by Randy Lander

SPIDER-GIRL #45 "Secret Lives" Mildly Recommended (5/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Tom DeFalco Pencils: Pat Olliffe Inks: Al Williamson Colors: Christie Scheele & Heroic Age Letters: John Workman Editor: Tom Brevoort Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN It's been a while since I've reviewed Spider-Girl, but I've been keeping up with the title, and of course the "on-again, off-again" story of its cancellation. This book is beloved by a core group of fans, and I understand why, but I can also understand why a larger fanbase has eluded it, and this issue is a perfect example. This story rewards those who know these characters and their Spidey history (including the dreaded clone saga), but while the basics of the story are reasonably accessible to anyone, only those with a knowledge of that history are going to find this anything but a generic kid's adventure book. Though DeFalco's take on high school is relatively realistic and engaging, his take on the super-heroic is often more ridiculous. The notion of a shop dedicated to various Spider-Girl and Spider-Man paraphernalia is a stretch, but the notion that it would be a hot spot for teenaged girls, all the while being an embarrassment to them, was too much for me. The same is true of Felicity's goals and methods of going about them, as we've seen May deal with the over-eager potential partner a few times already in this series. DeFalco writes super-hero stories like few others at Marvel do these days, with a dialogue and plot style that hearkens back to classic Marvel. Everything is melodramatic, and fake surprises and suspense litter the path. There are also any number of subplots running at any one time, guaranteeing that readers will be hooked and want to come back with each issue. Oddly enough, however, something about each story always stands on its own. In this issue, that something is the mystery of who is robbing lockers, but while the thieves and motives are easily explained in one issue, the subtleties of relationships between Moose, Courtney, Felicity, May and the others that really make the story work are going to elude the casual reader. In addition, the ending of the issue comes with a cliffhanger that requires reader knowledge of the Clone saga and a fair amount of Spider-Girl issues to work. I'm not certain, but I think it is this issue which also marks a change in the paper quality for the book, and the shinier stock doesn't do the artists any favors. Pat Olliffe's work, along with Christie Scheele's colors, has benefited from a grittier texture that rougher paper has, and the work here seems too smooth, lacking a lot of detail, particularly in the faces. That said, I'm always impressed with Olliffe's ability to create distinctive looks for the various non-costumed players in this book, and I love the way he does action sequences. Felicity's acrobatics are quite impressive in Olliffe's hands. Spider-Girl has been saved from cancellation again, this time with a price increase, but I'd be surprised if Marvel is counting on a growth in the fanbase. The book is perfect for the fans it already appeals to, and it's a good read for continuing readers, but it doesn't make much effort to be as appealing to newer fans and it lacks the sophistication of a lot of Marvel's line-up at this point. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.