New Faces

Chapter 1. Call of the Wild

Spider-Man was sitting on a rooftop, taking a break from his Saturday morning patrol. He was sipping on a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.

"It's been pretty quiet lately." he said to himself. Aside from the occasional purse snatching and bank robbery, Spidey's last couple of weeks had been unusually slow. "Looks like the biggest news of the day is a few escaped zoo animals. Hardly worth missing a date with Mary Jane for." Spidey finished his coffee and swung off to complete his morning rounds. As he made his way around the city, the piercing eyes of a falcon watched his every move.

Later on that evening, Peter and Mary Jane were strolling down the sidewalk on their way home from the movies.

"Thanks for the good time Tiger." she said as she grabbed her husband's hand.

"Anything for you pretty lady." Peter replied as they continued home. To Mary Jane, he appeared to be enjoying himself, but ever since his morning patrol, his spider-sense had been constantly buzzing. Not a life-or-death sensation, more of a "being watched" feeling. He had felt uneasy about it, but saw so reason to worry his wife. Peter pulled MJ close. As they moved, his spider-sense steadily increased in intensity. He looked behind then and saw a falcon pursuing them, his eyes never wandering off of his quarry.

"Let's grab a cup of coffee." Peter said cautiously as they passed a coffee shop.

"OK, but it's sorta late." MJ said as Peter pulled her into the shop. "What's gotten into you?"

"Somethings following us." he replied. "You just sit tight here and I'll look around to make sure it's safe." Peter looked out the window to see the bird perched on a fire hydrant across the street. The falcon's head suddenly turned to the right, as if being called. The bird then flew off into the night. The buzzing of his spider-sense ceased.

"I think it's alright." he said calmly to Mary Jane. "Just a bird."

"Just a bird? Why would a bird alarm you so much?"

"I don't know, but as slow as everything has been lately, I feel as though something big is going to happen soon, but it's probably just my nerves." the couple sipped on their coffee and managed to make each other forget about their little scare. The falcon climbed high into the air and made its way to Central Park. Upon arrival, the bird squawked and dove down, landing on the arm of a dark figure perched in a tree.

"You found him? And his mate? Good." a gruff voice said as a broad hand stroked the falcon's feathers.

"Hey! What are you doing up there?" a policeman yelled at the sight of the silhouette. The figure looked down at the officer with a pair of yellow eyes with a black slit down the center, like cat eyes. The figure then growled in a way that only an animal could. The cop turned in shock at a wrustling in the bushes. He took a step back when the foliage parted. A male lion burst forth and killed the young officer with a bite to the jugular. The figure in the tree grunted his approval as the lion began to eat.

Peter woke up in a cold sweat. Due to his spider-sense, he had experienced a series of nightmares. He had had nightmares similar to this before, about past horrors and battles, but these ones were different. As Spider-Man, he was in the same situations, but facing enemies he had never before encountered. Even though it was just a dream, he shuttered to think that the chance of more villains appearing was not an impossibility. He got out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. He turned on the water and began to fill his cup. As he raised the glass to his lips, his spider-sense alerted him. He quickly looked out the window and was captured in the stare of yellow eyes. Peter immediately charged at the window and flung it open, dropping his glass in the process. He looked outside and all he saw was darkness. Whatever had been looking at him, had fled.

"What was that noise?" MJ yelled from upstairs.

"Nothing hun." he replied as he closed the window. "I was just getting something to eat."

"Are you coming back to bed."

"I wish." he thought before saying. "I can't sleep, so I'm gonna watch some T.V."

"Alright, but don't stay up to late." she yelled down, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I'll stay up as long as it takes to make sure she's safe." Peter thought to himself as he turned on the T.V. "I've never seen eyes like that before," he continued. "Maybe my nightmares were right." He donned his Spidey suit and quietly left his home. He ran to the back of the house were he had seen the eyes. After checking out the immediate area, he swung off to broaden his search. He made a couple of passes before landing on a tall radio antenna. He squinted into the darkness, trying to catch a glimpse of the trespasser. He didn't even notice the faint squeaking noise approaching him. After a quick buzz from his spider-sense, he finally heard it, and the sound was growing. He looked into the night, trying to decipher the sound. Bats. Before he could react, a massive swarm of flying rodents surrounded him, biting at him and choking out his vision. He was unable to swing away and opted to dive down in order to escape. He crashed into the canopy of a tree and came to a stop on a thick branch. As he regained his bearings, his spider-sense alerted him again. He felt something coiling around him, securing him to the large branch he had landed on. A giant python had him firmly in it's grip. Spidey heard a loud crack right before the branch snapped and he plummeted to the ground. The snake let loose and slithered away.

