Spider-Girl (vol. 2) #4

Dec 26

Dec 26 Spider-Girl (vol. 2) #4

Hunters & Spiders

Kraven the Hunter is continuing to train his daughter, Ana Kravinoff. He insists that she fight him like an enemy, not like her father, just like when she hunted down and killed her brother Aloysha. When she asks what the purpose of this training is, Kraven tells Ana that she must be ready to hunt the spiders again. However, this time, he wants her to go after Spider-Girl, since she was unable to defeat Spider-Man in the past.[1]

Meanwhile, Spider-Girl has caught a man breaking into an apartment. He pleads with her to let him go, saying he’ll lose his apartment and his girlfriend. When she refuses to let him off the hook the thief he makes the mistake of picking a fight with her. Spider-Girl easily overpowers him and hands him over to the police.

When Anya returns to her apartment, her new roommate Rocky Flint is moving in. She meets Rocky’s friend Sophia Sanduval, aka Chat. The two hit it off over their love of vintage sweaters. When Rocky’s two other friends — Hugo and Tom — offer to repaint the kitchen, Anya insists on doing it herself since she and her father were going to do before his death.

Meanwhile, at the 112th Precinct, officers are informing Mike National, the man Spider-Girl busted earlier, is being told by officers that his lawyer is dropping him as a client. That’s when Ana Kravinoff comes into the jail, killing the officers and Mike’s cellmate. She intends on killing Mike as well, but not before he tells her everything he experienced when he encountered Spider-Girl.

By this time, Anya, Rocky, and Chat are taking a break from unpacking to have some pizza. Anya is glad that Sue Richards set her up with a scholarship which makes living a little easier. Chat finds it interesting that Anya knows Sue Richards, and Anya talks about the times she has been to the Baxter Building with her father. That’s when Mr. Goodwin — the neighbor across the hall — comes knocking to drop off a box of chocolates as a house warming gift for Rocky. Anya accepts him and quickly gets rid of Goodwin. The three young women all agree that Goodwin is kind of creepy. Needing to get out and get some fresh air, Anya tells Rocky and Chat that she has to report for her translator job.

In reality, she is going out as Spider-Girl and busting crooks across the city. Anya is unaware that Ana Kravinoff is following her trail. Eventually, Spider-Girl runs into Screwball again. During their fight, Screwball knocks Anya into a department store. Quick thinking, Spider-Girl uses a fire extinguisher to blind Screwball long enough to knock her out.

When she returns home, Anya finds Rocky watching the news footage of her battle with Screwball. When Rocky asks to borrow the sweater Anya was wearing earlier, she realizes that she stashed it on a rooftop when she went out as Spider-Girl. Going back out to recover the sweater, Spider-Girl becomes aware that someone is following her and asks them to come out of hiding. It is Anya Kravinoff and she wants to know how Spider-Girl knew she was following her. Anya explains that she saw Ana standing among the crowd in the Screwball footage and knew she would try to ambush her and decided to lay a trap for her. The two then prepare for battle….