FLASHBACK REVIEW: Web of Spider-Man #7

Only 7 issues into the run of this volume of Web of Spider-Man we already come to the end of an era. This issue was the last to feature a Gauntlet Origins story and a Spectacular Spider-Girl story, as all of the first 7 issues did. Going forward this would become the first true satellite title of the Brand New Day era, but more on that next issue.

This issue’s Gauntlet Origin features the original Kraven in support of his return in the excellent “Grim Hunt” story in Amazing Spider-Man #634-637 by Joe Kelly and Michael Lark. Kraven the Hunter first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (pictured to the right).

Production: Randall L. Miller

Editor: Tom Brennan

Senior Editor: Stephen Wacker

Cover Artist: Jelena Djurdjevic

 

 

“GAUNTLET ORIGINS: KRAVEN”

Writer: Fred Van Lente

Artist: Phillipe Briones

Color Art: Jodi Wynne

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

THE STORY: Kraven boasts of his recent hunting exploits at a rich party when he meets Aleksandra Nikolaevna. The lady throws a drink in his face, accusing him of hunting endangered species with rifles. Kraven tells her of what he actually does, hunting with his own hands in the savage lands, and how lucky he thinks he and his fellow “white” Russians are to have been thrown out by the Bolsheviks. She sees Kraven’s sympathetic side when his crazy mother makes a scene, and Aleksandra tells Sergei he can call her Sasha. Sasha returns home to her father, who talks of all the men he’s made her get close to, but now that she’s bagged a Kravinoff the family is saved. Sasha throws her father down an elevator shaft, saying she’s going to keep this kill for herself. We end with an image of Sergei and Sasha’s wedding.

MY THOUGHTS: That was probably the best of the Gauntlet Origins stories – and it frankly should be, considering Kraven’s Gauntlet story, “Grim Hunt,” was itself the extreme high point of the whole Gauntlet event. More than any of these other origin stories, this one felt like it actually had a POINT. Sasha Kravinoff was a character introduced in the Brand New Day era (in Amazing Spider-Man #567, part 3 of “Kraven’s First Hunt.”), but being the mother of Kraven’s children she obviously had a pretty deep history we hadn’t seen. Making this Gauntlet Origins story more of an origin for Sasha, who would feature heavily in “Grim Hunt,” rather than Kraven, who we already know everything we need to about, was a very smart move that made this story far more useful than any rehashing of “Kraven’s a rich Russian who hunts things” ever would have been.

I think the origin of Sasha is interesting, that she is the daughter of a formerly rich family who is made to cozy up to rich men by her father. It’s also a solid bit of origin story for this woman who would not only marry Sergei Kravinoff, but go to great lengths to bring him back from the dead, that she is so taken with the philosophies of the powerful and charismatic hunter from the start that she would embrace them (and him) and turn on her father. I originally thought that it actually happened too fast, that she met Kraven once and then killed her father while quoting Sergei’s philosophies, but upon further thought I think it actually works. It would have been far too fast if she loved her father, but this is a selfish old man who pimps her out to wealthy old men for his own profit. Frankly, were I her, I couldn’t have thrown him down that elevator shaft fast enough.

The art here is serviceable, but shaky. Phillipe Briones does a far more effective job rendering the Savage Land pages than the high society in the rest of the story. For the normal people in suits – yeah, shaky is the best word for it. The hand just doesn’t seem very sure, and the lines are fairly oddly shaped. The biggest problem is the haphazardly placed crosshatched shading that calls up memories of the more quickly forgotten Nineties artists who were trying to emulate the styles of Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio. It doesn’t distract from the story too much, but it really doesn’t help.

And as always, Jelena Djurdjevic’s cover is wonderful. I love the blood all over Kraven’s chin and “mane” through his smile coming out of the darkness. And a funny note (at least I think), I laid my glasses down on top of this issue and found that Kraven’s head on this cover is exactly life-sized – because my glasses fit him perfectly!

