Do I need to turn in my Man Card for loving "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane"?

[Xenon]

I liked it. I still kinda wanted Gwen to win despite the ridiculousness of that in this title, but it's an interesting little alternate universe with good art. I could read more. i would read more if they made it.

Peter Parker himself is a HUGE violator of the bro-code.

I was going to knock you down on this but Harry was totally dating Gwen and Mary Jane at the times they got together with Peter. Though to be fair, the women involved basically through themselves at him, and MJ always rejected Harry's pleas to be exclusive. So...you know, he wasn't trying....>_>

[Wellman]

Peter Parker himself is a HUGE violator of the bro-code.

Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner are the only two major male Marvel heroes that I can think of that haven't violated the Bro-Code. Steve is suspect because it was never confirmed if his tryst with Scarlet Witch was all in his head or not during Avengers Disassembled arc in Captain America and Falcon series.

[Mister Mets]

Well I will say that my 7 year old daughter loved the book so I'm not sure what that says about you...

Nah, I'm just kidding. I've read most of the book with her at different times. It is a pretty well told book. It is a shame how bad the quality dropped off at the end. My daughter has read the books like 3 or 4 times each. It is funny how it will reappear. If only there was a series like this that could grab her. She'd probably be a comic reader for life if I could find something else.

It does seem to me that most all-ages comics feature male leads, such as the best of Duck Tales or Astro Boy.

The eight issue Thor the Mighty Avenger was pretty good.
There's always Spider-Girl.
A fan of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane might also like Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bone is also quite good, and the giant one volume collection isn't too expensive.

[pedroparkero]

I love this series

it is one of the best romatic stuff marvel has ever done and one of the best teen stories they made

I lent it to my girl friends to show how versatile spider-man is and what makes him different from other heroes that even without the action his stories can be interesting.

[DV1Band]

I haven't read it yet...

[RockyBanks]

A fan of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane might also like Ultimate Spider-Man.

Yeah, I got this feeling right from the beginning. The high-school setting and the intense focus on Mary Jane make this story feel like it could have taken place in the early days of the Ultimate Universe, between issues of Ultimate Spider-Man.

[Heroid]

I've been reading Spider-man for 50 years and Spider-man Loves Mary Jane is one of the best Spider-man stories ever.

[Confuzzled Mutie]

I lent it to my girl friends to show how versatile spider-man is and what makes him different from other heroes that even without the action his stories can be interesting.

I too have lent "Death of Gwen Stacy", "Parallel Lives" and "To Have and to Hold" to many of my lady friends to show how diverse and colorful the Spidey universe really is, and they were instantly hooked.

They are incredibly fascinated whenever I tell them about Gwen's tragedy, the story of how Gerry Conway wanted to make Mary Jane the primary love interest because she better reflected the post-Second Wave feminist attitude of women in the 60s and 70s than Gwen, the tale of the Spidey-marriage and MJ's trials and tribulations as a struggling actress, and of course, the ridiculousness of OMD and the shitstorm it created.

And hilariously, the No. 1 question that ALL of them ask is- Wow, if Mary Jane is so wonderfully cool in the comics, why did we get Kirsten Dunst movie Mary Jane? And I never know what to tell them. "Hollywood producers think women are insecure dipshits who cannot relate to strong, charismatic women characters" is the only thing that comes to mind.

[RockyBanks]

I've come to the end of SMLMJ, and I understand now why the series was so short-lived. There are only so many permutations of the same few romantic situations that the cast can be manipulated into, and by issue 20 the story had exhausted nearly all of them. From the beginning, this book was destined for a short run.

I hate to say goodbye to such a beautifully-realized cast, but I'd rather move on than see any series spin its wheels past its expiration date.

[RyanParkerMan]

Wow, after reading all these posts I have to pick up this series. Can't wait to read it.

[One More Day]

Wow, after reading all these posts I have to pick up this series. Can't wait to read it.

You guys are all softies

What happened to men being men?!

[RockyBanks]

Wow, after reading all these posts I have to pick up this series. Can't wait to read it.

Finding it in print may be difficult. The trades have been out of print for some time. The whole series is available on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, though.