Book Review: Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane by S. McKeever et al.

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane written by Sean McKeever, art by Takeshi Miyazawa, and coloring by Christina Strain

Mary Jane Watson is a popular girl in Midtown High School. She's laid back, fun-loving, and easy to talk to. She hangs out at the coffee shop with her best friend Liz, Liz's boyfriend Flash Thompson (the quarterback of the school's team), and old friend Harry Osborn. They have a typical high school life, full of drama about relationships. Mary Jane is infatuated with Spider-Man with whom she has occasional run-ins. Liz wants MJ to date Harry, so they can go on double dates and she'll have someone to go to the Homecoming Dance. MJ agrees but is still smitten with another guy and she feels uncomfortable with Harry paying for everything. She tries out a bunch of jobs, though none quite work out. Neither does dating Harry, which introduces all sorts of complications.

This book isn't a superhero story; it's a high school melodrama. As such, it works quite well. Mary Jane is charming as the central character. Spider-Man and Peter Parker are mostly absent for the first half to two-thirds of the story, making the title misleading. The action is all in the shifting personal relationships of the main characters. They are refreshingly true to their original versions in earlier comics (where they were minor characters). The bad sides of Harry and Flash are present but not dominant. They are well-rounded characters. If anything, Peter Parker gets short shrift in the story, so if a reader is expecting a lot of Spider-Man and his fights with bad guys, this will be a disappointing read.

I was not disappointed. This was a fun and light read. Just don't expect action and a lot of Spider-Man.

Recommended.

Book Review: Runaways Vol. 2 by B. Vaughn et al.

Runaways Volume 2: Teenage Wasteland written by Brian K. Vaughn, pencils by Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa, inks by David Newbold and Craig Yeung, colors by Brian Reber and Christina Strain

Review of last issue here.

The six Runaways are settling in to their new hideout but, being teenagers, have trouble planning their next move. Their parents, a group of villains who call themselves the Pride, are searching for the children and have resources in every precinct and media outlet around. The Runaways try to lay low. They go out for some food only to discover the convenience store is being robbed. They save the youngest robber, who claims his parents forced him to do it after they gained superhuman powers in an industrial accident. So naturally the Runaways welcome him into their group. He throws off the group dynamic, especially when he gets romantically involved and has his own character twist. After cleaning up that mess, the Runaways have a run-in with Cloak and Dagger, two teenaged superheroes from New York City. Cloak and Dagger have been brought in by the LAPD to help find the kids, though they are being manipulated by the Pride in order to get their kids back, safely if possible. More action and comedy ensue.

I was surprised to see how quickly this series turned into a "problem of the month" narrative. Only slim hints point to the bigger story arc where the Runaways actually deal with their parents. Even so, the writing is witty and the characters are fun.

Recommended.