The (Spider-Man Loves) Mary Jane series retells the Spider-Man story from future Spider-Spouse Mary Jane's perspective. Plus it transposes all the action to high school, as Peter Parker didn't meet Mary Jane or Harry Osborn until college, bringing it more in line with the films than the original comics. It also uses some manga stylings, both in terms of the art and the stories. (I have to trust the Internet on the latter one, 'cause I can't claim to have read much of this kind of manga myself. There is a word for it, but my mind has momentarily lost it.) The big conceit of the series is that since MJ does not yet know that Peter Parker is not Spider-Man, there is no on-panel acknowledgement of the fact... though of course the series has a lot of fun with the fact every reader obviously knows about this connection.

Mary Jane is pretty popular and also attractive and a rich guy wants to be her boyfriend, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have problems. She feels alone sometimes, despite it all, and she's also in love with a masked superhero she's never even met. And her lower-class background means that she feels like her relationship with Harry Osborn, the richest guy in high school, feels one-sided to her, so she overworks herself to make some money. We actually don't see a lot of MJ or Harry's home lives, though; it's all about the high school drama. MJ's best friend Liz Allan thinks that her boyfriend Flash Thompson likes some other girl, while meanwhile MJ can't figure out if she wants a relationship with Harry or not. Oh drama, oh angst! It's all here a-plenty, and it's pretty standard situations. But it all works. Let me tell you why:

1) Jokes. Well, of course. Flash Thompson is kind of a stereotype, but he is hilarious. Also I like it when MJ gets fired from tons of jobs.

2) The Art. Takeshi Miyazawa is not Japanese (he is actually Canadian), but he captures the manga style very well. More importantly, though, he does some of the best facial expressions I have ever seen. Comics can be pretty bad about this given it is a visual medium sometimes, but in Miyazawa's skillful hands, you can always tell what characters are thinking or feeling. It's his artwork that really sells some of the more potentially-trite moments, like when Liz thinks Flash is cheating on her with MJ; you can read the shock and despair right on Liz's face. Miyazawa is ably aided by Christina Strain's colors; the manga-ish red cheek thing is deployed to good effect fairly often.

3) Spider-Man. The best parts of the story are the ones the capitalize on the fact that this is not just a high school relationship story, but one with Spider-Man in it. Mary Jane has two conversations with Spider-Man, one when she catches him sneaking out of high school, and they are both great. Conversely, the brief appearance of Peter Parker works well, too, because on the surface he is just there to prove that Harry is a good guy (Harry sticks up for Peter to Flash, though admittedly only once Peter has walked off), but you the reader know he has much more importance than that.

Okay, not all of it is perfect (the bullying plotline is silly), but it is fun and funny, and on the other hand, devastating when it needs to be. And Miyazawa's covers are just gorgeous!

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane: Next in sequence »

I had my reservations going in, but this collection pleasantly surprised me. It didn't blow me away, but the writing and art are both solid. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. ( )

Merideth says: Mary-Jane Watson is pretty and popular, but struggles with finances, friends and a big honkin' crush on a costumed webslinger.

Mary-Jane runs with the cool crowd at her school -- star quarterback Flash Thompson, head cheerleader Liz Allen and millionaire-heir Harry Osborn. Always up, and always perky, Mary-Jane's outgoing persona hides a typically troubled teenager.

I don't really understand what the point of this book is -- but I'm guessing it's Marvel's attempt to lure in shojo fans, as the romantic story lines that go nowhere fast that make up the bulk of this book are very reminiscent of that genre. We're supposed to believe that Mary-Jane is more than she seems, with hidden depths and serious problems, but McKeever gives us no evidence of that. On her own, Mary-Jane is not all that interesting. It is a pretty book, with manga influenced art and a bright palette. However, I think the close association with Spider-man will alienate the shojo fans that Marvel seems to be aiming for. Maybe hard core Spidey fans will be interested in the early days of Peter and Mary-Jane's relationship, but I think Bendis did this better in the Ultimate Spider-Man series, and the overwhelming girlyness of this book will turn them off. (cross-posted from MeriJenBen) ( )

Mary-Jane Watson is pretty and popular, but struggles with finances, friends and a big honkin' crush on a costumed webslinger.

Mary-Jane runs with the cool crowd at her school -- star quarterback Flash Thompson, head cheerleader Liz Allen and millionaire-heir Harry Osborn. Always up, and always perky, Mary-Jane's outgoing persona hides a typically troubled teenager.

I don't really understand what the point of this book is -- but I'm guessing it's Marvel's attempt to lure in shojo fans, as the romantic story lines that go nowhere fast that make up the bulk of this book are very reminiscent of that genre. We're supposed to believe that Mary-Jane is more than she seems, with hidden depths and serious problems, but McKeever gives us no evidence of that. On her own, Mary-Jane is not all that interesting. It is a pretty book, with manga influenced art and a bright palette. However, I think the close association with Spider-man will alienate the shojo fans that Marvel seems to be aiming for. Maybe hard core Spidey fans will be interested in the early days of Peter and Mary-Jane's relationship, but I think Bendis did this better in the Ultimate Spider-Man series, and the overwhelming girlyness of this book will turn them off. ( )

In this collection, Mary Jane starts dating her friend Harry and she finds out Flash's true feelings for her. Spider Man shows up a couple of times, but never sticks around long enough for Mary Jane to confess her love for him.

A sweet little comic, good for girls wanting to get into the genre. ( )