I first read “The Other World” when the Bantam edition came out in October 1968. The Russian character, Decimo Tercio, was striking in his appearance.

Decimo Tercio from Doc Savage – January 1940

“The flier’s garments – skintight trousers, very loose coat-blouse—seemed to be made of buckskin, or animal hide of similar nature. Further, his feet were shod in a covering that the farmer at first thought was steel, but later concluded must be some metal more nearly like aluminum. This metal foot gear was solid, after the fashion of Dutch wooden shoes.“

Ever since I read that description I more or less formed a mental image of the hunter, Decimo Tercio, in the person of Kraven the Hunter from the Amazing Spider-Man comics. Spider-Man was high on my reading list and I was keenly aware of all the villains.

Kraven first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #15 in August 1964.  The cover of Amazing Spider-Man #47 from April 1967 provides a great look at Kraven.

He is costumed in skin-tight trousers and a very loose vest, all made of animal hide. And not just buckskin.  As Doc Savage examines the clothing originally worn by Decimo Tercio he notes that the skin came from an animal “with both feathers and hair.“

The description is not all that different from Decimo Tercio. Kraven also happens to be of Russian ancestry. Tercio is described as having” a body of remarkable muscular development.” This description also fits Kraven.

I still remember buying that issue hot off the wire rack at the TG&Y store in Ferriday, Louisiana. Those were heady days for a young teenager.