SPIDER-MAN: BLUE #3
"Book Three: Anything Goes"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights imprint
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Nanci Dakesian & Bronwyn Taggart
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
Loeb and Sale's filtering of Silver Age Spidey stories through the more discerning lenses of mature, modern storytelling continues. Unfortunately, my disinterest in the stories persists as well. The Silver Age elements that are preserved and honored here just don't mix well with Loeb's attempt at a more reflective tone. Mind you, this is still a slick looking book. Sale manages to integrate the more innocent visuals of yesteryear with his dark, sexier approach quite well.
Peter Parker's one confused young fella. He's managed to catch the eye of not one, but two beautiful women. One is a down-to-earth, gorgeous girl-next-door type: Gwen Stacy; the other: Mary Jane Watson, a walking party encased in the body of a knockout. Unfortunately, Peter isn't exactly dating either one of them. And if he didn't have enough on his mind, Dr. Curt Connors has transformed into the Lizard once again, just as his wife and son arrive in New York for a visit.
The problem here is that Loeb is trying to reconcile Stan Lee's approach to characterization with his own, and "never the twain shall meet," so they say. It makes for a conflicted tone in the storytelling. And the 1960s vision of Mary Jane Watson is not an appealing one. She comes off as completely superficial, and Loeb doesn't hint at anything below that surface.
Sale has adapted his style to include stronger Steve Ditko and John Romita influences. His own unique, sleek style is still in place, though, but his dark leanings never threaten to overwhelm the Silver Age innocence of the source material. He captures Mary Jane's sex appeal and zeal for life nicely, and his interpretation of the Lizard is a textured, creepy and dynamic one. Buccellato's colors play an integral part in the art. Instead of just fleshing out the characters and settings, bright, primary colors are used as cues. Gwen's face is bathed in the yellow glow of her hair, whereas Mary Jane's fiery personality is symbolized in her bright red locks.
Though the plot is exceedingly simple in tone, it's fun to revisit these plots and characters. Though the characters weren't as fleshed out as one might expect from comics storytelling today, Stan Lee had some interesting interpersonal dynamics going on back in these 1960s stories, and that's what has helped to sustain the title character over the course of four decades.
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