Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "tim-sale"

Spider-Man: Blue by Jeph Loeb

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Spider-man: Blue is a retelling of the period in Peter Parker's life where he was really growing up during the early part of the Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. partnership on Spider-man. He was moving out and becoming Harry Osborn's roomie. He met Mary Jane Watson and he fell in love with Gwen Stacy.

The art in this book is quite marvelous. Artist Tim Sale manages to capture the feel of Romita's Spider-man art. The story of the book mostly tracks with the original Silver Age stories. Like many of these Loeb-Sale collaborations, we're not given some groundbreaking story. Rather, it takes the original and enhances. It explains confusing or silly details. In Blue, writer Jeph Loeb offered an explanation for how the chronically broke Peter Parker afforded a motor scooter. It also adds a little more emotional depth to the situation.

I think the framing device of Peter making a recording to a long-dead Gwen Stacy is a good touch. This was set while the Peter-Mary Jane marriage was active and it suggests that not even time and happily ever after can obliterate the pain caused by Gwen's death.

Overall, it's a very strong retelling that's worth reading for both old and new Spider-man fans.



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