Originally published on Set The Tape
The latest issue of Marvel Action: Spider-Man sees the wall-crawling hero finally face off against Kraven the Hunter, whilst Miles Morales and Gwen Stacey have to go toe to toe with his vicious children.
After spending the previous issue capturing the new spider-heroes, Kraven uses his children, Alyosha and Anastasia, to lure Spider-Man into combat with him. Whilst a modernised update of the original Kraven story, featuring many new elements, the inclusion of Kraven’s children using holographic projectors to lure Spider-Man into a trap was very reminiscent of the original, where the villain, the Chameleon, Kraven’s half brother, used trickery to do the same.
This callback to the original story by Erik Burnham is very much appreciated, and shows that even though they are creating their own world here, with many differences from the Spider-Man of Universe 616, they know their history, and are not afraid to made nods to those early stories. This also seems to be something that Burnham has done not only with the inclusion of Alyosha and Ana, characters that didn’t appear until much later in Kraven’s story, but hints that they have similar enhanced strength and speed like their father. It’s not mentioned if this is due to using the same serum as Kraven, or if Alyosha is a mutant in this universe like in 616, but the fact that there are hints is great.
The issue is packed to the brim with action, cutting between the two fights often. Instead of feeling bloated or bogged down the book had a great pace, and actually seemed to go on longer than I was expecting. Clearly Brunham and Christopher Jones know how to choreograph exciting and engaging action sequences. Both fights not only look great, but are full of character moments that both showcase the intelligence of the spider-heroes and give each of them a moment in the spotlight. The moment where Miles uses his camouflage ability is particularly stand out.
Marvel Action: Spider-Man continues to impress as the best entry in the Marvel Action line, and balances character development, world building, and action in ways that the other titles have struggled with. Part of the success may be because of the cast of characters; it doesn’t have the problem of focusing on a lone hero like Marvel Action: Black Panther, and three heroes are easier to manage than the team that’s in Marvel Action: Avengers. Whatever the reason for its success, this book has managed to capture some real magic, and proves to be the one I’m excited to read each and every month. With more to come in the next story arc, teased with a cover preview of Black Cat, I will continue to recommend this title to any fans of Marvel or comics in general.
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