Sunday, April 8, 2007

Kraven's Last Hunt

Written by J. M Dematteis and illustrated by artist Mike Zeck, Kraven's Last Hunt has gone under the radar as one of the best stand alone story arcs for a major comic series. Kraven's Last Hunt shows a different, darker, side of Spider-mans world than any other comic previously written about the character ever has. A much darker side. This set of stories show New York from a darker angle than most of Marvels comics do. Throughout the arc, New York City is a dark, rainy and miserable place, (so i guess you could say this is one of the more realistic comics written) and its crawling with street thugs and villains.


Clearly, the main antagonist in this arc is "Kraven the Hunter" who loses his mind throughout the comic as he refuses to believe that Spider-man is a man, and not some mythical creature. Watching Kraven's mind fade into insanity throughout the panels is a stunning acheivement by the creators, because you're really watching a mans mind slip away.

Kraven is not the only villain in the 6-issue comic however, another villain by the name of "Vermin" is included as well. Vermin is a failed science experiment where they tried to fuse a man with a mouse, who ended up mostly mouse. Vermin eats people to survive, and in the comic he actually eats two people. The story arc is told through the perspective of Peter Parker, Mary-Jane, Kraven, and Vermin. The thoughts and dialogue are written well and the artwork is unigue and thrilling to keep you turning the pages.

As you can probably tell at this point, this isn't your everyday Spider-man story. This is a darker side, a more sinister tale of Spidey's world. This comic sees Peter Parker buried alive, cannibalism, and Kraven's descent into madness all within panels of each other. This story is a roller coaster ride that is worthy of being in the same breath as The Dark Knight Returns. (The best Batman story ever. Written by Frank Miller)

Review Score: 9.2/ 10

"Spyder! Spyder! burning bright. In the forest of the night. What immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

A Lucky fan boy gets to run around in the real thing

The leotard worn by the late Christopher Reeve in the original Superman movie brought in $115,000 at auction this week. Interestingly enough, the suit went for the exact same price as the Winkie Guard costume from the Wizard of Oz.