GRADE: 3.5 Elevator Shafts out of 5. The most effective of the origin stories, but could have been much better with a steadier hand at the art.

 

“THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL in HERE COMES WILD CARD”

Writer: Tom DeFalco

Pencils: Ron Frenz

Inks: Sal Buscema

Colorist: Impacto Studio’s Bruno Hang

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

THE STORY: A silly-looking guy named Wild Card beats up some thugs and scores an audition for Don Silvio’s employ – kill Spider-Girl! May and Wes have a talk, but Wes just reveals that April kissed him, still not telling May that he knows her secret identity. Wild Card beats Spider-Girl pretty soundly, but just tells her to stay out of the gang war – he doesn’t kill for free. Frank Castle gets a letter that Don Silvio has returned, and decides that so, too, will the Punisher!

MY THOUGHTS: Once again the Spider-Girl team treats us to some good, solid comics. The problem is – I don’t have a lot to say about this one. I’ve said it all before! Tom DeFalco writes a really great teen superhero piece here. There’s always character drama, there’s always a fight, and it always all makes sense. Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema are an expert art team. They render everything flawlessly so it’s aesthetically pleasing and clear and easy to follow – more modern artists should take note. See! I’ve said all this before! This is what happens when you get creators who are reliable professionals: you get a product you thoroughly enjoy every time out, and there’s only so many times you can give them the same praise without the reviewer and the reader getting tired of it.

Sadly this is a bit of a strange place for the adventures of Spider-Girl to end in the pages of Web of Spider-Man. Of course, this wasn’t the end. The story is “To Be Continued” in the 4-issue Spectacular Spider-Girl mini-series which was to follow, and the tease of The Punisher’s return certainly should have been enough to get readers to follow the story over there. It just feels a little weird to be introducing a random new villain and leaving every plot thread up in the air here. And I don’t blame DeFalco for that. These are all print versions of the Spectacular Spider-Girl digital-first series, so he probably had no idea this chapter would be the last one to appear in Web of Spider-Man when he wrote it. In fact I can’t say it’s anyone’s “fault.” It’s just the way it happened.

If you want to follow the adventures of Mayday in review form, you can click on the Spectacular Spider-Girl category at the top of this review and find the first 2 issues of the mini-series reviewed by Zach “Spideydude” Joiner from back when they came out. Issues 3-4 remain unreviewed on the site at the moment, but they’re on my list for eventual flashback reviews, so hopefully you’ll be seeing those pop up here some day. Until then, this series will definitely be missed in the pages of Web of Spider-Man as I go forward with the reviews for this series.

GRADE: 4 Guy Fawkes Masks out of 5. A typically solid chapter of Spider-Girl, just not wholly satisfying for the end of its Web of Spider-Man run.

 

“SPIDER-MAN in FASHION SPREAD”

Writer: Joe Casey

Artist: Jim Mahfood

Color Art: Justin Stewart

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

THE STORY: Peter Parker goes to a major fashion show hosted by MJ to take pictures. Paper Doll shows up to get revenge for Bobby Carr. Spider-Man beats her.

MY THOUGHTS: Right off the top, let me comment on the art. This art is definitely different. It’s not what we expect in a superhero comic. Really, it’s more pop art than comic book art. But I honestly think it works for this story. In a story about a fashion show and a villain who is basically a living piece of 2-D art, pop art is kind of at home. I’ve heard a lot of trash talk hurled and Mahfood’s art, and it doesn’t always work for me, but I can’t disagree with the decision to place him on this story.

As for the story,well – I truly don’t get the point. Why waste the page-space with a story that accomplishes basically nothing? Paper Doll’s motivations are the same as the last time she showed up, the battle is brief, and she gets away. There’s really nothing else to this story. I wish I had something else to say, but I don’t have much to work with here.

GRADE: 2 Forgotten Villains out of 5. The art made it somewhat entertaining, but there was no reason to read this.