Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
I can remember the earlier issues of âThe Amazing Spider-Manâ comic book. (Yes, I AM that old â almost. I read them in reprint.) Stan Lee and Steve Ditko / John Romita did a much better job of portraying the high school angst of Peter Parker and his classmates than had been accomplished by earlier writers. However â despite their advancement over the previous decades' characterizations oc comic book characters, Peter Parker, Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn, Liz Allan, and the rest were still basically high school stereotypes.
20 years later, the conclusion of âThe Breakfast Clubâ clearly stated, "⦠each one of us is a brain...and an athlete...and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal."
20 years after that, Marvel returned us to Spider-Man's early days, taking Peter Parker and his cohorts back to high school again. A few things have changed. Mary Jane Watson goes to the same high school as Peter Parker, and Gwen Stacey transferred in, as well. (Originally, they all met after graduation.) The character s LOOK younger. (Maybe a little TOO young; they remind me of my middle-age granddaughter ⦠but the artwork is so well done, I won't quibble.) And the characters â they're finally 3 dimensional. Parker has a few thing he IS comfortable with / confident in, along with his original high school angst. Flash Thompson â same thing in reverse. Turns out he's got doubts â and self-doubts - just like every other high school kid. Liz Allan, Harry Osborn, and others are along for the ride, too, with the same updates applied to their lives.
To be honest, I wasn't sure I wanted to pick this up and invest the time when it was first offered to me. However ⦠WOW!! I have not had a graphic novel grab me and not let me go since ⦠well, let's just say in quite awhile. It IS a reprint originally published in comic book form, BUT the graphic novel stands on its own, with an intro, action, and conclusion. I also found it interesting to watch Spider-Man use Mary Jane Watson as a sounding board, an allusion to the events we know are destined to occur in their adult lives. (At least until Marvel decided to undo THAT bedrock of the Marvel Universe, as well.)
I cannot say enough good things about this book, and am going to search out the others in the series, as well.
RATING: 5 stars (if you haven't guessed that by now)
20 years later, the conclusion of âThe Breakfast Clubâ clearly stated, "⦠each one of us is a brain...and an athlete...and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal."
20 years after that, Marvel returned us to Spider-Man's early days, taking Peter Parker and his cohorts back to high school again. A few things have changed. Mary Jane Watson goes to the same high school as Peter Parker, and Gwen Stacey transferred in, as well. (Originally, they all met after graduation.) The character s LOOK younger. (Maybe a little TOO young; they remind me of my middle-age granddaughter ⦠but the artwork is so well done, I won't quibble.) And the characters â they're finally 3 dimensional. Parker has a few thing he IS comfortable with / confident in, along with his original high school angst. Flash Thompson â same thing in reverse. Turns out he's got doubts â and self-doubts - just like every other high school kid. Liz Allan, Harry Osborn, and others are along for the ride, too, with the same updates applied to their lives.
To be honest, I wasn't sure I wanted to pick this up and invest the time when it was first offered to me. However ⦠WOW!! I have not had a graphic novel grab me and not let me go since ⦠well, let's just say in quite awhile. It IS a reprint originally published in comic book form, BUT the graphic novel stands on its own, with an intro, action, and conclusion. I also found it interesting to watch Spider-Man use Mary Jane Watson as a sounding board, an allusion to the events we know are destined to occur in their adult lives. (At least until Marvel decided to undo THAT bedrock of the Marvel Universe, as well.)
I cannot say enough good things about this book, and am going to search out the others in the series, as well.
RATING: 5 stars (if you haven't guessed that by now)
