Customer Reviews

Marvel: Mary Jane: Inspired by the Best-Selling Ultimate Spider-Man Graphic Novels

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mary Jane, by Judith O'Brien, immediately caught my eye in the bookstore. Being a teenage female Spiderman fanatic, I bought this book right away. All in all, I enjoyed the book, and am hoping towards reading the next one soon.

My first impression once I started reading was that the prologue of this book seemed to be a little bit childish, and immature. Thankfully, by the time Mary Jane started high school, it seemed to have redeemed itself. It didn't exactly follow what some fans would precede as the proper Spiderman storyline, but it was entertaining none the less. Mary Jane, who wants to be a ballet dancer, struggles with an eating disorder as she moves to a new place. To her surprise, Peter Parker, a child she knew from fourth grade is once again in her class. As she remembers their close relationship in the fourth grade, her feelings overwhelm her.

The one part I loved about this book was the in-depth detail of Mary Jane and Peter's relationship, which isn't exactly shown in comics and movies. Although some of their dialogue was cheesy and made me laugh out loud, don't most things? I have to admit that after reading the prologue I wasn't suspecting to enjoy this novel as much as I did...I guess it comes from being a Spiderman freak.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who has a day off and enjoys a good sappy romance, especially involving the man in spandex we all love.

OH my goodness. This was one if the best books i have ever read. I have never been into comic books or anything like that.This book is about Mary Jane and Peter Parker. When Peter is bitten and becomes the school heartthrob, Mary Jane finds herself thinking about him all the time. But she finds herself with a eating disorter she struggles to see herself for the person she is. With her love of ballet and her disorter she finds herself in events that help her grow as a person and grow into a relationship with Peter. But wheni picked up this book i didnt put it down until i was finished! I am really excited to read the second one. And if im right i am hoping that the second book is as good as the first one. And i am also looking foward to the next movie.As a girl i like romance books with a little bit of action. This book brings both of those features and many more good ones. If the series is like the movies, I am excited to c the sequal to this great book.

So maybe the writing is not mindblowing, but I did enjoy this book while reading it. I finished it in two days and don`t regret buying it at all, though that`s partially because probably no one will buy it since the amount of female comic book fans out there is very slim, and I kind of feel sorry for the author because of that.
I will get the bad out of the way before I give this book some of the praise it`s starved for. Admittedly the writing style is kind of primitive. O`Brien is not very good at "small talk" writing as I guess you could call it, and what I mean by that is the writing of less significant scenes that serve as transitions between the exciting parts. The important parts, however, are written fine. There are even a few very funny parts and smart descriptions.
There are some parts of the story that are a little too predictable if you`re too familiar with the original story, especially if you`re like me and have read Ultimate Spider-Man, the comic that this is based on, and seen the movie which is based mostly on Ultimate. But there are plenty of original storylines to help the unpredicatbility as well.
One thing I did like about this book was the cleverness in the adaptation. All of the characters that have always been in this story are here: Peter, Mary Jane, Uncle Ben and Aunt May, Harry and Norman Osborn, and Flash Thompson. The way Flash`s character was handled in this version was very amusing and hilarious. But I especially like the way the author did Peter. Peter Parker in this book is very quiet and awkward at school but is a nice and funny guy if you catch him in his spare time at home. This is exactly what Peter should be like. O`Brien also puts an interesting twist on things by having her Peter Parker swear a lot and do certain rebellious things after he goes through his spider-bite changes.
This book also has very nice illustrations throughout the whole book, and for the nice cover art and everything this is really not a bad price for the book you`re getting.
Overall, I thought this story was just cute. Don`t look too far into it and what it says about females and it`s just a nice story about two high school kids and what they`re going through.

O'Briens 'Mary Jane' immediately caught my attention. As a female Spider-Man comics and film fan, I was ultimatley intrigued by this spin-off, plus I had some time to kill. I crawled my way through this novel, in one 3 hour sitting. It was interesting and ultimately entertaining, reading the early origin events of Peter Parker's alter ego, Spider-Man, through her eyes. Yes, Spider-Man is a rarity in 'Mary Jane,' but her focus is on the mysterious, and ever adorable Peter. I'll be honest, I am all about Peter ...

O'Brien's, 'Mary Jane,' was good, but not great. Some of the "teen-to-teen" dialouge was stale (I am a teen, I would know) and just plain laughable. The subplot of MJ's eating disorder, I felt was unnecessary. I understand the desire to humanize the character, so the reader will be able to identify with her, but it only seemed to drag the plot rather than 'grip' (Me) the reader. Throughout the read, I steadily grew more and more annoyed of her misconceptions of her body and weight. Overall, I thought it was enjoyable and it left me hanging ... in a very good way.

Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, my favorite romantic couple in comic books. I was one of the outraged majority which railed against J. Michael Straczynski's appalling ONE MORE DAY arc which wiped out Peter and Mary Jane's marriage from existence - and, no, I still haven't gotten over it. Thank hoolies for stuff like ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE, the Spidey films, and Judith O'Brien's MARY JANE, all of which keep that Peter-MJ flame alive. Manly but die hard romantic that I am, I thumbs up Judith O'Brien's MARY JANE, never mind that it's not really canon.

This is a Young Adult prose novel, but enhanced by Mike Mayhew's incredible, realistically rendered black & white illustrations. MARY JANE is mostly about about Mary Jane Watson, but it's also Peter Parker's origins retold thru Mary Jane's perspective, although she doesn't know that Peter is Spidey. In its spirit and sense of continuity, it mirrors ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN more closely than the mainstream 616 version. In the novel's reality Peter doesn't meet MJ for the first time during his college years, when she utters those immortal words: "Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot!" Instead, they meet when they're nine years old in elementary school and assigned as partners for a science project. Even though Peter is regarded as the school nerd (his nickname is "Pukey Parker"), he and MJ start hanging out in his house in Forest Hills, Queens to work on the project, and they become friends. Turns out, Peter's a cool guy when he's not at school being mocked and tripped by schoolmates.

I don't think there'll ever be a universe in which MJ isn't pretty and popular. But, true to the classic MJ Watson history, her cheerful nature hides deep emotional wounds. Affluence can't prevent MJ from being a child of a crumbling marriage, and hanging out with Peter becomes a haven of sorts, as she soaks in the loving atmosphere of the Parker household. Then her drunken father and the tragic deaths of Peter's parents conspire to separate MJ and Peter. And all that is chronicled in the book's prologue.

Six years later find 15-year-old MJ and her mom (drunken dad having vanished long ago) making do in a modest apartment, the posh life fast receding in the rear view mirror. Passionate about ballet and forced to give up attending the prestigious Manhattan School of Ballet MJ is a bit horrified to learn that the alternative seems to be the cheesy Ruby's House-O-Dance. And once again MJ is the new kid in school, this time at Midtown High, and, while she's pretty and easily makes friends, it doesn't mean she's not immune to butterflies in the belly.

No worries, though. In her first day at Midtown, MJ rapidly meets and makes a best gal pal and then draws the interest of incredibly rich hottie Harry Osborne. But the most incredible thing to happen that day is that Peter Parker shows up in her class! And what are the odds that they end up being assigned as partners in another science project? Odds are excellent.

From MJ's point of view we revisit that fateful field trip which ends with Peter bitten by a scientifically-engineered (not radioactive) spider, and we tick off the familiar plot points which then pop up, although these aren't presented in your face. The superheroing happens offstage, which makes sense since this is MJ's story, really, and she has no clue all this stuff is going on. But when Peter tells MJ that "They caught him." that's pretty much code to those in the know that Peter as Spidey had himself nabbed Uncle Ben's murderer.

A staggering makeover slams Midtown High. Shockingly Peter Parker has shed his prescription glasses and his geek status and become the coolest guy in school, a basketball stud and a chick magnet. MJ's there at the wrestling match and so witnesses the debut of the Spider-Man, and later she has one more encounter with the costumed man. Even then, she has her suspicions, before the Lois Lane syndrome kicks in.

So, okay, MARY JANE is absolutely for them girls of teenybopper age. This book is barely over 200 pages long, and it reads quick and breezy, easy-peasy, and it made me really want to read the sequel Mary Jane 2 (Spider-Man) (Bk. 2). Judith O'Brien manages to make it a can't put down read, even though, mostly, it's just routine teen angst stuff going down. However, she does introduce some new elements to MJ's story, while striving to stay somewhat within the framework of the Spidey mythos ("somewhat," because she does veer off at several tangents). As mentioned this book is more in sync with ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, but I don't remember MJ being so into ballet or Peter being a basketball genius and being mooned over by the popular girls. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, yeah?

Obviously, the Spidey tie-in is what got me to pick this up, and I dig Mary Jane in all her incarnations. Judith O'Brien attempts to spice it up with MJ's battle with anorexia, a sort of romantic triangle with her and Peter and Harry, and with shady shenanigans involving Oscorp experimenting on Midtown students with a hormonally-enhanced beverage called Oz, which is "sort of like a sports drink, but better." Only, Oz's side effects bring out the drinker's aggressive nature. This book really didn't need this sub-plot, and it has a weird, jarring effect on the tone of the story.

