Kravinov’s Revenge!
Credits:
J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Luke Ross (penciler), John Stanisci (inks),
John Kalisz (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters)
The Plot:
A dart knocks Spider-Man unconscious, allowing Chameleon to place him
in a cage with Dr. Kafka and John Jameson. Chameleon departs for the
Parkers’ home, leading Spider-Man to push himself and break free of the
electrified cage. At home, MJ quickly discerns that “Peter” is an
imposter. When Spider-Man enters, he discovers MJ pummeling Chameleon
with a baseball bat. Chameleon escapes in the confusion, but is soon
confronted by Kraven outside. Kraven boasts that he hit Spider-Man with
the dart, proving to Chameleon that he isn’t a hallucination.
Proclaiming that there can only be one Kravinov, Kraven shoots
Chameleon with a shotgun.
The Subplots:
Mad Jack is spying on MJ in the issue’s opening. Flash, meanwhile, is
thrown out of a bar for being a belligerent drunk. Elsewhere, the
Kangaroo is asked to join a group that includes the Grizzly, the Gibbon,
and the Spot.
Web of Continuity:
I’ve read that Spider-Man/Daredevil miniseries that was supposed to
reveal Mad Jack’s true identity two or three times, yet I can’t recall
an explanation for why he’s spying on MJ this issue. Was this ever
resolved?
We Get Letters: Someone accidentally runs the same letter column as last issue’s.
Review:
Considering the lengthy setup, this doesn’t feel like much of a
conclusion. It’s not the kind of pathetic anti-climax that the X-office
would occasionally bring us back in the ‘90s, it just doesn’t feel as
if the story lived up to its potential. There are some decent scenes,
such as MJ truly contemplating the repercussions of yet another lunatic
learning Peter’s ID*, and the revelation that Kraven is not
a hallucination is appropriately dramatic, but I don’t feel as if this
is a truly satisfying conclusion to a five-month arc. I also think giving the
Chameleon a rushed, vague death scene just feels like a cheap out; the
kind of quickie death you would expect after a villain learns the hero’s
secret ID. MJ beating up Chameleon with a baseball bat is a classic
moment, though. More people would probably remember it if a) the
Spider-titles ever gained momentum following the Clone Saga, and b)
Marvel wasn’t pumping out so much Spider-product during the era.
After
looking back on these issues, I think the major hindrance to the story
would be the art. Not that Luke Ross is terrible, even at this point
you can see he’s got talent, but his cartoony nature just doesn’t suit
the story. The subplots, yes. (Ross is having fun with the “loser”
villains, and he draws an amazing Mad Jack.) But the psychological
drama just doesn’t connect, nor do you get a real sense of horror at the
prospect of Chameleon invading the Parkers’ home and doing
who-knows-what to MJ. I can picture Sal Buscema or Mark Bagley really
selling this arc back during their collaborations with DeMatteis, but
Luke Ross just isn’t on that level yet.
*A charitable soul might even use MJ’s monologue as a justification for Peter’s actions in Civil War
years later, since she considers holding a press conference and just
getting the info out there…I would say she’s being intentionally absurd, but I discovered long ago that some fans on the internet could rationalize any inane story published by a major comics company.
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