Comic Browser:

The Amazing Spider-Man #47

Apr 1967

Stan Lee, John Romita

Story Name:

In the Hands of the Hunter!

Synopsis

The Amazing Spider-Man #47 synopsis by Anthony Silvestro

Rating:

Our story begins with a flashback to a previously unseen encounter between Spider-Man and Kraven the Hunter from a few months prior. Turns out, the Green Goblin had promised to pay Kraven $20,000 to eliminate Spider-Man. However, while Kraven is distracted by the Goblin overseeing their bout, Spider-Man is able to escape. Kraven later demands of the Goblin’s go-between that he get half of his money now, but Kraven is told that he will only receive the full amount when the job is finished. Kraven then follows the man back to his house, seeing that it is Norman Osborn, obviously not realizing that Osborn is actually the Goblin. We then witness Kraven’s previous defeat by Spider-Man yet again, from ASM #34, proving him to have been unsuccessful.

Now in the present, Kraven is fresh out of prison and believes that the Green Goblin still owes him for the time he spent in prison. Kraven discovers from an old newspaper that the Goblin has apparently perished, causing Kraven to lash out in fury. He blames Spider-Man and first decides to get the money he needs from Norman Osborn, still thinking he was just the Goblin’s flunky. We then cut to Aunt May, still getting settled into her new living arrangement with Anna Watson. Just then, Mary Jane Watson stops by to help with the unpacking but ends up getting distracted by dancing instead. Aunt May phones Peter as he and Harry Osborn are getting ready for classes that day. Just then, Harry’s father Norman Osborn stops by to tell Harry that he’s heading out of town for a business appointment and Norman and Peter meet for what Norman thinks is the first time, while Peter is glad that the Goblin is no more.

Later on, Kraven arrives at Norman’s office demanding to see him but is told he is going to be out of town. Kraven is convinced that Osborn is evading him on purpose and, back at his hideout, tests out his new vest lasers he designed to aid him against Spider-Man. We then cut to ESU, where Gwen Stacy is being mobbed by guys wanting to know who’s taking her to Flash’s party. Peter and Harry both flirt a bit with Gwen and Gwen tells Peter that he’s free to invite Mary Jane. After classes, Spidey swings over to the Daily Bugle and Peter decides to invite both Betty Brant and Ned Leeds to Flash’s party as well. Peter then goes to sell his recent Shocker photos to J. Jonah Jameson, who he finds on the phone with his son, John Jameson. Back with Kraven, he storms his way into Osborn’s home, where Osborn’s butler confirms that Osborn will indeed be out of town, causing Kraven to have to adjust his plans.

Later, Peter and Harry finish getting ready for the party and pick up both Gwen and Mary Jane. The party is in full swing when they get there, and soon the man of the hour himself, Flash Thompson, arrives. Peter and Mary Jane hit the dance floor, annoying Gwen, as Mary Jane was supposed to help her hand out the burgers. Gwen takes the opportunity to dance up a storm herself, as all eyes fall on her, causing MJ to now be the icy one. Just then, Kraven smashes right through the wall, grabbing Harry and planning to use him as bait to draw his father out. Flash futilely tries to stand up to Kraven and Peter pretends to run off to phone the police. As Kraven tries to escape with Harry, Spidey makes his appearance and goads Kraven into attacking him. They begin an epic battle at the nearby construction site as the gang makes sure Harry is okay and Betty and Ned phone Jameson to let him know the situation, causing Jameson and Frederick Foswell to head there as well.

Back at the fight, Spidey dodges to get Kraven to fall from a great height but Kraven easily flips around to save himself. We then see that Norman Osborn has cut his trip short to head back to make sure his son is okay. Spidey and Kraven continue their battle and just when it seems Spidey has the upper hand, Kraven zaps Spidey with his new vest lasers, stunning Spidey and allowing Kraven to paralyze him further with a nerve punch. Just then, Norman Osborn arrives to check on his son and Kraven snares him, intending to collect his money. Having no memory of being the Goblin, Osborn has no idea what Kraven is talking about and Kraven is able to tell via his instincts that Osborn isn’t lying. This causes Kraven to believe that Osborn is not the one he wants and he escapes, having believed he has finally defeated Spider-Man. Spider-Man then comes to and saves Osborn from falling. After switching back to Pete, he and Flash have a civil farewell, as Flash ships out the next day, and Peter hopes that he’ll make it back okay.

Review / Commentaries

The Amazing Spider-Man #47 Review by Anthony Silvestro (April 3, 2024)

Review: Here we have another cool story beautifully drawn by John Romita, featuring the return of Kraven the Hunter. Having the story begin with a flashback was an interesting twist, as well as providing another appearance for the Green Goblin. It also sets up Kraven’s motivation for the issue nicely, thinking that Norman Osborn owes him money after acting as the Goblin’s flunky. I suppose it’s more pride than anything, as Kraven failed in the mission he was going to be paid for, so logically, he wouldn’t be owed anything. There’s a fantastically drawn battle between Spidey and Kraven, with the introduction of Kraven’s vest lasers, the goofiest and least fitting of his various tricks. I’ve always thought that his vest lasers never really fit with the rest of his shtick and there’s really no way to not make it look hilarious.

On the supporting cast side, Gwen and MJ have something of a dance off to subtly try and one up each other, with some pretty well-known panels of Gwen dancing, expertly drawn by Romita. It’s also interesting seeing Norman being such a caring dad, genuinely trying to get back to his son as quick as possible after Kraven captured him. Peter and Flash also have a nice farewell, trying to bury the hatchet a bit, as Flash ships out the next day. There are also a couple of odd little art shortcuts, both involving Kraven, as twice he reacts and comments on something that happens off-panel, once regarding Spidey evading him, and once when Osborn’s secretary runs from him. It’s a bit odd the way they’re presented, and I just chalk it up to Romita taking aforementioned shortcuts, but it is more “tell, don’t show” than usual. Overall, a great issue featuring great action and character moments, with Kraven proving a bigger threat than before, even managing to escape after satisfyingly beating Spidey, to be followed up on within the next couple of issues!

Comments: Issue starts with a flashback to an unseen encounter between Spider-Man and Kraven. Peter and Norman Osborn meet for the first time, as far as Norman is aware.

> The Amazing Spider-Man comic book info and issue index

::: click cover to ENLARGE it :::

This comic is in the following collection:

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #39-52 and Annual #3-4, and material from Not Brand Echh #2.

Excelsioring your collection:

Diamond Select Toys Green Goblin Deluxe Gallery Diorama Wall-Mountable PVC Figure

Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Stan Lee

John Romita

John Romita (Cover Penciler)
John Romita (Cover Inker)
Stan Goldberg (Cover Colorist)

Additional Credits

Letterer: Sam Rosen.

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Anna Watson

Betty Brant

Flash Thompson

Green Goblin
(Norman Osborn)

Gwen Stacy

Harry Osborn

J. Jonah Jameson
(JJ Jameson)

Kraven
(Kraven the Hunter)

Mary Jane Watson
(Mary Jane)

May Parker
(Aunt May)

Norman Osborn

Spider-Man
(Peter Parker)

Plus: Frederick Foswell (Big Man), John Jameson, Ned Leeds.

The Marvel Heroes Library is a fan Marvel Comics site

Version 14.8.29 (Dec 1, 2024. VS22)

Characters are copyright © Marvel or their respective owners. All portions of this Marvel fansite that are subject to copyright are licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 unported license All rights reserved