HONOUR DEMANDS THAT I FIGHT A STUFFED GORILLA IN THE NIP

Every comics reader has their blind spots. One of mine is Spider-Man. For one reason or another, Spidey’s never held much appeal for me, and my exposure to him outside of crossovers and guest appearances is pretty much limited to a couple of old Granddreams annuals, the stories reprinted in Spider-Man & Zoids and a couple of Romita-era pocket books.

The guy is staggeringly, enduringly popular though, so I must be missing something, right?

In an attempt to explore the character a bit more, I recently picked up (for pennies) a hardback of Kraven's Last Hunt. 

Wow.  

Published over six issues (Web of Spider-Man #31–32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293–294, and The Spectacular Spider-Man #131–132),  this may have immediately found a place among my favourite stories of all time. Written by J.M. Dematteis and originally titled Fearful Symmetry, it’s dense with allusions and symbolism, shot through with William Blake quotations, and is quite unlike any other mainstream superhero tale – more fever dream than straightforward tale of good and evil. 

In essence, the story is a simple one. Kraven the Hunter, obsessed with the only prey to escape his grasp – Spider-Man – embarks upon one last hunt to restore his own sense of honour. He ‘kills’ Spidey, buries him, takes his place and vanquishes the vicious mutated killer known as Vermin, a feat that Spider-Man could not achieve alone. In doing so, he not only nails his quarry, but proves himself a superior Spider-Man (sounds oddly familiar?). Naturally, Webhead crawls his way out of the grave to confront Kraven – but there are no easy victories or easy resolutions here. Finally triumphant and at peace, Kraven can rest, albeit violently. It’s not called Kraven’s Last Hunt for nothing.

However, this is not a story heavy on plot, but steeped in psychology. We get deep into the psyche of both Kraven and Spider-Man. Kraven’s world is built on his own peculiarly twisted sense of honour, in which he draws on the traditions of his Russian heritage and his admiration for the beasts of the African veldt. 

Spider-Man is wracked by guilt and driven by love and compassion, and even after all he’s seen, can’t quite believe the ease, cruelty and brutality with which Kraven takes him out. There’s one particularly powerful moment where Kraven, so often a two-dimensional villain, admits that Spider-Man may in fact be a good man, not a monster – revealing that Kraven, as with all the best villains, is the hero of his own story. 

The art by Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod is absolutely stunning, too. Powerful, moody and evocative, but very much in the classical superheroic mould. It’s a febrile blend of nightmarish psychological fantasy sequences, post-traumatic flashbacks and Edgar Allen Poe-style gothic horror. 

An absolutely superb tale. Innovative, smart and near-perfect comic storytelling that I know I will revisit again and again. Sorry it took so long, Spidey.