SPIDER-GIRL #51
"Dearest May,"
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Sean McKeever
Artist: Casey Jones
Colors: Udon Studios
Letters: Randy Gentile
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Forget about the colorfully costumed figures on the cover. This issue has nothing to do with super-heroes, villains or powers. McKeever offers up what is essentially an unofficial tie-in to the small-press title that first got him noticed in the comics industry: The Waiting Place. In other words, this is a nice little character-driven story, a slice of teenage life to which anyone can relate.
May Parker is a beautiful, bright and caring young woman, so it should come as no surprise that she's got some male admirers. One in particular, though, is rather shy about expressing it. However, the time is approaching when he'll never see her again, so he decides that he has to tell her how he feels, even if it's anonymously. He sits down to write the final draft of a letter over which he's been agonizing.
Jones's soft, simple style captures the innocent tone of the story and characters nicely. He conveys the adolescence of the characters as well; they don't look like adults or kids, but somewhere in between the two. The design for Electra combines the classic Silver Age look of the original character with a more modern sensibility as well. My one problem with the visuals here is the lettering. The narrative captions, conveying the essence of the letter to May, is rather difficult to read at times. Furthermore, its block letters don't look like something someone would write... at least not in a heartfelt note.
The super-heroics included in this script really aren't germaine to the story at all. It's as though they were included to satisfy an action requirement. It makes sense for a super-hero title, but it doesn't fit with McKeever's quiet, human tale.
I remember a high-school dance at which I desperately wanted to dance with a particular young woman. We shared a single class together, and I thought she was a stunning beauty, with a great sense of humor. I followed her around for a couple of hours, never mustering up the courage (or proper timing) to ask her to dance during one of those awful 1980s rock ballads. I'm betting my story sounds familiar to most, and definitely to Sean McKeever. He clearly knows of that innocent awkwardness, as his script here attests. It's a simple, predictable story, but it's an honest one that boasts a universal quality.
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