Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt - Deluxe Edition

Product Information

And if you think, “well sure, Spider-Man isn’t bulletproof but there are other super-heroes invulnerable to bullets”. The whole thing with Mary Jane Watson either dying or having a vision was really stupid and out in left field; it did not really add much to the overall story. Well, other than the quip about "with great love comes great responsibility".

Spider-Man: A rifle?! C'mon, Kravey... rifles aren't your style! You've always wanted to pound me into a hamburger — with your bare hands! Hope Spot: A villainous example. When the spiders that Kraven has kept in a glass cage congregate to form a gigantic and monstrous spider, he initially believes that it is an hallucination induced by the drugs he has assumed and his own obsession with Spider-Man and he tries to fight it off. But he soon concludes that it is real and is dragged into the cluster of spiders, finally losing what little sanity that he still has.

Heroically Support Comic Book Herald!

One of the best Spiderman stories, and of those the darkest without a doubt. Starting from a story that was originally written for Batman and that at the time did not interest DC, we have here a character, Kraven, who has always been on the list of minor wallcrawler villains. Kraven decides to restore the honor he thinks he has lost by defeating his unbeatable enemy and then putting himself in his place to prove that he can be better than Spiderman.

After the showdown with Kraven and Vermin, Kraven decides to take his own life, I like how that scene got portrayed, but there doesn´t seem to be a real explanation on how he found that peace. That's pretty much the set-up but with a title like "Kraven's Last Hunt", something decisive is likely to happen like a death of sorts and seeing as the cover has Spidey climbing out of a grave, I'm guessing it's not him who pops it. DeMatteis had originally conceived of a story where a hero is defeated by their enemy, left for dead, and buried, only to return from the grave in 1984. Only it was Wonder Man and his villainous brother The Grim Reaper. But the story was rejected. When DeMatteis moved to DC Comics, he envisioned it as a tale of Batman and The Joker. But DeMatteis’ pitch came shortly after Alan Moore and Brian Bolland had just started work on The Killing Joke, leading to his next rejection. Cue another rewrite that had Hugo Strange taking Batman’s place a little while later and another rejection. Sure, Kraven, the Hunter is known member of the rogues’ gallery of Spidey, but I am sure that anybody doing their own Top10 of favorite villains or merely mentioning the most powerful criminals of Spider-Man’s titles, when you have heavy weights like Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom, Mysterio, Lizard, Scorpion, etc… before the publication of this story, it would be likely that many fans would omit to Kraven.In 1994, DC published DeMatteis' Batman/Joker version of the story as "Going Sane" in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #65-68. It’s Peter’s love for Mary Jane Watson that compels him to rise from the grave and find the strength to defeat Vermin. In the end, this love is what soothes his grief and allows him to move forward from all this trauma.

There’s a Kraven story (Kraven’s First Hunt) that basically retells the Lee/Ditko story with attractive, modern art and a focus on Kraven’s character. I enjoyed it. After "killing" Spidey, Kraven becomes Spider-man for a while(!) by killing criminals instead of stringing them up with web fluid which in his mind makes him a better man because...? Also he doesn't have web shooters or can climb on walls so I don't see how he's Spider-man at all, he just has the outfit. The first three issues heavily use conflicting voiceovers that juxtapose one another and slowly blend together to create a feverish, frenzied rhythm. These display the deepest, darkest fears of the lead characters and when blended together, hint at something supernatural tying their hearts and minds to one another. Spider-man's barely in this book so be prepared for a lot of boring Kraven and Vermin stuff before getting to Spidey's appearances. But when he does appear, it doesn't seem to be the real Spider-man. For instance, the first issue where Kraven defeats him? No way would Spider-man be defeated by a D-list villain so easily! And when he punches Kraven in the face? Kraven's head should've come off. How many times have we seen Spidey do incredible things because of his super-strength? Punching Kraven, an ordinary human with no powers, full force in the face like he does should've killed him.Kraven's Last Hunt" has received critical acclaim and is considered one of the greatest Spider-Man stories ever written. In 2012, "Kraven's Last Hunt" was voted by readers of Comic Book Resources as the greatest Spider-Man story ever told. In his commentary on the results, Brian Cronin described the story as "a breathtaking piece of work that inspired countless imitations by other writers over the years." [6] Elsewhere, Cronin noted that by publishing the story across all three monthly Spider-Man titles, Marvel "gave the story a bit more of an 'event' feel". [3] From its start, we see that Kraven views “The Spyder” as a mystical force greater than a mere human and something he can claim for himself by slaying his enemy and symbolically wearing his skin. To become “The Spyder,” Kraven destroys the last remnants of his sanity through some venomous brew of drugs. But in the first of these six issues, DeMatteis also puts us in the mind of Spider-Man, where we see that our hero is first and foremost the human and compassionate Peter Parker and that the dark figure criminals fear is only a mask. Buried Alive: Peter suffers this fate after Kraven drugs and defeats him. It takes him two weeks to wake up from his state and break out of the coffin. Kraven's aggravation with his inability to catch and kill Spider-Man has destroyed his sanity. He hatches a final scheme that actually defeats Spider-Man, and seemingly shoots him dead. Kraven then buries him, and donning a copy of Spider-Man's costume, seeks to prove himself superior at his adversary's former activities. Fetal Position Rebirth: Peter Parker dreams of himself naked in the fetal position, floating in a white void, while drugged and Buried Alive by Kraven. Then the drug-induced sleep turns nightmarish, with amongst other niceties Peter "birthing" out of a Giant Spider.

With the effects of the tranquilizer starting to wear off, Spider-Man bursts from the ground and staggers his way to confront Kraven. Upon finding the hunter, Kraven refuses to fight Spider-Man, claiming that he's already proven himself as the final victor in their ongoing battle. Don’t Sleep on Children of the Vault! Immortal Thor & Doctor Doom & Dinosaurs! | CBH Live! November 17, 2023 This is a story were one of Spider-man villains drugs him, buries him alive for two weeks and then takes it upon himself to dress up as Spider-man and fight crime while he is high as a kite. It's as awesome as it sounds and it's one of the greatest Spider-man stories ever. This deluxe edition also includes the origin story of Kraven by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, along with a few other tales that round out the character, so it's perfect for those who aren't so familiar with him. No other novelist has ever explored the staggering duality of existence, illuminated the mystical heights and the despicable depths of the human heart, with the brilliance of Dostoyevsky,” said DeMatteis. “The Russian soul, as exposed in his novels, was really the Universal Soul. It was my soul. And Kraven was Russian. In an instant, I understood Sergei Kravinov.”It's brilliantly written by J.M. DeMatteis, who is one of the best comic book writers - or any kind of writers - out there. It's a terrific examination of what makes a hero. What makes a villain. What is the line between them - if the line even exists. It's psychologically deep and dark and not a little twisted. It will make you gasp, and feel angry and not a little sad, but ultimately leave you hopeful. Which is an abject shame, too. “Kraven’s Last Hunt” is quite possibly the best Spider-Man story of all time, up there with “If This Be My Destiny” and “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” It is an everlasting tale about marriage, legacy, delusion, and most importantly: grief. I know this is a "trait" of Peter Parker in the comics, that he blames himself for everything that goes wrong, no matter what. He feels he is responsible for every death, for every injury, that happens around him. He feels that every bad thing that happens in the world somehow can be traced to some action he took or failed to take. However, it does not translate well into a prose/novelized format. His constant "poor me/false martyr" symptoms are so annoying and appear to be nothing more than pathetic pleas for attention. There has to be a better way to present his feeling responsible for everything.