STORY: "Hunter and Hunted" (22 pages)  Kraven blackmails the Beast into fighting him, but loses anyway.

What you need to know:
Kraven simply wants to fight the Beast because he thinks it'll be an interesting challenge.  He drugs Avia and promises to hand over the cure if the X-Men play along.  Naturally, the Beast hammers him anyway.

This issue finally establishes that Havok and Lorna are indeed members of the X-Men by this point, something which previous issues hadn't actually made clear.  By extension, they've apparently been members for the whole series, since there's no other obvious opportunity for them to join.

Fred Duncan drops by to visit Professor X, and Byrne finally gets around to establishing that Teri Martin is attracted to the Professor.  As we'll see, this plot heads absolutely nowhere, presumably because it was cut short by the book's cancellation.

The Promise subplot from issue #14 returns, and we see the rest of the group for the first time.  More on this bunch next issue.  In the meantime, they abduct Lorna to set up their storyline.

The hidden cover number is #83.  It's just to the right of Hank's ear, forming part of the texture for the branch Kraven's standing on.

Comments:
Another apparent sidetrack, since Kraven the Hunter isn't exactly an obvious X-Men villain.  But this one has more of a purpose to it.  The point is that the Beast gets driven into a rage by Kraven's drugs, and he's shaken by losing his temper in battle for the first time.  There's some suggestion in later issues that this was going to be a running plot point, possibly on a slow build for his eventual transformation into the blue-and-furry form (which happened during the 1970s hiatus).  By this point, however, the axe had already fallen on the title, and any such plans fell by the wayside.

Still, it's the Beast versus an old-school supervillain in a decent fight issue where the good guys win decisively.  After the sprawling subplots of this series, it's nice to get something a little more focussed.

FEATURE CHARACTERS
Professor X, Cyclops, the Beast, Lorna Dane, Havok, Iceman and Marvel Girl I (the latter six also in flashback preceding this story)

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Avia (next behind the scenes in issue #22; also in flashback preceding this story)
Fred Duncan (last in the Angel story in Ka-Zar vol 1 #3; next in Shanna the She-Devil #5)
Teri Martin

VILLAINS
Kraven the Hunter I (also in flashback preceding this story)
The Promise: Tobias Messenger (last in Amazing Adult Fantasy #14), Lucy Robinson, Craig, Gene, Simon (full names of the latter three unrevealed; all four last in Yellow Claw #2), Tad Carter (last in issue #14) and Gracie (surname unrevealed; first appearance)

Written: 2 June 2006

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