Mary
Jane Hardcover
Novel written by: Judith O’Brien
Illustrations by: Mike Mayhew
Published by: Marvel Entertainment Group,
Inc.
Pages: 224
PLOT: When
I was at my comic shop, I was a bit nervous about picking up this book.
I had little faith that a standard young adult fiction novel could
have the same effect as a comic book.
Well, I was definatly wrong. This
novel is supposed to take place in the Ultimate Spider-Man universe,
specifically before and between issues #01-05.
The first part is a prologue that beautifully describes Peter and
Mary Jane when they were around nine, when they attended private grade
school. We get a picture
about how life was for MJ, Peter and their families.
The prologue ends with the death of Peter’s parents, and him
leaving school and going with his aunt and uncle.
We then move to the official beginning of the book, when MJ and
Peter meet up again after six year in high school.
The book is about a tapestry of
different issues, specifically MJ’s personal problem at home with her
mother, and dealing with a lowering socioeconomic class since her father
left. We get to know more
about what makes Mary Jane tick, including her love of ballet and her
battle with an eating disorder. The blossoming of Peter and MJ’s
relationship is intriguing. The
most interesting part of the book is that, as a fan of Ultimate
Spider-man, we always see everything that is going on through Peter’s
eyes. This novel gives us a
chance to see some of the same events through someone else’s eyes. We
also see some of the old characters, as well as some new ones like her
best friend, Wendy Gonzales. There is also more of an exploration of what
OZ was and what it was suppose to become.
There are also some interactions between MJ and Spider-Man before
MJ knew Peter was Spider-Man. Finally, we see how MJ helps Peter deal with
the death of his uncle.
LIKES: Judith O’Brien’s writing style
is amazing. There are very
limited pictures in this book, but you don’t really need them.
Judith paints what’s going on a lot clearer with her words than
almost any artist can with a pen. My
favorite part of the book is actually the prologue, and Peter’s
interaction with his father and mother.
Reading this book really makes me think differently about MJ
in the Ultimate Spider-Man book. There
was some much character and depth that was added to her character.
DISLIKES: The
biggest thing that turned me off about this book was that there were some
lapses on continuity. They
weren’t major, but they were definatly there.
A few examples is that Judith has Uncle Ben being shot on the porch
outside. It is clearly shown
in issue #05, that Uncle Ben was shot in the living room.
Also, at the wrestling match, Judith names the wrestler The Demon
Knife Master instead of Crusher Hogan.
There is also no mention of Liz, but we do have this new character,
Wendy. I have no idea who
edited the book, but it would have been nice if they would have had Bendis
or an Ultimate Spider-Man editor read through the rough draft of the book.
Peter is also involved with some social interactions that seem very
out of character for him.
RATING: 3 ½
webheads out of Five. If
you’re a person who is all about fight sequences, actions, and awesome
art to compliment it, this book may not be for you.
But if you’re a fan of Ultimate Spider-man and enjoy the subtle
details of a character, and the exploration about why a person is the way
they are, then I strongly recommend this book.
As long as you can understand that the author does not come from
the comic book industry and that there are some differences from this
novel and the mainstream Ultimate Spidey book.
Reviewed by AC-WEB
(Ariel Chaidez)
