Editor’s Note: This review will contain spoilers, so read with caution.

Spider-Man has a long and fascinating comic history that often comes off as convoluted and confusing, but among the cascade of back issues and mediocre plotlines have emerged some truly great stories belonging to the web-swinger. One of these great storylines is “Kraven’s Last Hunt.”

“Kraven’s Last Hunt” was originally serialized across six issues during a two-month period in 1987, “Amazing Spider-Man #34” and “Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132.” “Kraven’s Last Hunt” was written by J. M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod, who had previously worked on projects such as “Star Wars” and “GI Joe.”

“Kraven’s Last Hunt” takes a deep look into the relationship between Spider-Man and one of his more obscure villains, Sergei Kravinoff, more commonly known by his alias Kraven the Hunter. In this story, Kraven decides to end Spider-Man once and for all.  

A typical Spider-Man story would start with him swinging through the skyscrapers of New York, but from the get-go, we are introduced to an inner monologue from none other than Kraven himself. This puts the reader in a different frame of mind than what they usually expect from a Spider-Man comic. The opening monologue not only takes us through the villain’s mind, but also gives him a new dimension rarely afforded to Spider-Man villains.

The art direction is something to note, too. The comic is constantly painted in a drab, overcast sky that really sells the dark, horror-like nature of the comic. The use of long shadows and deep shading also sell the tone remarkably well. This was not unintentional. In a note in the comic, J. M. DeMatteis remarks about “Crime and Punishment,” a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, being an inspiration for the comic.

“No other novelist has ever explored the duality of existence, illuminated the mystical heights and despicable depths of the human heart,” said DeMatteis in his 2006 interview with Marvel.

The story’s Russian influence can be felt and seen thematically too. Spider-Man has always been a safe character for Marvel comics, representing the best in all of us, but what “Kraven’s Last Hunt” does is bring Peter to his psychological limit and cause readers to question where the line between spider and man really is.

This comic is important because of its value not only as good entertainment but for its literary merit. “Kraven’s Last Hunt” poses deep, thought-provoking questions about relationships, love and even the nature of sanity itself. Without the success of this comic, other comics addressing similar themes might not have taken flight.