Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #9

Marvel's teen romance series continues in this charming ninth issue, with a cover by penciler Takeshi Miyazawa and inker Norman Lee that arranges the story's central cast in a relaxed, yearbook-photo style group portrait. Spider-Man sits at the center in full costume, flanked by a thoughtful red-haired Mary Jane on his left, a serious young man in a varsity jacket on his right, a short-haired blonde standing behind them, and a smiling blonde girl in a Florida State shirt lounging at the front — a lineup that quietly signals plenty of complicated feelings to come. With Sean McKeever writing and Takeshi Miyazawa handling both pencils and inks on the interior, "The Gwen Thing" promises the warm, emotionally honest storytelling that makes this series such a refreshing corner of the Marvel universe.