A History of Marvel Comics: Part 14: Kraven the Hunter

Sergei Kravinov was the son of Nikolai and Anna. He had a half-brother named Dmitri, who Sergei tormented. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the Kravinovs were forced to flee to the US and UK, where there name was anglicized to 'Kravinoff'. Sergei left America to find adventure, traveling the world as a stowaway on cargo ships. Living in Africa, Sergei developed a talent to hunt. As an adult, he became the wealthy 'Kraven the Hunter'. Kraven stole a witch doctor's formula, which he used to enhance his strength and speed. Through these potions, which he shared with his half-brother 'the Chameleon', Kraven maintained his youth for many decades. Through the years, Kraven sired several children. These were Vladimir, Alyosha, and Nedrocci. Chameleon and Kraven both attempted to defeat the fledgling super hero Spider Man, but were defeated and deported. They tried to escape but were stopped by the Avengers. Doctor Octopus offered Kraven a chance of revenge by joining the original Sinister Six along with the Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, and Sandman.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 13: Doctor Octopus

Doctor Otto Octavius used to work for Norman Osborn, until an explosion at Oscorp labs fused four metal arms to his body. He then sought out vengeance against Justin Hammer, the man he held responsible for his condition. After Spider Man saved Justin Hammer, he decided to hunt Spider Man instead. He joined Mysterio, the Vulture, Sandman, Electro, and Kraven the Hunter in the Sinister Six. Unfortunately, Spider Man beat the crap out them one at a time.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 12: the Green Goblin

Norman Osborn, the creator of the Oz formula that gave Spider Man his powers, decided to give himself Oz. Unfortunately, the results drove him to insanity, and he became known as the costumed super-villain the Green Goblin. He had a son named Harry Osborn, who was friends with Peter Parker*.

*Spider Man's secret identity- Jdude

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 11: the Punisher

Frank Castle, also known as the Punisher, was a hater of Wilson Fisk, the kingpin of New York crime. In fact, he hated all crime. He created an alter ego for himself and became known as the Punisher. He seeks to destroy all crime, super-powered or not.

Author's Notes

• You may have noticed that the past few posts have been about comics. This is because I am starting a new series of posts called 'A History of Marvel Comics'.
• I'm going to start using the asterix symbol! (*)
• Author's Notes is going to be monthly.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 10: Newly Recruited X-Men

After a while, several of the X-Men left. Iceman and Angel left to join a team with Hercules, Ghost Rider and Black Widow, while Beast went on to join the Avengers. They were replaced by Banshee, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Wolverine.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 9: Daredevil

Daredevil is a blind lawyer whose father was murdered. Although he doesn't really have any powers, his senses are incredibly sharp. There's not much I can say about him, except he sometimes works with Elektra is not fond of Spider Man.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 8: The Avengers

Thor's malevolent brother, Loki, unleashed the Hulk on an unsuspecting public. This brought together Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man, and the Wasp. They managed to stop Loki's plan before anyone got hurt. Later, they found Captain America floating in a block of ice. He thaws out and becomes one of the Avengers after helping them fight Namor. Like the X-Men, they are constantly recruiting new members.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 7: Spider Man

Peter Parker was on a field trip to Oscorp labs, Norman Osborn's company. There he was bitten by a radioactive spider. His parents had died in a plane crash, so he was living with his aunt May and his uncle Ben. He also had a red- headed girlfriend named Mary Jane and a friend known as Harry Osborn. Anyway, when he gets the of his new powers he decides to get a job as a wrestler but comes home to find his Uncle Ben dead. He then realizes that "with great power comes great responsibility"*. However, the Chameleon disguised himself as Spider Man and framed him for crimes. With the help of the Fantastic Four, though, the Chameleon was captured.

*Spidey quote- Jdude

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 6: The Fantastic Four

The era that you have been reading about is called the Golden Age of Comics. This is the time when such heroes as Captain America, the Hulk, Spider Man, and Iron Man were created. But one of the most famous super hero teams of all is the Fantastic Four.

Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (the Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (the Thing) were on an experimental rocket ship when there shielding failed and they were affected by radiation. They learned that they had gained super- powers and became known as the Fantastic Four. Their most famous enemy is Dr. Doom.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 5: The X-Men

Charles Xavier, a mutant telepath, decided to put together a team of mutant superheroes. Bobby Drake (Iceman), Jean Grey (Marvel Girl), Scott Summers (Cyclops), Thomas Halloway (Angel), and Henry McCoy (Beast) were the original X-Men. They went on several adventures together, and are constantly recruiting new X-Men. Their most famous enemies are Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 4: The Incredible Hulk

During the same time that Iron Man was being created, Bruce Banner was testing the results of a gamma bomb explosion on a monkey. However, Banner's intern Rick Jones freed the monkey from its cage just as the bomb went off. Rick and the monkey manged to escape in time, but Banner was irradiated and became a green, anger- triggered monster known as the Hulk. General 'Thunderbolt' Ross didn't like the Hulk, so he started chasing the Hulk across the country. Rick left the Hulk for some reason, and the Hulk spent a lot of time looking for him. Hulk's most famous enemies are General 'Thunderbolt" Ross and the abomination.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 3: Iron Man

A little after Thor, Tony Stark built a suit of iron armor for himself. At first it's pretty basic. It's silver. The next version is gold but looks the same. Then there is a version which looks like the standard Iron-Man suit. He has a girlfriend named Pepper Potts and a friend named Jim Rhodes, for whom he builds a suit for. Jim Rhodes customizes his Iron-Man suit so that it has really heavy artillery but isn't as maneuverable. Iron Man doesn't have a main enemy, but his most famous one is the Mandarin.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 2: Thor

Many years after Captain America, a doctor named Donald Blake is chased by stone men from Saturn into an old cave. There he finds a twisted old cane, which then becomes the hammer of Thor, turning him into the Norse thunder god himself! Thor then chases away the invaders from Saturn and goes on many adventures. Thor's main enemies are Loki (left) and Enchantress.

A History of Marvel Comics: Part 1: Captain America

Steve Rogers was injected with the super-soldier serum and became known as Captain America. He was given super-strength and speed. His original costume looked just like the picture on the right, except his shield was triangular instead instead of circular, as shown on the left. He worked with Miss America, Golden Girl, the Whizzer, and Bucky. Captain America's main enemy is Red Skull. While Miss America and Golden Girl were investigating the disappearances of Namor, the Whizzer, the Original Human Torch, and Toro, Captain America went off to fight Baron Zemo with Bucky. Unfortunately, they plane they were trying to de-bomb exploded while in the air and Bucky fell to the ground while Captain America fell into the ocean.