Kraven's Last Hunt Hardcover Intro

[Schmakt]

Does anybody have their copy in front of them? In the intro is a paragraph about Dostoevsky... I believe it's halfway down the first column on the second page. If somebody has it and has a few minutes, would you please type out that one paragraph for me? (or if the intro is online somewhere already, a link would work too...) Thanks!

[Mister Mets]

Uno momento.

[Mister Mets]

But buried in this Marvel Universe entry was one intriguing fact: Kraven was Russian. (To this day I don't know if that was something that was established in continuity or if the writer of that particular entry tossed it in on a whim.)

Russian?

Russian!

Why should that excite me so? One word- Dostoyevsky. When I read Crime and Punishment and the Brothers Karamazov in high school, they seeped in through my brain, wormed their way into my nervous system....and ripped me into shreds. No other novelist has ever explored the staggering duality of existence, illuminated the mystical heights and the despicable depths of the human heart with the brilliance of Dostoyevsky. The Russian soul, as exposed in his novels, was really the Univeral Soul. It was my soul.

And Kraven was Russian.

In an instant, I understood Sergei Kravinoff. In an instant, the entire story changed focus.

[Will.S]

I need to buy this hardcover.

As always I'm curious about the extras. Help us Cyberman, you're our only hope.

*fizzes away in holographic projection*

[Schmakt]

Thanks, Cyberman!

[Mister Mets]

I need to buy this hardcover.

As always I'm curious about the extras. Help us Cyberman, you're our only hope.

*fizzes away in holographic projection*

It has the original six issues recolored (well), a new intro by JM Dematteis, and Zeck's original pencils for all the covers, and the entirety of the first issue.

It's well worth the 20 bucks (although I'd advise looking for it on discount websites.)

[Will.S]

It has the original six issues recolored (well), a new intro by JM Dematteis, and Zeck's original pencils for all the covers, and the entirety of the first issue.

It's well worth the 20 bucks (although I'd advise looking for it on discount websites.)
Wow, awesome I'll def look into buying it.

Thanks!

[Schmakt]

It's well worth the 20 bucks (although I'd advise looking for it on discount websites.)

I highly concur... I almost didn't get it, but then I did, and I'm really glad. :)


Thanks again for the intro text Cyberman! I was trying to make a journal entry that hinged on it. (www.schmakt.com) You're the (cyber)Man.

[Will.S]

So I finally picked up the HC and read the story and wow, this is some dark and creepy stuff.

Usually whenever I saw Kraven I thought, "Man this dude is such a silly villain" but after reading Kraven's Last Hunt my respect for the character was shot up by 100%. You really see him change from a downright insane villain to rational human being who finally comes to realize a worthy foe within Spider-Man. I also enjoyed the added villain of Vermin since he added the horror element to the book with quite a few gruesome scenes.

Mike Zeck's art is gritty but perfectly fitting with the tone of the book. Absolutely fantastic use of light and shadow as well as the action scenes and figurework. I especially liked how Spider-Man's black costume fit the story so much and worked against the fight in the sewers.

I'm curious about the coloring though, Cyberman said that it was re-colored but it looks like something straight out of a 80's graphic novel so I'm wondering how the original colors looked.

[Sparda]

Well I own the old HC (back then it was hard to find) and luckily just spent 10 bucks on it at my LCBS since the owner did'nt know the exact price so took a guess there and it was only 2 month's before they started to reprint the Kraven's last hunt storyline again. The coloring looks really neat considering it came out in the late 80's (even the HC of mine was made during that time).

I would'nt know about the new shipment they reprinted so I can compare but I can say since I own 3 of the original parts of the arc, the coloring in the HC looks alot damn better. Hope that helped.

[The Joker]

After reading this, I really need to come to a decision on if I am going to buy "Kraven's Last Hunt" HC, or the "Infinite Crisis" HC.

Decisions. Decisions.

[Will.S]

Well I own the old HC (back then it was hard to find) and luckily just spent 10 bucks on it at my LCBS since the owner did'nt know the exact price so took a guess there and it was only 2 month's before they started to reprint the Kraven's last hunt storyline again. The coloring looks really neat considering it came out in the late 80's (even the HC of mine was made during that time).

I would'nt know about the new shipment they reprinted so I can compare but I can say since I own 3 of the original parts of the arc, the coloring in the HC looks alot damn better. Hope that helped.
Hmm, I'm guessing that they just cleaned it up then or brightened it up some.

After reading this, I really need to come to a decision on if I am going to buy "Kraven's Last Hunt" HC, or the "Infinite Crisis" HC.

Decisions. Decisions.
Haha, I kind of had that same decision but I had bought Pride of Baghdad and the first two Cross Bronx books the same day so I went with the cheaper one naturally. Plus I had never read it but I plan on getting the IC HC too.

