Spider-Man's Get Craven #6

Aug 3

Aug 3 Spider-Man's Get Craven #6

Get Kraven Part Six

After he was attacked and his girlfriend raped, Al Kraven has arrived outside the mansion of Joe and Harry Rothstein, the two Hollywood producers responsible for the attack. Easily slipping past security, Kraven ambushed the obese twins as they are gorging themselves on a massive banquet of food. When they try to negotiate with him, Al responds by cutting out their tongues. The noise draws the Beater, the Gerbel, and the Script Doctor, the Rothstein’s hired goons. As Kraven battles with the barnacle-encrusted Beater, the Vulture arrives to lend a hand by knocking out the Gerbil and then fighting the Script Doctor. The pair make short work of the hired thugs and when they hear police sirens the Vulture tells Kraven to get a head start. Adrian Toomes, however, stays behind long enough to do with a knife that Al couldn’t bring himself to do.

At the Los Angeles County Hospital, Timber Hughes wakes up to ask where Kraven is. Sitting by her bedside is Ben Charles, who tells her that he’ll be back soon. That’s when Al and the Vulture return, much to Timber’s relief. The Vulture then comments about how they didn’t need that friend that Al asked him to call. Al figures that he was probably busy with his own problems. That’s when Spider-Man arrives at the hospital window and announces his arrival. Kraven and the Vulture take Spider-Man on a tour along Sunset Strip, filling the web-slinger in on everything that has happened since Kraven and Timber arrived in Los Angeles. However, Kraven knows that the Rothsteins weren’t at the head of this attack on him, and Timber as his enhanced senses warned picked up a familiar scent at the Rothstein’s mansion.

They soon arrive at the home office of Connie Hunt, the publicist that was hired to try and improve Kraven’s image in Hollywood. Kraven demands to know who paid her to try and sucker him and who put the Rothstein’s against him to begin with. She refuses to talk and Kraven starts getting rough with her. Spider-Man tells Al to take it easy as this is a normal woman and not some cyborg. However, Kraven knows better based on her scent. Since there’s no sense in keeping up appearances, Connie Hunt resumes her true form, a cyborg with buzzsaws for hands. In her first attack, the Vulture gets his stomach sliced, prompting Spider-Man to rush to his aid and leaving Kraven alone against this psychotic robot. As the two battle, Connie decides to tell Kraven who the mastermind behind all of this was none other than Ned Tannengarden. Not only this, Ned wasn’t an old family friend of his father, but one of his bastard children.[1] It’s at that point that Spider-Man and the Vulture return, prompting Kraven to order them to deal with Connie while he tracks down Ned and deals with him directly.

Later, at the offices of National Studios, Ned Tannengarden has dressed up as a little boy and has the Chameleon — who thinks he’s the original Kraven the Hunter — chase him around to live a childhood fantasy he’s had his entire life. Happening upon this scene Kravne realizes that his step-brother is just as insane as his uncle. When he confronts Ned, and calls him insane, Ned denies this saying he was forced out of the family will and got nothing.[2] When Ned also tells him that they are related, Kraven isn’t surprised, thinking that his father could have sired over a dozen children and he wouldn’t be surprised.[3] As it turned out, Ned Tannengarden’s real named was Nedrocci Kravenoff and he was abandoned by their mutual father. His mother later died in poverty and Ned, taking on the last name Tannengarden (the name of the street he used to live on with his mother) vowed to get revenge against the surviving members of the Kravinoff family. Throughout this exposition, the Chameleon keeps on yammering on about being the real Kraven the Hunter, prompting Ned to angrily remind him that he is actually the Chameleon, Sergei’s mentally ill brother. This sends the Chameleon into a fit of rage and he impales Ned to a wall with a spear before collapsing on the ground. Ned asks for help, but Kraven only gets close enough to make sure that Ned won’t survive from his injuries and leaves him to bleed out.

In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man arrives and asks if Kraven if he is happy now. Kraven admits that even though this reminds him of the Biblical battle between Cain and Able, he feels pretty good, but figures this finishes him in show business. Spider-Man apologizes for taking so long to get there but reveals that he was actually in Hollywood and was stuck in the middle of trying to patch things up with his ex. He says it is a long story about a guy in a lobster suit and a battle with two Doctor Octopuses.[4] Kraven says that sounds like something that could only happen in Los Angeles. Not long after this, Joe and Harry Rothstein have tried not to let the fact that they have had their tongues and penises cut off keep them from trying to make movies. Deciding to become crossdressers, the pair have dressed as women and are in the middle of a meeting with a screenwriter when TImber interrupts to tell them that she’s out of the hospital and has come to get revenge. The Rothstein’s try to explain themselves but this doesn’t save them from being on the receiving end of the baseball bat with a spike driven through it that Timber brought along with her.

Eventually, Kraven and his family return to New York City, where Al and the Vulture decide to become crime fighters. As the pair beat up on a gang of muggers trying to rob an elderly couple, Spider-Man arrives on the scene. Spotting Timber waiting by her convertible with their wolf, Nickle, the web-slinger asks how Kraven’s doing and she explains that Al and the Vulture have been going out like this every night since they got back. Spider-Man is glad to hear that Timber and Nickle are still on the mend and wishes them luck. Before he goes, Timber kisses Spider-Man on the cheek and tells the wall-crawler that they’re friends and he can call on them for help at any time. After they finish with the muggers, Kraven begins pointing out the Vulture’s flaws as they walk back to the car where Timber and Nickle are still waiting.

Recurring Characters

Al Kraven, Spider-Man, Timber Hughes, Ben Charles, Vulture, Joe Rothstein, Harry Rothstein, the Beater, the Gerbil, the Script Doctor, Ned Tannengarden, the Chameleon, Nickel

Continuity Notes

Kraven having illegitimate children is hardly a revelation as Aloysha revealed that his father had many partners and sired many children when he first fought Spider-Man back in Spectacular Spider-Man #251.
If it’s not already clear at this point, the original Kraven the Hunter is dead. He blew his brains out in Amazing Spider-Man #294.
This is an exaggeration, it’s later been revealed that Al has at least two other step-siblings. An older step-brother named Vladimir who had a brief stint as the Grim Hunter until he was murdered by Kaine from Spider-Man #47 to Spider-Man #55. We’ll later be introduced to Ana Kravinoff, Al’s younger step-sister in Amazing Spider-Man #565. By Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #17, Kraven had no surviving male heirs after killing both Aloysha and a resurrected Vladimir.
Spider-Man is referring to the events of Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #43-45. At the time of this story, Peter and Mary Jane had been going through a separation that started in Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2001. However, the couple will get back together in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #50.