My Secret Life

This is the fifth installment of Sean McKeever's brilliant, intricate, sensitive series focusing on the early teen years of Mary Jane Watson (later to become "Mrs. Spider-Man".) By now the book has really hit its stride, with each character keenly defined, and Mary Jane's life in an emotional turmoil that will remind many readers of their own adolescent angst. After Peter Parker starts going out with Gwen Stacy (in the previous paperback, MJ+SM 2), Mary Jane swallows her hurt and gives up her claim on Peter's affections. In the place of the intimacy she desires, MJ instead substitutes popularity and glamour: her acting debut in a school production of Shakespeare makes her the talk of school, and the "new" Mary Jane emerges as the glib, fast-talking, devil-may-care flirt that readers first met in the original 1960s "Spider-Man." It's all a facade, however, Mary Jane is "going plastic," becoming a shallow fake and a school celebrity, rather than face up to and feel her real emotions. The series is, quite simply, one of the psychologically complex and real-feeling super-comics ever published, reclaiming both the super-hero and romance genres from their pitiably one-dimensional historical roots. Spider-Man makes a few cameos, but they are almost afterthoughts -- the writing and emotional tone of these books are absolutely pitch-perfect. The manga-ish artwork is also a delight, packed with tremendous visual nuance, warmth and wit. Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa's glimpse into highschool life is doubtless tamer and more innocuous than what kids today are really going through, but it still has resonance and depth far beyond any other teen-themed comicbook I could think of... Besides, this isn't meant to be an issue-oriented teen book, filled with public service announcements about teen sex, drugs or Columbine-like obsessions -- it is, instead, an interior study of one of the key female characters in the Marvel universe. And it succeeds on every level. If the goal of these books is to draw more girls into reading comics, more power to 'em! I have a little girl who is interested in comics, but most of what's out there is wildly inappropriate for little kids, especially young girls. This title ranks alongside Scott McCloud's late, lamented "Zot!" as one of the few comics I could think of that I would actually recommend for parents who are looking for wholesome, substantive, engaging comics to give their kids. It's pretty darn good! (ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)