10 Spider-Man Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die

Kraven the Hunter's last stand is a work of genius and is easily the greatest Spider-Man story of all time.

Determined to prove he is better than Peter Parker in every way, Kraven hunts him down, shoots him and buries him six feet deep. Taking on the mantle of the spider, he begins fighting crime in a way the Punisher would be proud of, all in an effort to prove to his ostensibly dead adversary that he is superior in every single way.

After he defeats Vermin all by himself, something that the O.G Spider-Man needed the help of Captain America to do, Kraven is confronted by Peter, who was only tranquilized and not, as it first seemed, killed.

Explaining that his hunting days are over and that this was all done to prove he was the superior man, Kraven re-releases Vermin onto the streets, forcing Parker to choose which one to take down. When he chases after Vermin, Kraven returns home and puts a gun in his mouth, feeling he has nothing left to prove.

The sheer depth of this story is what makes it so perfect, while J. M. DeMatteis handling of the subject is breathtaking from start to finish. Put simply, if you only ever read one Spider-Man graphic novel, it really should be Kraven's Last Hunt.