"Spider-Man, the untouchable beast. At last you will become a trophy." Spidey watched as a massive figure slowly stepped into the light. Spidey studied him as he stood up. The man had several animal characteristics, dark course hair that covered his arms and flowed from his head like a mane. This man-beast eclipsed Spider-Man with his size and from his bottom jaw, jutted two sharp tusks, like those of a wild bore.

"Hey, great idea." Spidey said. "A one man petting zoo."

"Save your jokes, wall crawler. I have perused my prey and am ready for the hunt. I will avenge my father by doing what he could not. Taking Spider-Man's head." Spidey jumped back onto a tree.

"Just what I need, a brand new supervillian that wants to carve a name for himself on me." he thought to himself before saying. "Better get in line chuckles, there's a lot more people already trying." A lion walked out of the bushes and joined the giant man by his side.

"The hunt begins. I, Razorback, will restore honor to my, Kraven the Hunter." Spidey's eyes opened wide at the words. Kraven had been a monumental challenge, and by the looks of it, Razorback was even stronger. The big man produced a spear and heaved it at the wall crawler. Spidey dodged and it stuck into the tree.

"I see your aim's as bad as your father's, he never could touch me." Just then, the spear exploded sending the hero crashing to the ground.

"I have changed the rules," Razorback said. "In order to accommodate the prey." With a nod, the man-beast sent his lion. The animal leapt at Spidey only to be webbed up and rendered helpless.

"Is that all you've got?" Spidey asked. "I haven't even broken a sweat."

"Only a portion of the hunt has started, you have to play the part of hunter and hunted."

"What are you talking about?" Spidey demanded. Behind Razorback a python slowly dropped down from a tree to reveal an unconscious Mary Jane trapped in its' coils. "Let her go!" The sight of his wife in the clutches of this madman drove Peter insane with anger. He lunged at his adversary and swung his fist around. Razorback side-stepped and punched the hero in the ribs knocking the wind out of him.

"He faster than his father, and he hits harder too." Spidey thought as he lay on the ground trying to catch his breath.

"While I am hunting you, you will be hunting for her." Razorback said as he backed into the shadows with Mary Jane in his arms. Spider-Man rose to his feet and ran into the shadows as well, but he was alone. The thought of what may happen to his wife chilled him to the bone. He stood there for a moment, wrestling with his emotions, trying to regain control of his mind.

"I've got to find here." he finally said before swinging off. As he made his way around the city, he realized that he had never covered ground this fast. Mary Jane's peril was pushing him hard. He swung around for what seemed like hours before finally stopping on a roof to change his web cartridges.

"Were are you?" he said to himself when he finished. He was just about to swing off, his spider-sense went wild. He shot a webline to another building and rocketed out of the way of a razor-sharp net that had been fired at him. Standing on a roof two buildings away, Spider-Man saw Razorback.

"What have you done with her?" Spidey yelled as he flung himself at his attacker. He tackled Razorback to the ground only to be rolled backwards and kicked off. He got up and continued his assault. After dodging several punches and kicks, the villain back-flipped onto a large vent on the roof were his falcon flew down and perched upon his shoulder.

"A good predator never hunts alone." Razorback said. With those words, Spidey was alerted to the presence of danger. He turned around and was confronted by four white wolves. They immediately attacked. Spidey managed to web two of them up, but was knocked to the ground by the others. He kicked one off, but the remaining wolf sank it's teeth into the hero's bicep. Blood ran out of the wound and onto the rooftop as Razorback grunted his approval. Spidey desperately punched the animal in the eye trying to get it to release him. He succeeded and the wolf tumbled off. As Spidey got to his feet, another beast lunged at him, once again knocking him to the ground. Razorback began to laugh. Visions of Mary Jane flashed through his head and blind rage overtook him. He grabbed both wolves around the necks and held them in the air. He then tossed them behind him were they crashed through a skylight. The other two had chewed through their webbing and were ready to pounce. Spidey shot a webline at them and captured both of the predators. He then swung them around and used them to strike Razorback in the side, knocking his from his roost.

