Kraven's Last Hunt is one of the most acclaimed Spider-Man stories ever published, and part of what makes it a little intimidating for new readers is that it was never published as its own series. The 1987 story crosses three separate Spider-Man titles over six issues, which means reading it correctly requires knowing the right order rather than just picking up one title.
Written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Mike Zeck, the story follows Kraven the Hunter's final, delusional attempt to prove himself superior to Spider-Man - and it's genuinely one of the darker, more psychologically focused Spider-Man stories of the era.
This guide lays out the exact issue-by-issue reading order, the collected editions available if you'd rather skip hunting down single issues, and how to protect any back issues you do pick up.
Whether you're chasing the original issues or just want the cleanest way to read the story, here's the full breakdown.
The story runs across Web of Spider-Man #31-32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293-294, and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132, published between October and November 1987. The correct reading order interleaves the three titles rather than finishing one before starting the next.
The sequence is Web of Spider-Man #31, Amazing Spider-Man #293, Spectacular Spider-Man #131, Web of Spider-Man #32, Amazing Spider-Man #294, and finally Spectacular Spider-Man #132 - reading any title straight through on its own will scramble the story's pacing.
Marvel ran several major Spider-Man crossovers this way during the late 1980s, using the shared continuity across Amazing, Web, and Spectacular to tell one longer story across three monthly books instead of a dedicated miniseries. This was a common structural choice for the era rather than something unique to this particular story.
It does mean a complete single-issue run of Kraven's Last Hunt means tracking down issues from three different ongoing series published the same two months, which is part of why most readers today reach for a collected edition instead.
Marvel has collected the story multiple times under the title Fearful Symmetry: Kraven's Last Hunt, bundling all six issues into one standalone trade paperback in standard comic trade dimensions. This remains the simplest way to read the story cover to cover without hunting down three separate single-issue runs.
Because the trade collects exactly these six issues and nothing more, it's a clean, self-contained purchase for anyone who just wants the story itself rather than a broader collection of surrounding issues.
Kraven's Last Hunt is also collected inside an Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection volume carrying the story's name, which places it in the broader context of the surrounding Spider-Man issues from that era rather than isolating it as a standalone read. This is the better pick for readers who want the material around the story, not just the six issues themselves.
Epic Collections run notably thicker than a single-story trade, so if your goal is specifically the Kraven story with nothing extra, the standalone Fearful Symmetry trade is the more direct purchase.
Collecting the six individual back issues gives you the original comics as readers experienced them in 1987, complete with the period-accurate ads and lettercols that collected editions strip out. This is the route for readers who specifically want the single-issue collecting experience rather than just the story.
Since these issues are now approaching four decades old, expect to be buying back-issue stock in varying condition grades - checking seller grading photos carefully before buying raw copies matters more here than it would for a recent release.
Comics from the late 1980s are old enough that acid migration and humidity damage are real risks if they're stored loose, which makes a properly sized bag and backing board combination worth using for every issue in this run. EVORETRO's Comic Bags for Current Age Size Comics and Current Age Comic Backer Boards fit these standard-size 1987 issues correctly.
Store the backed, bagged issues upright rather than flat, and keep them out of direct sunlight and damp basements - the two most common sources of long-term damage to back issues from this era.
Web of Spider-Man #31, Amazing Spider-Man #293, Spectacular Spider-Man #131, Web of Spider-Man #32, Amazing Spider-Man #294, Spectacular Spider-Man #132.
Yes, both collect the same six issues; the Epic Collection also includes surrounding issues.
J.M. DeMatteis, with art by Mike Zeck.
October to November 1987.
Protect every back issue in the run with EVORETRO's Comic Toploaders Collection.
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