Spider-Man #50 was a stand alone giant sized issue that featured a continuation from “Beware the Rage of a Desperate Man” story. You don’t not need to have read that storyline to enjoy this issue, but if you want the full origin of Vladimir Kravinoff a.k.a The Grim Hunter, then that’s where you will find it. This wonderful anniversary issue’s story and art came from Howard Mackie and Tom Lyle and also had a beautiful hologram cover where The Hunter shines in Spider-Man’s eyes. This is an issue that still graces my wall among many other special comics that I hold dear. Now unfortunately, one of the negative things about the clone saga was the recycling of classic villains. We haven’t come to this yet but a lot of people would class The Grim Hunter as one. I really liked Vladimir Kravinoff because he wasn’t just another Kraven rip off (like his other son was in my opinion that debuted years later) but what made The Grim Hunter so good was the fact that he was so different from his father. He believed in improving on the hunter’s methods by using advanced weaponry and tech, resulting in this being very different from his father but still similar.
In the large scheme of things and with the power of heinsight, stories like this disappear and not many people remember them to fondly but it’s the opposite for me. These stories will always be where I started my comic life and for me, this was Spider-Man’s “Marvel Now!” Introducing new villains like The Grim Hunter was a fantastic idea that got tarnished by the other “copy” villains that soon followed.
The issue begins with Vladimir Kravinoff, naked and with a knife in one hand and his father’s journal in the other, kneeling inside the lounge room of his fathers estate. “You have sent your words to me from beyond the grave, father. Every night since your journal was delivered into my hands, I have studied….absorbed….your final thoughts. Thoughts of crushing The Spider! Now I stand in this mansion you called home while in America, the place you last confronted The Spider.” (do yourself a favor and treat yourself to Kraven’s Last Hunt TPB) “Armed only with your words…and your knife…..I have prepared a final test for myself.” He rises from his place and runs down the hallway, smoke wafting along the walls. He stops when he sees the men he’s prepared, payed to fight their master. “A test to ensure that I am worthy of all that I have inherited from you. These men are skilled in killing arts from around the world, but compared to the skills and strength I have received from you…Kraven the Hunter….they are nothing.” They attack and he quickly dispatches them all. Killing them swiftly. He looks at the blood dripping knife. “This hunting knife was a favorite of yours. You gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday, as your father gave to you. With this family blade. I will cut away the stain placed on our family name by the Spider. The Spider’s scent permeates this place.” He enters a different room. “Even here. This room in which the final hunt concluded. The blood has been washed away but the stain on the family name remains. The Spider did it to us.” He kneels down and picks up a framed picture that’s covered in blood. The picture is of him and his father. “He pushed you over the edge of sanity. In this room the world lost a great and noble hunter and I…lost my father.” The picture lands at his feet and he turns to the giant windows of the room. “FATHER!!! HEAR ME. I, VLADIMIR KRAVINOFF, LAST OF OUR LINEAGE, DO VOW……THE SPIDER DIES TONIGHT.” He leaps through the windows, shattering them. “I do this for you father.” Vladimir’s loyal bodyguard and confidant, Gregor, looks on and thinks “What have we done, Kraven? What have you had me do?”
At the home of Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson, the house is dark and quiet. In the kitchen, perched on top of the table is Spider-Man. The only light is the one that comes from the open fridge and he chews on an apple, the juice dripping down his face. Peter Parker the man is no more. I am The Spider. Peter’s life was a farce….a sham. I only return to this place…his place….for food. This life offers me nothing. Nothing but pain. The telephone rings and the answering machine picks it up. Mary-Jane’s voicemail plays out and then it’s her voice again. “Peter?” she asks, not sure if anyone actually IS home. “I am The Spider” he thinks “Are you there? It’s me….M.J. Please pick up the phone Peter.” “I AM The Spider” he thinks again “Please Peter, I need you…Aunt May needs you. The Doctors….they don’t know how long Aunt May can last in the coma. They don’t know what damage was done by the stroke.” “I am The Spider” “Please….Peter…we love you…I….love you.” her voice shakes with loneliness. He continues ignoring her, pulls his mask all the way down and shoots a webline, exiting his home. “Peter Parker is no more. I am The Spider.” The rain buckets down heavily, mirroring his mood. He can barely see anything past the rain but then he sees what he’s after. Prey..tonight’s prey anyway.
A man covered in ammo straps and a gun in each hand is shooting wildly on the streets. The newspapers have dubbed him The Pale Rider. For the past week he’s appeared out of nowhere in different parts of the city, unloaded his weapons. Killed and wounded dozens and disappeared again. The police don’t have a clue as to why he’s doing it. They haven’t been able to track him down, to stop him. Tonight, he’ll be stopped. Spider-Man swings down and lifts The Rider by his neck with his legs and smashed him into a wall. He leaps on top of him and lets his fists meet The Rider’s face. The Pale Rider starts to shoot in desperation and Spider-Man leaps off him. Pale Rider gets cocky “Another little insect looking to be killed? Come on, I’ll do you a favor….like I have for the rest….and put you out of your misery. We’ve all got misery we want to escape. Let me give you a hand.” He stops shooting and Spider-Man turns to him, rain still hammering down. Misery? he thinks. Mine? No! Peter’s….I am The Spider. I have nothing to escape. The Pale Rider starts shooting again and Spider-Man easily keeps avoiding the bullets. “Stand still. In a minute it will all be over. Death will bring you peace from all the pain of this world.” He starts to fire again and The Spider reacts but cannot still help thinking……“Aunt May…..I don’t want to think about it. She could die. I don’t want to think about it.” He kicks the guns out The Rider’s hands but Rider grunts and says “I don’t need my weapons to do the deed. Stand still. You’ll thank me with your dying breath.” Rider tries to land some of his punches but none connect. Spider-Man runs on auto pilot whilst thinking “Why am I fighting this guy? She needs me…..NO…..She needs HIM….Peter….and he can’t do anything for her…for anyone.” Rider gets frustrated “You’re wasting my time man. I’ve got people to kill. I’m outta here.” He turns and runs away, thinking the rain might help him. Spider-Man easily follows but his identity crisis is still plaguing him. “I am The Spider. Parker’s weakness almost lets The Rider get away. The city….the world…..needs ME…..and I CAN help them all.” He webs The Rider’s feet together and he falls over.
The police arrive and handcuff The Rider, they look up to thank Spider-Man but he’s nowhere to be seen…except the rain. Vladimir, still naked, is on one knee, kneeling at his father’s headstone, reading the journal. The rain is also merciless there too. “Your words Father. Your words.” Gregor walks up behind Vlad, with a spear and clothes “Vladimir, you gave orders to be notified when the spider was located. I have brought your gear.” He hands the lot to Vlad, who puts them on. “This is good, Gregor, my old teacher. THE HUNT CAN BEGIN”
At that moment, in the Queens residence of May Parker, a lone figure walks through the dark and empty house. It’s the clone, Ben Reilly. He looks over at all the photos decorating the walls, thinking about his life when he hears a noise. He knows no one is there, so it must be Peter. He runs thought the lounge room to escape but at the same time, Peter’s entering. He doesn’t see that it’s Ben but does see someone running through the dark. Peter also knows, that no one is supposed to be there. They’re all at the hospital…..this can only be a…..BURGLAR!!! Spider-Man leaps with anger and thinks “How dare he. How dare he try to outrun The Spider. How dare….he?” Spider-Man again leaps into the room the supposed burglar ran into but no one is there, only the open window. The drapes flap widely, dancing with the wind. He looks out the window. Gone? How? And where to? He looks at the wall of photographs and stops at one with Uncle Ben, Aunt May and himself. “This photo of me….no, Peter and Aunt May and Uncle Ben…I’m doing this all for yo. I became Spider-Man for you.”