"I've had enough games. Were is she?" Spidey demanded as he approached his enemy. Razorback stood up and leapt down into an alley. When the hero made it to the edge of the roof, Razorback had already disappeared. Hopelessness once again overtook him as he looked up at the night sky. As he gazed, he spotted Razorback's bird flying in a different direction. He quickly started swinging after it. The bird, unaware that it was being followed, flew on for several blocks before finally coming to rest at a large, rooftop apiary. Spidey landed as well. Through all the chirping in the bird cage, Spidey heard a faint voice calling for help.

"MJ!" he yelled as he ripped the cage door from it's hinges and charged into the plant filled confinement. In the center of it, Mary Jane was tied to a steel perch were several birds were roosted. "Are you alright?" he said as he untied his wife.

"I am now Tiger." she replied as she threw her arms around his neck. The two began to make their way out of the cage. When they neared the entrance, his spider-sense went off and he ducked. Razorback's bird was mounting an attack. As it turned for another pass, Spidey easily webbed it up and it fell to the ground, squawking. Once again, his spider-sense caught his attention. He pushed his wife out of the way of an incoming spear.

"Get out of here." he told her. "I have to finish this." Spidey watched as MJ opened a door on the roof and went inside.

"So, you found your prey and I have found mine. I think after I make a trophy out of you, I will then make one of her."

"Not on your life." Spidey jumped at his adversary only to be caught around the midsection. Razorback tensed his arms, attempting to squeeze the life from the hero's body. Spidey thrashed with his fists, catching his enemy in the face several times. Razorback's grip loosened and Spider-Man slipped out onto the ground. He turned onto his back and thrust both feet up into opponent's jaw. Razorback's head snapped up as Spidey shot a webline at his throat. He then jerked hard and rolled away, allowing the villain's face to crash hard into the gravel on the roof. Razorback yelled in pain and put a hand to his mouth. Blood poured down his chin as he felt the pain of one of his tusks that had broken off. The anguished turned to rage as he charged at Spidey.

"I think he's a little upset." Spidey thought to himself as he jumped out of the way. "Hey fluffy. Do you need the name of a good dentist?"

"You broke my tooth. I'll break your bones."

"You don't play with words to much, do you? You probably don't know all that many." Razorback let out an angry roar as he tore up a chunk of the roof and heaved it at the hero. Spidey jumped high into the air, avoiding the projectile. He shot some webbing and stuck his enemies feet to the rooftop before coming down with a hard kick to the face. The webbing ripped as Razorback crashed to the ground. He rolled over and stood up. The villain spat out blood and his other sharp tooth fell to the ground. He gazed at Spider-Man with a distant look in his eyes. He grunted, more blood bubbling out of his mouth before collapsing. Spidey approached the unconscious man-beast and webbed him up from head to two. Mary Jane ran out to him.

"Tiger, you're amazing."

"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if something happened to you." The two embraced and stayed on the roof for a while, watching the sunrise.

Bio

Name: Razorback

Real Name: Nikolai Kravenoff

height: 6' 7"

Weight: 378 lbs.

Eyes: Yellow with black slits

Hair: Black

Age: 28

Superhuman Powers: Superhuman strength stamina and resistance to injury, able to leap up to 30 feet in a single bound, superhuman eyesight and hearing, and the ability to mentally communicate with the animal kingdom.

Source of Powers: Exotic jungle elixirs.

Special Skills: Expert hunter and tracker.

Weapons: Several hunting weapons, including spears, nets and knives.

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man, New Faces #1

Origin: When Kraven the Hunter took his own life, young Nikolai blamed Spider-Man for the lose of his father. The young man moved to Africa and began to train in the way that his father had. After years of living among the animals and learning all the secrets to hunting and tracking, Nikolai ingested the same concoction his father had in order to gain his power. After his powers manifested, Nikolai began to notice something was wrong. His appearance had also began to change. Hair sprouted in thick, course bunches, his eyes changed to bright yellow and two wild bore-like tusks grew out of his bottom jaw. Disgusted with his appearance, Nikolai took the name of Razorback and went to America to hunt down Spider-Man in an attempt to avenge his father.