The Horror of Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt

SPOILERS AHEAD REGARDING CERTAIN SPIDER-MAN COMICS.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

In this second article, we look at one of the Spider-man stories that are near the top of most Spider-man fans list of the best stories. 1987’s Kraven’s Last Hunt is a 6 part story of Kraven the Hunter’s final attempt to show he is better than Spider-man. The story originally came in 6 separate comics over the three active Spider-man titles of the time. The Writer was J.M. DeMatteis, and Artist was Mike Zeck. Later in the saga artist Bob McLeod also worked with DeMatteis and Zeck. It has later been combined into a single graphic novel/trade paperback.

Kraven believes in order to do this; he must defeat and at least symbolically kill Spider-man. Then he wanted to prove he could replace Spider-man.

As easily noted by the art and covers, this is during the time that Peter Parker wears the black Spider-man costume. It should be noted; this is not the symbiote that becomes Venom. After Peter Parker gets rid of the alien costume – who then becomes Venom – Peter Parker still wears a black costume. Because of the black costume and the style in the 1980s of darker storylines, the art lends itself to horror aspects. Most of the comics take place at night in the rain, in the sewers, or Kraven’s gothic mansion – all which lend to the horror feel.

The horror aspect of these comics truly comes out and is felt when the super-hero is fearful. The first cover sums it up. And unlike most comic covers, which usually give an image that gives a feel of the story, but not a true scene. Here, however, Spider-man in a net, helpless to Kraven the Hunter, is almost a direct copy of the scene in the comic. At the end of the very first comic in this 6 part saga, the hero falls.

In this comic storyline, there are three different monsters, at least in my perspective. The first is Spider-man himself. To the petty thieves, Spider-man – especially in the black costume era – is something to be feared. Much like Batman is felt in the D.C. comics.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Sure he is not truly a monster, but in ways he is. He is feared due to the thug’s misinterpretation of him. Still, unlike the misunderstood Frankenstein’s monster, Spider-man uses it and relishes in it, even while he hates that it pours over to cause the general public also to fear, or at least distrust him.

In the series, Spider-man is taken out by Kraven the Hunter by the end of the first comic. “Coffin” is the first part’s title and throughout the comic cuts to a man digging a grave.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Then the end of the comic is, of course, one of the most horrific fears – of being buried alive.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Spider-man’s horror story continues, but below ground at first. While the others are the primary focus in the next two parts – who we will get to – we get glimpses of the grave. The grave shows initially a rat – representing the primal monster of this story – Vermin – and later, we see more and more spiders drawn to the grave.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

All the while, in the drugged induced coma that Kraven put him in, Peter Parker must find his way back to the surface. Using a well-known and effective horror device, this is shown through dream-like imagery.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

First, Peter Parker is himself. Lost. Then he later sees himself as a spider struggling to be free.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Only to finally have to break free from the spider to become a man again. Gruesomely “birthing” himself from the spider’s body.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Until finally:

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

As you can see by the cover of Web of Spider-man no. 32, Spider-man does not make his way back to the world of the living until Part 4. The ordeal is something that Peter Parker carries with him not only in this series but for years to come in the comics. In the final act, when he is pursuing Vermin in the sewers, the horror of the experience haunts him.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Part 2 and Part 3 story has significantly shifted to the other two monsters. First is Kraven. Here he takes on the horror aspects that speak to Reinfield. He is so obsessed with Spider-man he attempts to become Spider-man by absorbing – i.e., eating – his essence. A zoöophagus as Dr. Seward would say. In this case, actual spiders is the life he would eat.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

In many ways, Kraven is just as pathetic as Renfield, yet more effective in taking his actions. After defeating Spider-man and consuming the spiders, Kraven dons the Spider-man costume and seeks to do what Spider-man did. Fight crime. But in doing so, he is more terrifying than Spider-man, because there is no humanity, only to Kraven’s mind – the spider.

This is shown in the streets of New York when Mary Jane, who has gone out into the night to find her missing husband (Spider-man and Mary Jane are married at this time.) Some crooks waylay her and at first, she is relieved when Spider-man appears to save her. Obviously, because the crooks will be stopped, but because she sees her husband. However, she soon realizes whoever is in the costume is not Peter.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Spider-man’s silence makes it that much more horrific, not only to Mary Jane but the reader, because Spider-man is anything but quiet.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

The final image before the Kraven / Spider-man disappears in the rain always struck me as one of those moments when the monster is observed and observes – such as seeing Michael Myers watching you from the window.

Seven months later, in the comics, Mary Jane asks Peter not to wear the black costume anymore. While this traditionally is offered as being because of the Venom creature, these events clearly must have laid the groundwork for her unease of the outfit.

The third and final monster of the story is the visceral, animalistic monster – Vermin. This is the tragically confused yet uncontrollable monster. This creature lives in the sewers of New York, and he has a temper and is driven mad by voices.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

He used to be a man, but he does not remember. Worse, he knows he has forgotten, and this causes even more rage.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

This confusion is scary in such a powerful creature that cannot only jump on a patrol car and shatter the front windshield, but we see later that he can go toe to toe with Spider-man.

Power is not the horror component, as almost any super-villains would meet that requirement. In these comics, it is the feel that causes me to define them as a horror, or at least a hybrid horror, comic. Vermin isn’t all violence, and when he attacks the police officers, he leaves one, but only after traumatizing her by licking her face and leaving her unharmed.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

After our introduction to the monsters, we then have the battles.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Kraven descends into the sewers. Beating a common thug is not a confirmation he has replaced Spider- man. A more powerful foe is necessary. The cover for the 3^rd Part puts both the Kraven/Spider-man and Vermin in an environment and darkness that brings out the fear causing aspect of both.

Kraven/Spider-man does defeat Vermin.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

But still, it is not a complete task. Spider-man had never fought Vermin alone. He had previously fought Vermin alongside Captain America in 1982’s Marvel Team-up 128, but Kraven wanted to know if the real Spider-man could also defeat Vermin alone. Or was it possible Kraven was actually the better Spider- man?

Kraven lures the “resurrected” Spider-man to fight with Vermin.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Spider-man at first is easily winning when Vermin won’t back down. He channels the rage of being buried alive. It is Kraven’s plan that Spider-man would become like him and kill Vermin.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Spider-man stops fighting, and Kraven has to step in to keep Vermin from killing Spider-man.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Kraven still takes this as confirmation that he is the better Spider-man. He promises never to hunt Spider-man again as he has accomplished his task.

And although Spider-man does not want to leave, Vermin has now escaped into the city, and he must now go after him.

MAJOR SPOILER – Kraven whose life work is completed brings another horror component into the comic.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

Of course, this was wasted by Marvel comics bringing him back years later – devaluing one of their masterpieces – but as a stand-alone story and for the years afterward, this was a significant event. One of the classic villains in Spider-man comics, not only killed but by his own hand.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

In the end, as one would expect, Spider-man does defeat Vermin in one on one combat.

From Marvel Comics 1987 Kraven’s Last Hunt Storyline, Story by J.M. DeMatteis and Art by Mike Zeck

So in this saga, you have three monsters. You have a horrific dream sequence. You have the tortured monster who doesn’t know who or what he is, and lashes out. You have being buried alive. You have your hero rescue, but at the same time, terrify you with his actions. This is again a horror story hidden among the super-hero comics.