Book Review: Kraven's Last Hunt

Kraven the Hunter is probably my favorite of Spider-Man's illustrious rogue gallery. I think what always drew me to his character was how formidable he was despite not having a major tool or enhanced power like Doctor Octopus or Green Goblin for example.  Don't get me wrong, I know Kraven has taken advantage of mystical herbs and tonics and is not opposed to venturing into supernatural terrain to try to defeat the Web-Head, but for the most part he's a villain which utilizes his natural abilities as a hunter more than anything.  Having a rogue who is fundamentally human makes his relationship to Spider-Man interesting on the count of his mortality, which is a subject that has been encroached in one of Spider-Man's most famous comic book storylines. 

Kraven's Last Hunt was a 6-part storyline which was published between October and November of 1987.  It's established a long-standing legacy as one of Spider-Man’s best storylines as it sought to define the relationship between Kraven and Spider-Man in the midst of their final encounter with one another.  It’s a story well-known for it’s deep dive into the characterization of the two central characters and the dynamic they both share.  Despite never reading the original comics, I decided to pick up the novelization of the famous story by writer Neil Kleid which was released in October 2014.

The story of Kraven’s Last Hunt follows Spider-Man in the midst of a personal crisis.  After the death of his work friend Ned Leeds and the discovery that he was in fact the villainous Hobgoblin, Peter Parker is deep in reflection of his own mortality and the wider impact and danger Spider-Man puts all those around him in.  As Peter is struggling to face his fear of death, Kraven the Hunter is in the process of accepting his own.  Slowly dying and with little time left, Kraven devises a plan to hunt and destroy that one illusive prey that has illuded him all this time; Spider-Man.  As events unfold Kraven and Spider-Man come to blows in a truly climatic fashion as Kraven doesn’t just seek to kill Spider-Man, but to replace him and achieve feats the spider never could. 

I’m not sure whether it’s the prose format or whether the actual comic story is like this, but I found myself loving the narrative on some areas but disliking it in others.  When the narrative focuses on the core relationship that Peter and Kraven share, it’s remarkably insightful writing.  Seeing the dynamic between these two characters fleshed out in such a personal manner was really enjoyable to read.  Especially from Kraven’s perspective, the way Neil wrote him to interpret his inner monologue allowed for all the more opportunity to flesh out the character and his struggles with mortality and his need to finish the hunt he started so long ago. Balance that with Peter’s own fear of his mortality and that of those around him, the story tackles these concepts on some fundamentally brilliant levels.  However, on the other side of the coin, we have Vermin and Kraven’s own run as a self-imposed super hero.  These parts of the narrative never felt as strong or as relevant to the narrative as the prior bits I discussed.  They felt tacked on to give the story a bit more padding and it didn’t reciprocate with me all that well.

Another aspect of the book I struggled with is the writing.  This was a 6-issue comic and while I admire Kleid’s attempt to adapt the story, it felt needlessly bloated and did not need to be 341 pages long. Every single sequence is overly explained and described in a way that feels unnecessary.  This type of writing is appreciated when it came to the character dive stuff, but it isn’t specific to those parts.  The entirety of the book feels a need to slow down and detail everything around the characters and the small details in which they move or function.  It’s appreciated from a character perspective, but everywhere else is just drags the book up annoyingly.

I admire Neil Klied’s effort here with this novelization.  I can’t whole heartly endorse it on the count of numerous elements that feel tacked on or unnecessary, I do however appreciate the character pieces of this story. At it’s heart Kraven’s Last Hunt is a story about mortality and how we all come to reckon with it sooner or later.  Kraven and Spider-Man are essentially two sides of the same coin, as one struggles with their own mortality, one is finally embracing it and the intertwining of those two aspects is what makes this story so iconic.