Spider-Man: Blue

This is a review of the paperback, 2017 printing of Spider-Man: Blue by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. This is it! This is THE definitive Spider-Man story. It’s beautifully drawn, written, and crafted, and the final two pages have never once failed to make me cry. It’s a Spider-Man volume that features the Green Goblin, the Lizard, the Rhino, new and old Vultures, along with another (plot sensitive) villain, while still being deeply focused on exploring the love dynamic between Peter, MJ, and Gwen before and after Gwen’s death. Loeb and Sale are a phenomenal team [further reading: their work together on Batman: Long Halloween, Dark Victory, and Catwoman: When In Rome, and Jeph Loeb’s writing on Batman: Hush] and they bring a familiarity and ease to Spider-Man that harkens back to the good ole days of the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko/John Romita era of the 1960s. That is to say, classic Spider-Man stories. This is intentional! In the afterword section of this volume, Sale describes the process of trying to replicate the allure and magic of how Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy were drawn by Romita, while Loeb discusses the writing process of reintroducing us to the first meeting of these characters. The story unfolds as Peter sitting in his attic, addressing Gwen into a tape recorder as he reflects about their time together before her death. This is the framing device that allows Loeb and Sale to go back in time and explore these old dynamics that have been baked into pop culture history. Spider-Man: Blue is an exploration of love, loss, and the innocence of an era of comics we don’t see much of anymore. I can’t recommend it enough.

In late 2003 I was just getting into comics as an adult after some motivation from a life long fan of the medium. I hadn't read comics since my own youth, but felt an inclination to check up on my childhood hero, Spider-Man, which my friend was not particularly a fan of. Left to my devices, I stumbled around my local comic book shop until one of the store clerks noticed my apprehension. They suggested a self-contained story not tied to "current", 2013 continuity: Spider-Man Blue. I flipped through the hardcover, waffled back and forth on the price, and finally decided to take a gamble. The artwork was beautiful, but I wasn't particularly eager to sit down and read a lot of the story in the store with this clerk over my shoulder. Fortunately, once I got home and cracked open the book, I never looked back. Spider-Man Blue is amazing. It has classic Spider-Man beat 'em up moments, it has banter, it has Peter Parker stumbling through his social life, it has girls, it has emotion. This is a great story. It's a story most casual Spider-Man fans know, in part, or in full, but retold so elegantly, and with such beautiful illustrations. I can't imagine a Spider-Man fan who would not love this story. I just can't. I suppose you could say, yeah, yeah, I've heard all this before, but even the framing story is just sweet, and sad, and so through and through Spider-Man. This book just embodies everything I've ever loved about Peter Parker.

This is a well crafted and beautifully illustrated book. While I will admit that the emotional high points are in issues 1 and 6 that was probably by design and can't be considered a bad thing. This is an important in depth look into the women that shaped the most unlucky characters in comics how he deals with a seminal moment in comic book history. Jeph Loeb does an amazing job shifting the focus and narrative away from Peter and towards Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy as they psuedo compete for the affections of Pete. Several scenes stick out when it comes to emotional staying power such as the first few panels when Spider-Man goes to the Brooklyn Bridge to visit the scene of Gwen's death on Valentines Day or the scene when Peter is laying in bed sick and gets a visit from both Mary Jane and Gwen (this scene shows the differences in the personalities of MJ and Gwen when it comes to their view of Pete and makes the differences not only subtle but character progression tools in the process) or the opening panels of the 6th issue when Peter is describing the dream he had about Gwen in such sweet and disappointing detail or even the last panels before the flashbacks end and you are brought back to present day (the words "That's when you had me Gwen Stacy." "All of me." could very well be the most romantic and heartbreaking words ever penned in comics.). Overall the art work is very Tim Sale and the covers are sensational but to me the writing is what makes this book not only a must read but a must own. Bottom line this book is probably the most well written Spider-Man story in the 60 year history of the character and deserves a spot on your bookshelf today. Just make sure you have room on that shelf for a box of tissues because this one will have you in tears early and often. Thank you Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale for writing such a welll crafted and complete dedication to one of comics most under appreciated characters.

this is a great spiderman story but go into it knowing the beginning and ending are the best parts and the spider-man stuff in the middle is good but not the highlights of the story at all. Not as good as something like kravens last hunt or anything but still more memorable than a lot of other arcs and sagas. if you like love stories and drama you will like this more than the light hearted goofy stuff you can generally expect.

The art by Tim Sale is visually stunning, to say the least. The writing from Jeph Loeb is incredibly smart. What else did I expect from the team that wrote one of the greatest Batman stories of all time? This is an original work from one of the greatest duos in comic history, but what makes it so great is how it compliments and pays respect to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's work on Spider-Man. It feels like a love letter, in that way. Now my only issue is one that doesn't need to be explained. This book is HIGHLY sought after, and therefore, VERY expensive. When it came in the mail, I admit I was disappointed by the size of the book compared to what I paid for it, but at the same time, I get it. It's an amazing book and well worth the price, despite its size.

As a spiderman for a very long time. This story brought be to tears and this story relates to all of us become we all once experienced missing someone we have in our lives. This story has continue to respect the works of Romita as well showed why Spiderman continues to be influenced as one of the greatest heroes to exist.

I loved this so much, I really don't want to say anything that will spoil the AMAZING story but I was very sweet. Thank you

I just can't think of any comments to say rather than this is a must-read for every Spidey fan. It delves into the times where Peter was having a very different life of his own: he was meeting girls, he was trying to make new friends... and of course, Spider-Man was getting more popular every time. Tim Sale excels at this book, entering the chart of top artists of Spider-Man, along with McFarlane or Ditko himself. Jeph Loeb proves that he is at its best when working with Sale, and the duo deliver a very vivid story. In terms of edition, I really like this wave of paperbacks edition by Marvel. The cover is shiny, and the book itself its beautifully edited. The quality of the paper is magazine-style. Going back to the story in this book, it clearly states that although it is your actions that define you, the people around also tell a lot of the kind of person that you are. Not only a perfect love story, but also nostalgia makes its way through the pages. Please do read this book. It will totally show a side of Peter Parker (and his relationship to Gwen Stacy) only few times we were able to read.