Spider-Man: Blue [Hardcover]

Jeph Loeb (Author), Tim Sale (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2003 | Series: Amazing Spider-Man

"It's about remembering someone so important to me I was going to spend the rest of my life with her." What Peter Parker didn't know was that meant Gwen Stacy would only get to spend the rest of her life with him. This is the story of how they fell in love. Or more appropriately, how they almost didn't fall in love. Welcome to Spider-Man's life. Bad before good. It's kind of amazing. So to get the girl of his dreams, he'll have to run the gauntlet of the Green Goblin, the Rhino, two Vultures and a mysterious man in the shadows controlling it all. Join the Eisner Award-winning team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (Superman for All Seasons, Batman: The Long Halloween, DAREDEVIL: YELLOW, HULK: GRAY) in the story about Peter Parker's first love, Gwen Stacy. Highlighted by the introduction of Mary Jane Watson, it is a critical moment in Spider-Man's life when everything was just coming together - only to fall apart. Collecting SPIDER-MAN: BLUE #1-6.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (May 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785110623
• ISBN-13: 978-0785110620
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Story Ever May 26, 2007

By Aaron Felker

Format:Paperback

Four words: I love this book. Never has a hero captured my attention more than Spider-Man. For years, I've been reading Spidey comics, to the extent that if you'd ask me, I can give you a concise history of the life of Spider-Man. I thought I knew him inside and out.

Then I read this story.

Spider-Man: Blue #1, which is collected in this trade paperback, is now my favorite comic book ever. Oh, you may say, this can't rival such epics as "Watchmen" or "The Dark Knight Returns". You're right. It can't. But something doesn't have to be the best to be your favorite.

Spider-Man: Blue explores Spider-Man's life at its most classic point. Here you battles of Spidey vs. Goblin, Rhino, Vulture, Kraven, Lizard, and more. You have the budding romance of Peter and Gwen. There's the introduction of Mary Jane Watson. It's the best of Spidey. He's at high points, he's a low points. But it all follows one pattern. Bad before Good.

And thankfully, this graphic novel is a story that's ALL good.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Comic Book and a Nice Tribute to Gwen Stacy!! June 2, 2007

By J. Talavera

Format:Paperback

What can I say? This comicbook was great. Awesome artwork and the story fit in well with how Peter Parker felt. It's no secret that Gwen Stacy would have married Parker if it wasn't for her ending. Too bad she had to go, but at least this comicbook is a nice tribute to Parker's first love. Anyways, if you want a comicbook that looks into Parker's soul and realize how much he loves both Gwen and MJ, check out this book.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost there... May 18, 2003

By M. J. Mongelli

Format:Hardcover

Writers are often the main stars of comic books, but in this case that title easily goes to Tim Sale, the artist. I'm not even basing that claim off of his past works, I'm making it entirely from just this book alone. Jeph Loeb's story leaves a lot to be desired from (such as the "mystery man" in this book. Anyone who's read a few of the old Spidey comics could guess who it is instantly, and his "revelation" is so anticlimactic). This is not a very accessible book if you don't know who kills Gwen Stacy or if you don't have much knowledge of Peter Parker's (Spider-Man's) life. Even if you do know who kills Gwen (Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin), it seems that Jeph Loeb isn't concentrating enough on her while the killer appears in the book. This isn't a book about Norman, and this isn't really a book about her death by his hands -- it's just about the love that Gewn and Peter Parker shared.

Despite the writer's faults throughout Spider-Man: Blue, the last scene in the final chapter of this book -- the one in which we join Peter in his house as he's recording the events of his and Gwen's past together -- almost entirely makes up for Jeph's shortcomings in the previous chapters. I was on the edge of tears as I read it, and that doesn't often happen to me.

Art-wise, the book's beautiful. Gorgeous. While I loved the coloring in Daredevil: Yellow (and, incidentally, the colorist on that book, Matt Hollingsworth, is my favorite colorist), it is in my opinion that Steve Buccelato's work here is even better.

However, the creators' best collaborated work is definitely Daredevil: Yellow, their first-ever "color" book. The story there is much better than the story here (the killer of the main love interest in that book, incidentally, is never mentioned...), and the artwork is beautiful. If you can pick up the hardcover versions of both of these books, get them.

Bringing this review to a close, while this book does have a lot of positives to it, it doesn't reach the heights set by Daredevil: Yellow. But do not dismiss this book. Buy it...but purchase Daredevil: Yellow first.