Along the skyline of New York City, a helicopter flies along side it. Inside is Gregor and The Grim Hunter. “It is a fine night for a hunt, Gregor. Keep sweeping the city for the Spider’s movements with the motion sensors.” Gregor nods and says “We will remain in sight at all times. If anything should go wrong.” Vladimir interrupts him “Nothing will go wrong. You have been like family to me, since the time of my birth but this is my mission. Do NOT interfere. This is between The Spider and myself. This is about more than the kill. This is the hunt of honor. I will run The Spider to the ground…and then….as he stares into my eyes, he will know that it is the son of Kraven who takes his life. The spilling of his blood will wash away the blot he has put upon my family’s name.” He jumps out of the helicopter and onto a rooftop. “I have his scent Gregor. This torn piece of The Spider’s costume. All of my senses have been heightened by my father’s serum. I will run him to the ground Gregor.” He looks up at the helicopter. “Gregor, can you hear me? Is the audio link functioning?” Gregor rubs his forehead “Yes Vlad, I am here” and thinks again “What have we done?” Back in Queens, Spider-Man has been through his Aunt’s house a dozen times but nothing is missing. What was that man doing here? What did he want? He keeps checking around and goes up to the attic. He sees an old dusty trunk and opens it. “This trunk…it belongs to Peter Parker. Full of secrets…full of…” he takes out a book he recognizes “What’s this? The journal of Professor Miles Warren. He tried to take away my life. As so many have before and since. Warren tried to destroy me by creating a clone of me. He failed. They tried to destroy me, tried to beat me. They all failed. I am The Spider.” He angrily throws the journal away and it lands hard against the wall. “I am Spider-Man…….nobody can take this away from me.” He smashes through a window. “I AM SPIDER-MAN”
A short time later atop the 59th street bridge….The Grim Hunter starts his hunt. “The scent grows stronger. The Spider is in Queens. Our moment is almost at hand….father.” Spider-Man swings atop the houses of Queens “Uncle Ben has guided the path of The Spider for all these years since his death. With great power must come great responsibility. He now swings over a cemetery “I don’t come out here enough to visit you Uncle Ben. Still, I don’t forget the lessons you taught me, even in your death.” With his mind so far away, he nearly doesn’t hear an old man scream for help. Muggers assaulting him. 2 on 1. As Spider-Man drops from the sky, scaring all three of them, the two muggers run away. Spider-Man helps the old man up and the man whimpers “There..getting away.” Spider-Man gravely says “No, they’re not. I won’t let them.” As soon as he says that, a pair of bolos fly from nowhere and catch the muggers feet. Another pair fly out and suddenly snap their necks. Spider-Man looks around in shock wondering where they came from but can’t see anyone. He looks up and standing atop a building, he sees…….Kraven?!? “No, not Kraven…it can’t be” he thinks. He shoots a webline and swings up. He lands on the building top and grabs The Grim Hunter by the shoulders and shouts “Kraven is dead. I’ve made my peace with him.” The Grim Hunter looks deeply into Spider-Man’s eyes “Have you really Spider? I think not.” The Hunter grabs one of Spider-Man’s hands and an electric shock, shocks him. His spider sense warned him of the attack but the speed of the hunter? He’s far faster than his father ever was. Suddenly a dart shoots Spider-Man in the neck and he drops to ground, just as suddenly. “You have tasted the drug on the tip of that dart before Spider. My father’s journal says he prepared it especially for you. the journals also mention your ability to seemingly anticipate attacks before they come. Now I have placed us on even ground for the hunt.” He stands over Spider-Man and Spider-Man looks up “Who are you?” “Have you not guessed yet, Spider? I am Vladimir, son of Sergei Kravinoff. Now I take the name my father bestowed upon me years ago. The name of the greatest hunter of all time. The gods themselves feared his prowess. Today is the day I earn the name…The Grim Hunter.” Spider-Man drops off the side of the building to a lower one. He feels so afraid, he has to run. “Now, run Spider-Man. Run for your life. Tonight father, it ends tonight.”
