284
Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132
(August-September 1987)
J.M DeMatteis, Mike Zeck, Bob McLeod

review by james hanson

the intro: During the late 70s and throughout the 80's, it seemed like creators were out to shake up their character's worlds. For the longest time, superhero comics have been basically about maintaining the status quo--the same characters live, the hero always wins, and the bad guy goes to jail until he manages to escape. One of the first examples of changing this was way back when Gwen Stacy was thrown off of a bridge to shocking results for fandom and the old webhead alike. It definitely upped the odds but as far as long lasting change to comic books altogether it created a revolution in that it showed that characters actually are killable and that change can actually happen in the world of four-color masterpieces. Later on, Frank Miller shattered Batman's world with the Dark Knight Returns and brought forth a new trend to superhero comics, to have the character's lives and worlds altered by horrible tragedy and violence.

The vast majority were boring, trite books where the hero's scarred and grim persona went out and shot or clawed their way through hundreds of villains, leaving them for dead all while providing Frank Miller type captions into the heroes thoughts, deep thoughts like "These bastards will pay...took everything away from me...nothing left to go back to...blah blah blah". But every so often a genuine and real creative person would take advantage of a greater creative freedom and test their character's mettle. The Longbow Hunters was fantastically written and drawn, and provided real change for the character and breathed new life into him. Eventually, the amazing Spider-Mans time would come for a grim and gritty saga in which the wall-crawler would be tested in a way he never had been. And, much to everyones joy, it didn't suck. It is one of the most famous sagas of Spidey's career--Kraven's Last Hunt.

the plot: Probably the stand out moment in this story and almost any comic storywhere an event like this takes place, is the fact that Kraven kills himself. Would this story still be remembered the way it is if that hadn't happened? Probably not. Would it still be a good story? Yes. J.M. DeMattesis does a great job of the introduction of the two warriors--Kraven in a dream world that spills over into reality, contemplating his life and goals in a manic frenzied attack on his trophies. This immediately sets it apart from most comics in that we're not use to being this up close into the psyche of a villainous character. This seems beyond revenge and it seems to be about honor. Kraven is immediately identified as having radically different morals and codes in which he lives by than any normal human being. Spider-Man himself is contemplating his own morality. Clearly, the pieces are being set into place for a major confrontation and with this build up, it's not the usual hero/villain confrontation. The battle seems pretty brief and violent. No trading wise-cracks, no long rants about world conquest or revenge. The sharp contrast between Spider-Man's thoughts and what is happening stick out most in my mind. He jokes, hoping to set bait for this villain. It doesn't work. Spider-Man recognizes the difference in Kraven but it's too late. Here, the writer has tried to convey the sense of this being radically different in that Spider-Man is treating it as he always does while his villain is most certainly not. It's apparent also, that Kraven is the star of this story and not Spider-Man.

Kraven's violent and murderous attempt at becomig Spider-Man is amazingly well done--no wise cracks or snappy banter just violence upon violence--no haymakers and punches pulled--Kraven is out for blood. It culminates in a battle with Vermin and Kraven's lack of compassion is evident. In sharp contrast to Spider-Man, who always uses combat as a last resort and still then wants only to stop or help his attackers, Kraven is clearly out to conquer his foe and subject him to his will. Finally Spider-Man pulls himself from the grave in a dream sequnce that also spills into reality, echoing Kraven's earlier scene from the story's beginning. He swings back home, consumates with Mary Jane and seeks justice from Kraven the Hunter. Kraven is there but is oddly at peace. Showing Spider-Man his superiority has released an almost jubilant glee from within Kraven. Spider-Man is back down to reality however and sees the glee as warped and confused. Kraven then releases Vermin in an attempt to lure Spider-Man away from himself. As Spidey swings into action Kraven enjoys a somber, sentimenetal moment and his last thoughts before placing a rifle in his mouth and executing himself. Spider-Man captures Vermin and lives happily ever after. For now.

the review: This story is pretty good and an entertaining read, but doesn't quite seem to match up in terms of quality with it's other 80's counterparts like say, The Killing Joke and Longbow Hunters. My problem is with the lack of depth in Spider-Man's return. We hear him talk about the incredible horror of what Kraven's done, but it doesn't really seem to have affected him too much other than that. I would have prefered a more in depth look at what spider-Man's thinking and what Spider-Man's feeling. He apparently wasn't shaken up enough that he was willing to forgo a roll in the hay with his wife. This moment could be interpreted as a way of saying to MJ and the reader that he may not return and this was a last moment type thing, but I don't really get that feeling. It feels more like he missed his wife and wanted her company. After pulling a termednous ordeal onto the hero, like burying him for two weeks, Spider-Man should be significantly changed mentally and that change should hit the reader like a ton of bricks. Instead, it just seemed like he was really mad at Kraven, but just as mad as Spider-Man been in the past at far less trespasses against himself.

While I'm dwelling on the negative quite a bit, don't let that fool you--this is a damn good story. Kraven's intensely fascinating here, his unique perspectives and beliefs are really intriguing and make him a truly wonderful villain. You almost don't care that he's a villain and begin to feel for the character. His suicide is bittersweet--almost sad, yet in many ways a victory for the character. The battles he faces are almost poetic in their savage violence, as each one pulls him closer to the realization of his inner self and true purpose. A villain that is not heroic, but not evil either. However, in the end, with such a tremedous attack on Spider-Man, his part is woefully underplayed and would have liked it more if he shared the same on camera time as Kraven. The art is perfect, one of the finest jobs on any Spider-Man book. Zeck's Kraven is powerful and majestic like a lion while Spider-Man is eerie and shadowy as he should be. The story-telling is almost cinematic and something of that is owed to the beautifully soft colors of this story.

the straight poop: 4 out of 5 stars. This belongs on the shelf of every Spider-Man enthusiast. It is an intensely intimate portrait of Kraven the Hunter. I deduct a star because it should have been equally intimate with the wall-crawler.

Kraven's Last Hunt Covers

 

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