Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 21: Spidey’s forced to make a hard choice
By Mike McNulty
Credit: Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado (Marvel Comics); cover for
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 21
A Stillanerd Review — In which the full scope of Kraven’s plan for Spider-Man comes to fruition in part 5 of Nick Spencer’s”Hunted.”
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 20
“Hunted, Part 5”
Writer: Nick Spencer
Penciler: Gerardo Sandoval
Inkers: Gerardo Sandoval and Victor Nava
Color Artists: Edgar Delgado and Erick Arciniega
Covers: Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado; Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Cho (Connecting Variant); Casanovas
Prior to Nick Spencer’s “Hunted,” Kraven the Hunter’s plan seemed simple–capture animal-themed, costumed villains and have wealthy weekend warriors mow them down. It turned out there was more to it. As these would-be hunters were neurologically linked to humanoid drones, it meant they could also experience pain when those drones were damaged. Destroying a drone meant killing the host. Thus while these would-be hunters killed off the weaker villains, the surviving A-list villains would kill them in return.
By Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 20, we, as readers, knew the full-scope of Kraven’s plan. Or so we thought. Because if there was one nagging question about this latest “great hunt,” it was, “What does Kraven want with Spider-Man?”
Credit: Gerardo Sandoval, Victor Nava, Edgar Delgado, and Erick Arciniega (Marvel Comics); from
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 21
With Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 21, Nick Spencer finally pulls back the curtain on Kraven’s ultimate aims. It wasn’t just about thinning out the heard of totemic villains, or punishing the rich fat-cats who hunted endangered species…What Kraven wanted was to teach Spider-Man the fundamental law of the jungle: kill or be killed.
Well, we told ourselves, it’s obvious. For Kraven, Spider-Man is the “most dangerous game,” the one who tests the limits of his strength and skill. He’s even tried becoming Spider-Man once during “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” right before killing himself. With his resurrection, it seemed as if Kraven tried to recapture the glory days of that story, especially when the last issue ends with Spidey fighting off several clones of Vermin. But again, it didn’t seem like this was enough. So we kept asking, “What does Kraven want with Spider-Man?”
With Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 21, Nick Spencer finally pulls back the curtain on Kraven’s ultimate aims. It wasn’t just about thinning out the heard of totemic villains, or punishing the rich fat-cats who hunted endangered species. It wasn’t just passing on his legacy to his “son,” who is, in fact, his clone. It wasn’t even trying to get Spider-Man so enraged that he’d murder Kraven, thereby giving him a glorious death. What Kraven wanted was to teach Spider-Man the fundamental law of the jungle: kill or be killed.
What’s interesting is that Kraven doesn’t want Spider-Man to kill the Vermins via self-defense. In a surprising twist, Kraven actually saves Spider-Man before the Vermins can rip him apart. He’s even courteous enough to put Spidey in another black costume and tend to his injuries. Of course, he’s also latched an explosive collar around his neck and placed him in a room with Dr. Curt Connors. And he forces both of them to watch on CCTV Kraven’s “son” stalking an injured Black Cat and a helpless Billy Connors. Although Dr. Connors can turn into the Lizard, his inhibitor chip prevents all aggression, even if it means protecting others. Moreover, if Spidey tampers with the collar, it will explode, killing both him and Dr. Connors.
Credit: Gerardo Sandoval, Victor Nava, Edgar Delgado, and Erick Arciniega (Marvel Comics); from
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 21
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Thus, Spider-Man’s choice is clear: if he wants Black Cat and Billy saved, he must remove Dr. Connor’s inhibitor chip. He must let Dr. Connors truly become the Lizard. Problem one: the chip is attached to Dr. Connor’s spinal cord. If Spidey removes it, it could either cripple Dr. Connors or cost him his life. Problem two: even if the Lizard’s regenerative abilities heal Dr. Connors, it would also mean he may not have any control over the Lizard anymore. Dr. Connors could just as well endanger Black Cat and Billy’s lives, including Spider-Man’s.
It’s in this moment that the brilliance of Spencer’s narrative comes to light. We all know Spider-Man is about responsibility, but it’s often depicted in simple, binary terms. Over and over, Peter Parker faces a choice to either use his powers for personal gain or to help someone in need. Either he makes that date with Mary Jane, or stops Doctor Octopus’ latest scheme. Either he shows up to class on time, or foils another bank robbery. But here, he’s put in a place where he must sacrifice the life of a friend to save someone else he cares about. To let a father protect his son, he must turn him into a monster.
To drive the point home even further, Spencer has Dr. Connors question Spider-Man’s code of “with great power comes great responsibility.” He asks if Spidey has any children. When Spidey says no, Dr. Connors says, “Then you don’t know what responsibility is yet.” No doubt readers who are parents, or fans of Spider-Girl and Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows nodded in agreement during that exchange.
Credit: Gerardo Sandoval, Victor Nava, Edgar Delgado, and Erick Arciniega (Marvel Comics); from
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 21
Of course, this issue isn’t entirely perfect. It’s a bit coincidental that Kraven’s plan requires Dr. Connor’s capture when prior issues showed Taskmaster and Black Ant failing to do exactly that. The same goes with Billy, considering past issues showed he wasn’t even on their radar and was only abducted when they couldn’t capture his dad.
Also, the art by Gerardo Sandoval, while terrific in some panels, doesn’t look so great in others. Aside from basic human anatomy inconsistencies from panel-to-panel, there’s also improper use of space. The issue opens with a full splash, silent page of Kraven looking out a window. A two-page spread shows Spidey attacked by the Vermins while smaller images of him fending off those attacks are superimposed over top of a larger image. There’s even a plain white page with three caption boxes, reflecting Peter’s welcoming potential death. Yet pages such as these come off as unnecessary padding for the sake of padding.
However, there’s no question that Amazing Spider-Man No. 21 deserves credit for bringing “Hunted” into sharper focus. It effectively ties Kraven’s larger scheme into challenging the reader on the limitations of Spider-Man’s creed. And as we move into the finale, the question becomes, having been forced to examine his own creed, whether Peter must make another sacrifice for the greater good even it means giving Kraven what he wants.
Stillanerd’s Score: 4.5 out of 5