Not as often as it could be, there comes a comics series that is so honest, so true to their core characters and experience, that they become a seminal read, a defining read for those involved (characters and creators). “Spider-Man Blue” by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale is such a treat.
Written by Jeph LoebCover by Tim Sale
Illustrated by Tim Sale
Colored by Steve Buccelato
Lettered by Wes Abbott and Richard Starkings“It’s about remembering someone so important to me I was going to spend the rest of my life with her.” What Peter Parker didn’t know was that meant Gwen Stacy would only get to spend the rest of her life with him. This is the story of how they fell in love. Or more appropriately, how they almost didn’t fall in love. Welcome to Spider-Man’s life. Bad before good. It’s kind of amazing. So to get the girl of his dreams, he’ll have to run the gauntlet of the Green Goblin, the Rhino, two Vultures and a mysterious man in the shadows controlling it all. Join the Eisner Award-winning team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale in the story about Peter Parker’s first love, Gwen Stacy. Highlighted by the introduction of Mary Jane Watson, it is a critical moment in Spider-Man’s life when everything was just coming together – only to fall apart
Spider-Man may very well be the most important character on the Marvel roster. It certainly is one of the primary faces of the publisher, and such a long-standing character, who has had so many ups and downs, that creating something groundbreaking and innovative might be a challenge. So when Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale announced a major project for the character back in the early 2000s, fans paid attention. What followed was not ground breaking in the sense of an explosive reveal, retcon, or dramatic change in the status quo of the hero. Instead, it was a very personal exploration of one of the most dramatic moments of the hero’s past, so sharply written and beautifully illustrated that it enhanced and expanded upon that original story.
For those unfamiliar with one of the web-head’s most pivoting tragedy, spoilers ahead. But back in “Amazing Spider-Man” #121, in 1973, Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s girlfriend, died, in an incredible battle against arch-nemesis Green Goblin. “Spider-Man Blue” explores the days and weeks before that, and intertwines with issues of “Amazing Spider-Man” that led up to that moment, sometimes shining the spotlight on exact beats of that classic narrative.
Tim Sale was the perfect artist for the project. He is capable to infuse each character with such beauty, such obvious soul and personality, from the way they look, their body poses, the small exchanges among characters denoting relationships and past experiences.
He is equally impressive on is action sequences, allowing for a certain degree of artistic freedom when crafting poses and situations that would be just a hair outside of the physically possible.
That mix of styles can also be seen on how page and panel design are provided, with the alternation of more numerous panels per page (never claustrophobic, but rather intimate), as opposed to the wider canvas. Keep in mind that those wider shots are not only reserved to explosive combat. Quite the opposite. Some of the best moments of “Spider-Man Blue” are reserved for character moments, such as when Peter takes Gwen for their first motorcycle ride, or when Mary Jane is introduced (“you hit the jackpot, tiger!”), or simply a horizontal view of teens on their favourite watering hole. Reading through “Spider-Man Blue” is truly a treat, as some page-turns will simply surprise readers by how they were chosen for a particular moment, allowing the audience to take in all the details of the life of their favourite characters. It brings readers not only into the action, but into their intimacy.
Loeb is at his best, in one of what would be known as the Marvel “color” projects (“Hulk Gray”, “Daredevil Yellow”, “Captain America White”). Instead of some exaggerations more recent readers know him for (the final “Ultimates” volumes come to mind), here Loeb shares enough screen time for the personal, so that the heavy action and dangerous situations have weight. His characters are three-dimensional, and not plot devices being utilised to push the story forward. And the dialogue… it will prompt multiple re-reads of certain pages and panels.
See, “Spider-Man Blue” is a self-narrating comic book, with Peter Parker recording to the late Gwen Stacy his feelings for her, and the last moments they had together. It rings so true, so bare, so honest, that readers cannot help but to feel compassionate for Peter Parker, afraid for Spider-Man, and connected to the truest of stories. Of how a boy loved a girl who taught him that life could be good. Until it wasn’t.
Final Verdict: 9.6 – “Spider-Man Blue” is a mandatory read for fans of Peter Parker and of good comic books. Beautiful, poignant, sharply written. This one has it all.
