Thursday, July 15, 2010

The Amazing Spider-Man #637 [2010] Grim Hunt


AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #637
The 2010 year for Spider-man started with a revenge plot by the wife and daughter of the late Kraven the Hunter: Sasha and Ana Kravinoff. Two decades in the making after Kraven’s Last Hunt (1987) by classic Spider-man writer J.M. DeMatteis and Secret Wars artist Mike Zeck, the Kravinoff women are seeking to redeem the legacy of Kraven the Hunter.

The Kravinoff women launched a series of coordinated attacks that grinds Spidey with his own rogue gallery. Villains were amped up and given new motives against Spider-man including Electro, Sandman, Chameleon, Mysterio, Rhino, Vulture, and the Lizard. The storyline cumulates in the four-part arc ‘Grim Hunt’ between Amazing Spider-man #634 and #637 by Joe Kelly and Michael Lark.

Ana and Sasha team-up with Aloysha Kravinoff near the grave of Vladimir Kravinoff. Aloysha Kravinoff is the illegitimate mutant son Kraven. Together they resurrected Vladimir into a wolfman creature. Vladimir Kravinoff was the son of Kraven and also known as the Grim Hunter before he was killed by Kaine.

Last issue we saw a bleeding Kaine warning Peter that they are being hunted. Peter hears commotion outside his apartment and investigates while leaving Kaine inside. Peter finds Spider-woman battling both Ana and Aloysha Kravinoff. He joins the fight and together they fend them off. They hide out at Mattie Franklin’s apartment where Ezekiel makes a surprise entrance claiming a war between the tribes of the spiders and the hunters.

The Kravinoffs does the impossible and resurrects their beloved Kraven the Hunter which required a sacrifice from one member of the Spidey cast. The stage is set for Spider-man to kick ass in the final issue. Joe Kelly does an amazing job bringing the Kraven storyline to a respectable conclusion. The GRIM HUNT is going to stand out as a classic Spider-man story for years to come. Do not miss the final pages for a surprise new character to the Spider-man mythos!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – 5 OUT OF 5