[The Joker]

Haha, I kind of had that same decision but I had bought Pride of Baghdad and the first two Cross Bronx books the same day so I went with the cheaper one naturally. Plus I had never read it but I plan on getting the IC HC too.

Thats cool. But you know, the more I think about it, the more I believe I will probably go with "Kravens Last Hunt". I bought all the IC issues, including the variant covers, so it's not like I don't know the basics of the story. With "Last Hunt", thats a story I havent had the fortune of reading in years. And unfortunately, I dont have the actual comics the storyline took place in to look back on. I know I read it somewhere, but my memory of it is a bit hazy to say the very least. :o

[Mister Mets]

After reading this, I really need to come to a decision on if I am going to buy "Kraven's Last Hunt" HC, or the "Infinite Crisis" HC.

Decisions. Decisions.

If I had to choose, i'd go with Infinite Crisis.
I loved both storylines, but Infinite Crisis is better (in the way I think North by Northwest is better than Taxi Driver, both being two of the best films I've ever seen.) It's also had more of an impact on its universe.

My recommendation though is to scour the internet for discounts, so you could better afford to buy both.

http://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Crisis-Phil-Jimenez/dp/1401209599/sr=8-1/qid=1160398657/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0086342-5562429?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Kravens-J-M-DeMatteis/dp/078512330X/sr=1-1/qid=1160398684/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0086342-5562429?ie=UTF8&s=books
On Amazon.com for instance, you can order both for about $31 including shipping ($6 more than the cover price of Infinite Crisis.)

[The Joker]

If I had to choose, i'd go with Infinite Crisis.
I loved both storylines, but Infinite Crisis is better (in the way I think North by Northwest is better than Taxi Driver, both being two of the best films I've ever seen.) It's also had more of an impact on its universe.

My recommendation though is to scour the internet for discounts, so you could better afford to buy both.

http://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Crisis-Phil-Jimenez/dp/1401209599/sr=8-1/qid=1160398657/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0086342-5562429?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Kravens-J-M-DeMatteis/dp/078512330X/sr=1-1/qid=1160398684/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0086342-5562429?ie=UTF8&s=books
On Amazon.com for instance, you can order both for about $31 including shipping ($6 more than the cover price of Infinite Crisis.)

Thanks for the links, Cyberman.

I appreciate it. :cool:

[Michael P]

After reading this, I really need to come to a decision on if I am going to buy "Kraven's Last Hunt" HC, or the "Infinite Crisis" HC.

Decisions. Decisions.
How in God's name is that a difficult decision? That's like asking someone if they want filet mignon or stale horse crap for dinner.

[The Joker]

How in God's name is that a difficult decision? That's like asking someone if they want filet mignon or stale horse crap for dinner.

So which one is the stale horse crap? :confused:

[Michael P]

So which one is the stale horse crap? :confused:
Here's a hint: It's not the story with Spidey in it.

[The Joker]

Here's a hint: It's not the story with Spidey in it.

Fortunately there are indeed some people who liked, and more importantly enjoyed IC.

Rock n Roll. Deal with it.

[Will.S]

Fortunately there are indeed some people who liked, and more importantly enjoyed IC.

Rock n Roll. Deal with it.
See while I also liked IC, another reason to hold off on the IC HC is because of an inevitable Absolute edition so I'm off and on about it. With the Kraven's Last Hunt book at least you know it'll be the best edition out for at least a while.

Also keep in mind that Marvel has a bad habit of not keeping HC's in production after a certain amount are printed whereas DC almost always has something out (which is awesome). I think Augie De Blieck was the one who pointed this out in one of his columns when he was talking about Marvel trades.

[Venom]

Usually whenever I saw Kraven I thought, "Man this dude is such a silly villain" but after reading Kraven's Last Hunt my respect for the character was shot up by 100%. You really see him change from a downright insane villain to rational human being who finally comes to realize a worthy foe within Spider-Man.

That's exactly how I felt about Kraven until I read "Kraven's Last Hunt".

[Mister Mets]

See while I also liked IC, another reason to hold off on the IC HC is because of an inevitable Absolute edition so I'm off and on about it. With the Kraven's Last Hunt book at least you know it'll be the best edition out for at least a while.

Also keep in mind that Marvel has a bad habit of not keeping HC's in production after a certain amount are printed whereas DC almost always has something out (which is awesome). I think Augie De Blieck was the one who pointed this out in one of his columns when he was talking about Marvel trades.

This all depends on whether or not you want to pay $50 mimimum for the upcoming Absolute Edition.
While Marvel has a habit of not keeping hardcovers in production, most Marvel hardcovers of the last few years remain readily available.