X-Men & Amazing Spider-Man: Savage Land

I have so much I want to say about "Kraven's Last Hunt". What an amazing book. Worthy of being compared to "The Dark Knight Returns" graphic novel. Spider-Man has always been a fun character. He jokes and plays around frequently while fighting and defeating his many villans. Kraven is different. Each loss was shocking and disturbing and heartfelt for him. As each loss accumulated, his mind reeled and fought taking him to the point of obsession and madness. Kraven literally lost his mind. A proud man of honor and integrity who is continually humbled and humiliated by Spider-Man. He can't even accept the fact that Spider-Man is actually a man but some mystical unbeatable being who he calls "the spider". "No MAN could of done what you have done to Kraven", he says during one of his drug induced ritiuals. We are taken into Kraven's disturbing world. Allowed to look into his disturbed soul and in a strange but sad way, you can sympathize with him. Even understand why he does all he does to include his very final desperate act. Read the story from cover to cover and then read it a second time. Only, this time, read it through the mind of Kraven. Read only his captions. His thoughts alone is a remarkable story. Everyone I have suggested this to have all agreed. Kraven was never this intricate a character in previous Spider-Man stories. I absolutely love it and I will miss him. Kraven was more than just a super villan hellbent on destruction. He was a man of pride and honor who lived and died as such.

This is a slim trade paperback that reprints issues #1-4 of the Marvel Fanfare comic from 1982, which were written by long-time X-Men writer Chris Claremont. Parts 1 and 2 feature Angel of the X-Men and Spider-Man on a trip to the Savage Land, a prehistoric enclave. Illustrations are by Michael Golden.Parts 3 and 4 feature the X-Men team circa the Uncanny X-Men 140s, including Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. Illustrations are by x-artists Dave Cockrum and Paul Smith.The story involves the love interest of Karl Lykos/Sauron. It wraps up stories from the 60s of Uncanny X-Men (Savage Land Mutates) and the 110s (Sauron, Zaladane). As always, Ka-Zar (a character in the Tarzan vein) is involved. This book would make a good companion buy with either (or all) of the following: (1) the X-Men Visionaries: Neal Adams tpb, which collects the original 60s Sauron and Savage Land Mutates stories, (2) Essential X-Men #1, which continues the Sauron story and introduces Zaladane, (3) the X-Men Visionaries: Jim Lee collection, which tells the ultimate Zaladane/Mutates story (a truly excellent story about Magneto and the effects of violence, which touches on many of the ethical themes of classic X-Men comics.) The artwork is good (Smith's later run on Uncanny is really outstanding). The story is vintage Claremont, not his very best, but solid. The themes of personal courage, respect for the natural order, and ethical conduct are all there, and it's a good introduction to the characters. If you're a fan of late 1970s/early 1980s X-Men who's looking for more, you'll like this. I sure did. The Savage Land is always a fun ride.If you're looking for an inexpensive comic collection for a young person, this is great. If they like it, I'd suggest following up with some of the X-Men Essentials collections or the Dark Phoenix Saga. The X-Men really are complex and powerful bit of American pop culture. Love them.

Reading this book when I was 13 left a big impression on me. I had always heard how great it was, and when I finally read it, it became one of the first "serious" superhero books I had ever seen. To really nail this point there's an article at the back of the book saying how "serious" a book this really is and how superheros can be a "serious" medium. I don't know if superheros can be a serious artform, but this book is worth reading. The whole thing, from the cover to the art to the story has a erie feel to it. Today many superhero books are very dark and gritty, but this is Spider-man after all, and it's not typical to see him in this kind of book. Maybe kids today won't find anything unusual about it, but if you are used to the normal happy go lucky Spider-man, this might be of interest. Some of the dialogue might hook you or it might just bug you. It can get pretty weird somtimes. The plot is interesting enough, and might be a real treat if you don't already know details. Now the art by Mike Zeck (and Bob McLeod?) is gorgeous. This was back when mainstream comic artists could still draw. Very lush figures, real faces, look at the lady cop who gets a little to close to Vermin, I used to stare at that frame because her expression is so real! Spider-man is in his black costume which is also great for visuals. For me the art really made the book. This is not a typical Spider-man story, and it is certainly worth reading.

This series features the original characters, the original team, in all-new adventures drawn and told in a manner reminiscent of the Silver Age era but incorporating some of the more sophisticated storytelling techniques adopted since then. Perfect for older nostalgists without interfering the current timeline. Plus, it's a good read that current X-fans curious about the X-Men's earlier days can enjoy too.