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Spider-Man: Blue is a miniseries from one of the most renowned creative teams.
In 1996 and 1999 Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale created two Batman minisieries
that received fantastic reviews. A few years later they added Catwoman: When
in Rome mini to the mix and it... let's say sold well too.
In 2001 they started working on a project fans called "colour series" later on.
It consisted of "Daredevil: Yellow", "Spider-Man: Blue" and "Hulk: Gray".
Rumor has it there is a "Captain America: White" in the works as well,
but so far it seems to be just that - a rumor.
Spider-Man: Blue is arguably the most polarizing Spider-Man graphic novel to date.
The series revisits the very early adventures of Spider-Man,
when John Romita Sr. was just starting working on the series back in 1966.
It's not however an attempt to set the events in the modern world,
like we've seen it in Ultimate Spider-Man. Instead, Loeb enriches the original story
we know and love with an insight into a private life of Peter Parker, who just
graduated from high school, started college and found himself in a completely
new situation. He befriends Harry Osborn, who accepts him
as a member of a pack of his closest friends and finally convinces Flash Thompson to get
off Parker's back. Peter finally escapes his life of a scapegoat,
enjoys his student life, buys a motorcycle and most importantly - meets
both girls who'll become the love of his life.
We also get a nice reminiscence of the reason why Flash Thompson decided to join the army.
And I think we all know where it got him years later.
He's Venom now.
The most common problem readers seem to have with this graphic novel
is an insufficiency of Spider-Man in it. And I have to agree - there's not much of
him on these pages. If someone bought this volume expecting a
typical web-slinging, punch-throwing lighthearted Spidey story,
then he's in for a disappointment. Maybe this story should be titled "Peter
Parker: Blue". For it is Parker, and not his masked alter
ego in the center of reader's attention. Narrator of this story is Peter himself. Years
after the tragic death of Gwen, he records his memoirs for her, using an old
cassette recorded found in the attic. The whole story has a form of an intimate
monologue which is only coincidentally a fantastic piece
of literature for us. For Parker, it's katharsis and an attempt
to cope with his tragic loss.
If you've never read a classic Spider-Man story, precisely speaking,
the ones set between first appearance of Mary Jane and the death of Gwen Stacy,
you'll notice that Mary Jane is portrayed here differently
than in the modern Spidey's adventures. She's carefree, impulsive, maybe even a
bit reckless. That's how Stan Lee portrayed her back in
sixties. Gwen's death was a turning point for both
Peter and Mary Jane. Just like this comic book's keynote claims
- in Spider-Man's life good follows bad. And ultimately, Gwen's tragic death brung
the best thing that ever happened to Peter Parker -
his relationship with Mary Jane.
In terms of the art, this book offers exactly what we can expect from Sale.
I'm enamoured with it. Despite the apparent simplicity of the sketches
and very limited colour palette he managed to create unforgettable pages.
Sale perfected the use of size and shape of the frames.
Single or even double splash pages are used very sparingly.
I was not under impression that their only purpose was to spread the story thin,
which is a problem I have with many comics nowadays.
Sale is very skillful in choosing the right shot from close up to a long shot,
so that it aids the story. He also emphasizes a quiet, lazy morning
by using three almost identical frames, where a less experienced artist
would probably use just one. Spider-Man. Blue is a feast for my eyes.
To sum it all up - Spider-Man: Blue is a must have for any Spider-Man fan.
If your're not very familiar with Spidey or you expect lots of swift action scenes,
this story may seem a bit slow and melancholic. Still, it's worth to give it a shot.
Especially since Hachette reprints this book for a very competitive price.
I've paid twice as much for my copy and I don't regret a single penny.
It's a timeless story.
That's all for today's episode. I'd like to thank all of you who come visit
every single week, watch, comment, thumb up and share, making
creating the Comic Book Closet worth the effort. Huge props to Tomek from Szczecin's League
of Superheroes for a guest appearance that lightened up the mood a bit.
I'll see you guys in a few days. Take care.