Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Peter Parker's daughter decides to become Spider-Girl, July 30, 2003
Once upon a time there was a Marvel Comic about a creature called "Spider-Woman" that was pretty bad ("How bad?" I hear you ask; it made Krypto the Superdog look like a prize-winner). In this trade paperback we are introduced to "Spider-Girl," which is supposed to constitute "the next generation of Spidey excitement" because this time around the female web-spinner is the daughter of the original Spider-Man ("How can this be?" I hear you ask; keep reading and stop interrupting me). The phrase "this time around" is key because this storyline, which collects issues #0-8 of "Spider-Girl," is set in the future. This is a future in which a lot has happened and not everything we know still holds true. Case in point: In the battle in which Green Goblin/Norman Osborn was killed, Spider-Man was seriously injured and while Reed Richards was able to save his life, Peter Parker lost a leg. Of course the head of the Fantastic Four came up with a pretty good replacement, but Spider-Man retired and now he has a high school aged daughter (named May, naturally), who suddenly has the ability to do a backboard-shattering dunk on the basketball court. Could the fact that her father is Spider-Man have anything to do with it? You think?Tom DeFalco authored these first nine adventures and the chief attraction of "Spider-Girl" is nicely summed up on the back cover with the declaration that Peter Parker did not know what it meant to climb walls until his daughter put on his Spider-Man costume. So we have a retired superhero repeatedly trying to ground his daughter so she will not go out and fight crime, a nice twist on the old parental dictum, "do what I say and not what I did." "Mayday," as she is known, must have already been a source of aggrevation to her father Peter already has a streak of white in his hair, and a goatee, when the story begins. Of course, this leaves Mary Jane in the middle and one of the nice things about this collection is that it ends at what will clearly be considered the end of the opening act of Spider-Girl's career. Long time readers of Marvel comics will find some interesting glimpses of the future in DeFalco's stories, as Peter and his daughter cross paths with the Fantastic Five headed by the Human Torch and Darkdevil, who is apparently no relation to the late Daredevil. Meanwhile, the Kingpin might be in prison but by no means is out of the picture, and Flash Thompson is Mayday's basketball coach. The first issue is co-plotted by penciler Ron Frenz (with finished art by Bill Sienkiewicz), while the rest of the issues are drawn by Pat Olliffe and inked by Al Williamson (competent, but nothing special). Overall, these first issues establish the foundation for the rest of the series by figuring out the relationship between father and daughter. The supporting case of characters is being fleshed out (May has a crush on Franklin Richards), and the one thing the series is clearly missing at this point are some defining villains. But DeFalco should be able to come up with those in due time.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like fun exciting adventure stories - Grab this book!!, April 4, 2003
This trade collects the first 8 issues (and origin story) of Marvel Comics highly contagious Spider-Girl comic book series. Why they don't publish more of her adventures is beyond me. These stories of a very likable young superheroine are thrilling to this middle-aged comic reader and should be to very youngest of readers. Forget about finding a bad review of this one - every one who reads it loves it! The stories are done in Tom Defalco's "one and done" style. This means they don't drag on and on like most of today's comic book yarns.The stories are very reader friendly, done in a very lighthearted style. You won't find grim and gritty adult stories here, only fun stories that are apporpriate for the whole family. Highest recommendation. Makes a great present, too.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I know great writing when I see it., February 8, 2003
By A Customer
I'm not a huge comic book geek, but I know great writing when I see it. Tom DeFalco is a highly skilled but highly underrated writer. The stories are fun and wonderful--like comic books used to be before everything went "Ultimate" or "Mature" or "Anime". More than that, though, there's a lot of depth to these stories that, while not neccessary to its enjoyment, is rewarding to anyone who digs beneath the surface. Little kids and grey-haired adults are reading this--a firm testament to the simple complexity of the stories and the skill of the writer. It's a continuation of the Spider-Man story with a new generation in May "Mayday" Parker, Peter Parker's daughter. The universe isn't mainstream Marvel--which turns away a lot of comic book traditionalists, but they're losing out. The characters are real, and their emotions move the reader. The themes are timeless. The fun is contagious. EVERYBODY can read this, and get something out of it. What are you waiting for? Buy it now!
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