But it's all about Mary Jane Watson and all about Peter Parker as reflected thru MJ's eyes. I like that MJ liked Peter from way back when they were nine year olds. I wanted more scenes with Peter, but I understand that MJ is the featured character and she doesn't hang out with him all the time and has concerns about her ballet and cheerleading and other boys and her broken home situation (her mom is dating this creepy guy). But I also like that MJ now and then succumbs to popularitis. It makes her seem more real. This Mary Jane Watson isn't as vivacious or fiery or confident as the original MJ I grew up with. This Mary Jane is more insecure and more obviously wounded and vulnerable, and very likeable (although it's a bit frustrating that she can't take that last step and figure out that Peter is Spidey). Still, her interactions with Peter make up the emotional heart of the book. And damn if I don't want to pick up and tear thru the sequel.

The book Mary Jane is about a teenaged girl, named, Mary Jane Watson whose best friend is Peter Parker, a dorkey science geek. This story is about how Mary Jane and Peter have to work on a school science project together, and they try to figure out the formula to a new energy drink called OZ, that a kid in her school, Harry Osborne, dad's created. It also talks about the changes in her family and what she likes to do best ballet. My favorite part of this book is when Mary Jane is trying to steel the formula for OZ. I like this part because it is funny how she has to run back and forth through the different rooms in Harry'shouse. It is also funny when Harry decides to make a move on her, she knees him in the guy's sencitive area. I reccommend this book strongly, because it is full of adventures. It also has good parts and bad parts. I loved this book and I know others will too.

This book isn't really a fantasy, like it says in my title, but it is a spider-man novel, which is fiction, so I guess it's a type of fantasy (chemically engineered spider-bite?? Fantasy). This isn't the story of Spider-Man or Peter Parker though, it is the story of Mary Jane Watson, who is not only struggling with her parents' divorce, and Anorexia, but love also. Should she date Harry Osborn and be popular, should she be friends with Wendy Gonzales and put up with her, ...should she date Peter Parker and be happy?
All these decisions that seem obvious to us, but cause much confliction in real life.

Very touching and meaningful, although most things in this book are not related to the Spider-Man movies, except for Peter getting bitten by the spider, and the characters, like Harry and Norman Osborn. A very interesting twist at the end with the sports drink, Oz. I enjoyed this book a lot, and so did my younger sister, who I would have thought wouldn't have liked it, just because of more mature issues, but she really did.

I suggest this book to anyone who likes reality fiction with a hint of fantasy. It's very satisfying to read.

I am, as many other reviewers have mentioned, a huge Spider-Man fan (comics and film) and I'm female. I was looking for something different to read and was glad I stumbled across Mary Jane 1 & 2.

I've been out of high school, for like a hundred years, but Judith O'Brien's writing transports you right back. I enjoyed the story, even though it was sometimes mundane, and I would have preferred more Spider-man... but you get some really sweet moments with Peter. Overall enjoyable.

Mary Jane is basically another version of Spiderman, except from Mary Janes' point of view. It also gives some details that are not present in the movie. For example, it flashes back all the way to when Mary Jane and Peter are class mates in the 4th grade. It even introduces Peter's parents to, before they died. It has a lot of things missing from the Spiderman movie too, considering Mary Jane is the one telling you the story. It's a really good book and it gives you a look at Mary Janes life.

Fifteen-year-old Mary-Jane Watson - MJ to her friends - lived a life of privilege for her first nine-years, until her alcoholic father walked out on her and her mother, forcing the mother-daughter twosome to leave Park Avenue and move into a dumpy apartment in Queens. The only thing Mary-Jane really has to concentrate on other than their move and her mother's drunk, abusive new boyfriend, is ballet. Unfortunately, she is unable to attend the Manhattan School of Ballet anymore due to the fact that her mother has run out of money. But when MJ meets up with Peter Parker, a friend from fourth grade, she's ecstatic. Peter is still the class nerd, but there's something about him that's incredibly attractive to MJ. When Peter gets bitten by a spider on a class trip, suddenly the geek disappears, and in his place is the most popular guy in school, who just happens to be on the recruit list of every extracurricular activity known to man. Now it's up to MJ and Peter to figure out what's going on with Peter's genes, and why every girl at school is starting to look and sound like a guy.

I am a HUGE fan of SPIDER-MAN, and Mary-Jane has always been one of my favorite characters from the movies, cartoons, comics, etc. So I was in utter disbelief when I saw the release of MARY-JANE written by Judith O'Brien, as O'Brien has written books in the past that I adored. Her effort with MARY-JANE was not shoddy. As portrayed in the movies, Mary-Jane is a sweet, kind-hearted teenager, who treats Peter kindly, unlike everyone else. However, instead of an actress - like in the movies - she's a dancer. Girls will relate to this book whether they are a fan of SPIDER-MAN or not, as Mary-Jane deals with weight issues, and anorexia, which many of the teenage girls in today's society deal with as well.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper