Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #2
Cover Date: Jan 77
Title: "Kraven is the hunter!"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
Sal Buscema - Penciler
Mike Esposito - Inker

Review/plot:
Since the Tarantula failed to kill the mayor last issue, his employer brings in a second agent, Kraven the Hunter. This results in a serious rivalry between the two villains.

It's not new at this point but i'm still disappointed to see Kraven used as a generic mercenary in this story. He's supposed to be about the thrill of the hunt. The Tarantula agrees with me, but i think that makes him a hypocrite.

Also, in this story, he really relies on his pet tigers a lot more than his hunting prowess.

In this issue, New York City University's Chancellor is kidnapped, as he's working on the school budget and thinking about the thesis of Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine.

After the kidnapping, Kraven sticks around to fight Spider-Man...

...not for simple revenge, but because the "fee for my services has dropped" since his last defeat by Spidey. Spidey defeats Kraven by tricking him into electrocuting himself, which will be a repeat theme in this story.

Meanwhile, the Tarantula brings the Chancellor back to his employer, but since the Tarantula has recognized the mystery man's voice, he's taken out.

In sub-plots, Peter gets Glory Grant a job as J. Jonah Jameson's secretary.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This issue begins soon after Amazing Spider-Man #164, with Spidey returning from his fight with the Kingpin on a tugboat and then returning to Doc Connors (who, by the way, is not looking so good) to tell him that everything worked out. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #3 is a direct continuation of this story but a little time passes between issues so i've put them in separate entries just in case something ever comes up that needs to go in between.

References:

• During a brief visit with his Aunt May, Peter thinks about recent events with Aunt May and Doctor Octopus from Amazing Spider-Man #156, and then consoles himself that it wasn't because he's Spider-Man that Aunt May got involved with Doc Ock, as shown in Amazing Spider-Man #54. Peter then takes off when Anna Watson shows up, since he and MJ are still on the outs.
  
• Spider-Man hasn't faced Kraven since Amazing Spider-Man #111.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

If you want an indicator of how quickly this book dropped its supposed mission to focus more on the supporting cast, we get one page of subplot with Peter visiting Aunt May and MJ's Aunt Anna, and the next page cuts back to the villains with the caption "Enough about Peter Parker."