With Sony and Insomniac
Games’ release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on Playstation
5, I thought now was the most opportune time to take a quick look at something
the game touches on itself: the Kravinoff Family. No, today we won’t be
doing a Family Tree, but instead we’ll be talking about a character who didn’t make
it to the printed page: Kraven’s daughter in the MC2. Let me
explain.
Among the many unused ideas and concepts conceived by Ron
Frenz, shared on his own Facebook
page is ‘Gazelle Kravenoff’ aka Moonshadow, and I quote Ron
here ‘The daughter of Kraven the Hunter and Calypso!’
Now a quick history for everyone! Kraven the Hunter
first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #15, created by Stan Lee and
Steve Ditko. Kraven’s real name ‘Sergei Kravinoff’ was
apparently first revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe:
Deluxe Edition #7 from 1986, though it should be noted that the initial
1983 volume of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1)
#6 gave Kraven’s real name as ‘Sergei Kravin’ and
makes what I believe is the first reference to his Russian heritage and
parents, the latter of which are strangely absent from the Deluxe Edition’s
list of known relatives.
Writer J.M. DeMatteis and artists Mike Zeck
and Bob McLeod gave the world Kraven’s definitive depiction in
the critically acclaimed 1987 story Fearful Symmetry: Kraven’s Last Hunt
published in six parts across all three Spider-Man titles at the time in
Web of Spider-Man #31-32, Amazing Spider-Man #293-294 and Spectacular
Spider-Man #131-132. The story simultaneously elevated Kraven’s
status among Spider-Man’s rogues gallery by having the hunter bury the
hero alive and assume his identity and remains impactful for its psychological
explorations of both men ultimately culminating in Kraven ending his own
life.
As for Calypso, she’s a Haitian Voodoo
priestess and lover of Kraven’s, created by writer Denny O’Neil
and penciller Alan Weiss. First appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #209,
Calypso would later gain notoriety in the Torment storyline when
she enthralled The Lizard
aka Curt
Connors and forced him to commit murder in a plot to kill Spider-Man
following Kraven’s death (Spider-Man #1-5). While she has
always been known as Calypso, the character’s full name was first
revealed as ‘Calypso Ezili’ in 1991’s Gamer’s Handbook of the
Marvel Universe Volume 7. Ezili is a variant spelling for a member
of the Vodou or Voodoo pantheon of spirits.
We don’t have many additional details for Gazelle’s
character, and Ron himself mentions during an interview for the podcast Make
Mine Mayday Episode 43 he didn’t even pitch the concept to Spider-Girl
co-creator Tom Defalco. What’s noteworthy is her alternative name, Moonshadow,
which is a direct reference to Kraven’s Last Hunt writer J.M. DeMatteis’
creator-owned series of the same name, itself a reference to the song by singer/songwriter
Cat Stevens. Talk about fearful symmetry!
That’s all I have for you all today. If there’s an
opportunity to delve further into the Kravinoff Family Tree, I’d jump at the
chance so just let me know! Perhaps Gazelle aka Moonshadow will
see print someday? A very big ‘thank you’ to arias-98105, Ron Frenz,
the Make Mine Mayday podcast and the Marvel Appendix without
which this post wouldn’t have been possible.
Until I dig myself out of a grave after being buried for two
weeks, I remain
frogoat
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