Spectacular Spider-Man #252
Son of the Hunter! Part 2
Drugged, Spider-Man was attacked by a man he thought was his foe, Kraven the Hunter, back from the dead. However, at his attacker's mercy, the wall-crawler learns that this is Alyosha Kravinov, the son of his old foe.[1] He tells the Spider-Man that, unlike his father, he uses real bullets in his rifle then pulls the trigger. Thankfully, Spider-Man's spider-sense kicks in and allows him to leap to safety. When Spider-Man tries to fight back, he is then restrained by Kraven's elephant. Instead of trying to kill his enemy again, Kraven decides to have a talk with him, so Kraven can learn everything the masked hero knows about his father. As he approaches Spider-Man, the drugs coursing through the wall-crawler's system causes him to blackout.
Meanwhile, Norman Osborn has summoned his colleague Doctor Jonas Mueller, a leading expert in psychology. Norman wants to put his expertise to work on an experiment. Spotting a spider crawling by, Norman plucks it up and begins pulling its legs off one at a time, telling Mueller that this experiment will not only further his theories but also provide them both with a little fun. By this time, Spider-Man has awoken from his drug-induced coma and discovers that Kraven has patched up his wounds. Kraven explains that he only wishes to talk and hands him a jungle brew to undo the lasting effects of the drugs. Since his spider-sense isn't going off, Spider-Man is convinced to drink the brew. Spider-Man then asks what Alyosha wants if he doesn't want to kill him. Kraven explains that he has come to try and understand the kind of man his father was. He goes on to say that he was born in the jungles of Africa some twenty-one years earlier.[2] Unlike his brother Vladimir, who was raised in civilization, he was raised in the jungle. Although he was taught to be a man, Alyosha believes that his father saw him only as some kind of beast. For a moment, Spider-Man tenses up a Kraven begins howling like an animal, but he eventually composes himself. Kraven continues, explaining that his father was only part of his life on a periodic basis, making Sergei mostly a mystery. Although he spent some time with other humans, he spent a lot of time in the wild. As he grew older, he learned about his family heritage and wanted to learn more and so he decided to seek out Spider-Man, his father's greatest obsession and the reason why Sergei committed suicide. He wanted to get into Spider-Man's head and know all about him. When Spider-Man tells Alyosha that he would have done anything to prevent Sergei's death, Kraven believes him. However, all he knows of his father are the mad ravings in his diaries and he demands that Spider-Man tell him the truth about his father.
Spider-Man doesn't even know where to begin but decides that he needs to try and tell Kraven what he wants to know. The wall-crawler starts by saying that when he first met the original Kraven, he almost admired him.[3] However, after numerous battles, Spider-Man began thinking of Kraven as a bit of a joke. That all changed during their last encounter, madness had consumed Sergei and he drugged Spider-Man into a death-like coma and buried him alive. For two weeks, Sergei terrorized New York dressed as Spider-Man to try and prove to the world that he was somehow better than his old foe. Remembering all this brings up all the old horrors of that experience. Two weeks spent buried underground, with his friends and family thinking he was dead. Spider-Man remembers how, when he finally came back, all he wanted to do was tear Sergei apart. However, when he finally confronted Kraven, he unleashed the creature known as Vermin. When given a choice between vengeance and duty, he chose duty. Still, he admits that he had been haunted by Alyosha's father ever since. That's when Spider-Man's spider-sense begins going off, warning him that there is trouble, that there are people surrounding the building. Alyosha can sense it as well, and the pair brace themselves for attack.
That's when a bomb goes off, and once Spider-Man recovers from the blast, he sees Kraven is all right, but his pet gorilla was killed in the blast. While the wall-crawler insists they need to get moving, Kraven becomes furious and demands to know who is responsible for this attack. That's when they are surrounded by armed men under the command of Calypso. Angered at being manipulated by Alyosha and now seeing him conspiring with her lover's greatest foe, she has come to eliminate them both.[4] During the battle, Calypso tosses some dust into Kraven's face, putting him in a trance. Holding him at knifepoint, she orders Spider-Man to surrender. With no other choice, the wall-crawler surrenders and has the same dust thrown into his face. Elsewhere in the city, the Grizzly and Gibbon are joyriding in their newly modified car. The two are about to embark on the start of their new lives as superheroes.[5] While the two begin thinking about how they can monetize their new roles, the Grizzly decides to check out their car's aqua-gear. Unfortunately, they remember that the car doesn't have aquatic capabilities only after they drive it off a pier.
While back at the Parker home, Mary Jane and her Aunt Anna are in the kitchen, avoiding conversation. This drives Mary Jane crazy because her Aunt knows that something is bothering her and that she is waiting for the right moment to start asking questions and prying into her business. Anna starts by asking where Peter is, and Mary Jane explains that her husband is on a photo assignment for the Bugle.[6] This strikes Anna as odd since he was saying that he doesn't want to work for the Bugle anymore now that it is owned by Norman Osborn.[7] This leads to an argument, and Mary Jane eventually apologizes for snapping, saying that she is under a lot of stress. Anna refuses to buy Mary Jane's excuses about classes and exams and tells her niece to tell her the truth since Anna has already figured it out. This shocks Mary Jane, who wonders if her aunt has finally figured out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Alyosha wake up in cages that have been brought out to the grave of Sergei Kravinoff. Calypso has decided to bring them here so she can kill Spider-Man, her lover's greatest enemy, and Alyosha who she believes has betrayed his family legacy. As her followers bang drums, she begins dancing, using her voodoo powers to bring out the animalistic sides of both Spider-Man and Kraven in order to force them to fight each other to the death.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Anna Watson, Norman Osborn, Kraven the Hunter, Calypso, Doctor Angst, Grizzly, Gibbon
Continuity Notes
Aloysha states that he is the "last surviving" child of Sergei Kravinoff, the original Kraven the Hunter. Some facts about this:
Sergei had committed suicide sometime prior to this story during the Kraven's Last Hunt story arc.
Aloysha states that he is the nephew of Dmitri. This is Dmitri Smerdyakov -- aka the Chameleon -- who was revealed to be Sergei's half-brother in The Spectacular Spider-Man #244.
He also mentions his brother Vladimir, who was murdered by Kaine in Spider-Man #55.
Aloysha states here that he is the "last surviving child" of Sergei Kravinoff. This is not true, as later it is revealed that Alyosha has a half-brother named Ned Tannengarden (Spider-Man: Get Kraven #2) and a sister, Anastasia (Amazing Spider-Man #565). One could assume he was keeping the truth about the Kravinoff lineage a secret from Spider-Man to keep him off guard from future revenge plots.
According to the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616, if Alyosha is 21 years old here that means he was born about 14 years prior to the start of the modern age.
Spider-Man first fought Sergei Kravinoff in Amazing Spider-Man #15.
Alyosha had emotionally manipulated Calypso when she thought he was Sergei back from the dead, as seen in The Spectacular Spider-Man #250.
The Grizzly and Gibbon decided to become heroes in The Spectacular Spider-Man #246.
Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.
Norman became co-owner of the Bugle in The Spectacular Spider-Man #250.
