The start to Hunted was truly captivating, particular for a Kraven fan such as myself.
#spoilers
With this issue we finally witness the culmination of all the small setups and hints since the start of Nick Spencer’s run. Starting from Kraven’s resurrection back during Grim Hunt, we’re given an account of how he took his family back to his homeland only for his wife to die and his daughter to abandon him. He then goes about creating clones of himself that he rapidly raises as his sons. When he sends them out to prove themselves, only one returns having killed the rest. Kraven takes pride in his only son and so shares him in his grand plan.
Kraven has gathered poachers for his great hunt, in which it turns out he has captured more than just Vulture, Rhino and other Spidey regulars, but most of every animal themed villain in the Marvel universe. To what extent he’s brought together these masses is yet to be seen, but all signs point towards a Manhattan backdrop and a lot of killing.
Included in this issue is a second story that sets more of the stage for what is to come, and in short it’s this: Spidey has the flu and both Billy Connors Black Cat have been captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant.
I can’t begin to say how stoked I am got this arc. I’ve been waiting for it since the start of the run, and this sounds grand in scale for both Kraven and Spidey, but not too grand. Is the whole clone sons bit weird? Yeah, but it’s intriguing too. At this point when it comes to Spider-Man and clones you either like it or hate it. I mean, I don’t so much like it as I just accept it. All I can say is having two Kravens in this type of story should prove worth while.
For a prelude to the next major arc, this was a nice character spotlight for Kraven. If you aren’t reading Spider-Man and have any soft spot for the old Hunter, hop on board with this one.
TL;DR Score: Really what this feels like it’s gonna be is Spider-Man: Hunger Games, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
TL;DR Comics 