Spider-Man keeps running but then thinks “Shouldn’t run……running is for men.” He stops and looks at himself in the reflection of a car window. “I am The Spider.” He jumps to a nearby wall and crawls up “Spider’s climb. Spider’s scurry. Spider’s head towards the darkness.” As he reaches the top of the building, The Grim Hunter surprises him by kicking him back down “Your speed has not impressed me Spider.” The Hunter jumps down and lands on him, brandishing his knife. “The hunt ends now and I will have your head as a trophy for my father’s grave.” Spider-Man still too weak from the drug, still too scared. The Grim Hunter’s strength and speed is greater than Kraven’s ever was. Spider-Man can’t think……but men think. Spider’s fight. The Hunter tries to stab The Spider but Spider-Man knocks it out of his hand. The Hunter kicks Spider-Man in the gut, sending him flying. “So, there is something left in you Spider. It is of little consequence. You are already dead. Soon enough you will become aware of this.” Spider-Man gets back up and webs away. “Yes, Flee, Spider. Flee before The Grim Hunter. The climbing, the jumping, the strength….all described so perfectly in my father’s journal. The journal predicted how you would react to the concoction of herbs and other drugs which are now coursing through your veins. Why could my father not defeat you? He knew you….his prey….so well. Yes, the webbing, use it to achieve the high ground…..the bridge. My father said you always seek to control the hunt from above. This time, the heights will be your downfall. I am saddened that this hunt ends so quickly, Spider……and sadder still for taking the victory my father could never achieve.”
The Hunter takes out his spear and instead of throwing it, he aims it….and shoots. Energy blasts erupt from the end of it and Spider-Man continuously dodges them. The Hunter then aims for his webline and that blast severs one, causing Spider-Man to fall, just as he’s swinging over the river and into a watery grave. Splash……he plunges downward. So dark and cold. The Spider has escaped. Escaped into the darkness. Now he can rest. So tired from fighting……running. “I am The Spider…..not the man….and still I lose to The Hunter. Why? Aunt May. Uncle Ben. Mary-Jane. They loved me…….The man……I am not JUST The Spider.” he starts to swim upwards “I am….” he sees the light of the surface “SPIDER” he breaks the water and takes a gasp of air “MAN.” He swims to shore and waiting there for him with his spear in his hand, pointing it at his neck, is The Grim Hunter. “I read the currents Spider. The hunt is over. Now the kill remains.” Spider-Man quickly sweep kicks Vladimir and jumps on him, punches him in the face and thinks “I am a man. A man with the abilities of a spider.” He punches The Hunter again. “A man who can think. A man who can triumph over the drugs flowing through my veins.” He punches him again “A man who can fight…” He picks up The Hunter and punches him again “…….and win. I am Spider-Man.”
He now stands over the unconscious Hunter. It’s over. The sound of a helicopter then appears and Spider-Man looks up “Now what?” Speakers from the helicopter play a voice “Stand back from him, Spider-Man. Stand back or I shall open fire.” Spider-Man leaps towards the copter “NNOOOOO. NO MORE THREATS.” He lands on the front windshield, punches threw the glass and rips out Gregor. “NO MORE.” He throws Gregor down and makes a webnet to catch the helicopter. “I am a man but…..a man with the same faults as any other. A man who is tired of the threats, the attacks, the violence. A man with the proportionate strength of a spider. A man whose rage needs release.”
Gregor holds Vladimir in his arms and looks over at the crazed spider “I am retainer to The Kravinoff Family. I will protect Vlad with my dying breath but….I will not fight. The hunt belongs to Vlad. It is a legacy passed from father to son.” Spider-Man’s blood boils and he says “Kraven and I made our peace. This is madness.” Gregor looks down at Vlad “Unfortunately that too may be part of the legacy. Prepare yourself Spider-Man. He has vowed to slay you in the name of his father. The hunt is not finished.” Spider-Man nearly unloaded the rest of his web shooters on a giant web ball for the two of them but leaves enough to still swing to the police. “It never is. I’ll learn to live with it. Meanwhile, you’re both off to the police. With your help, he killed two men back there. I guess that’s part of the legacy too.” He shoots a webline and takes off with the webball. “I have a legacy of my own to live up to. One that keeps people like you off the streets. Tonight I’m doing what I vowed to do a long time ago. Tonight I am Spider-Man.”
The end of the issue also has a backup feature story of Vladimir’s intense training that he had to endure growing up with The Kravinoff name.
