Tim Sale is probably my favorite comic book artist, at least of those in comics that are purely artists and not writers. I suppose I'll always have a bias to those who write and draw the entire book. Spider-Man:Blue is another collaboration between he and Jeph Loeb, and it's one of the best Spider-Man comics you could read. It tells a pretty touching story about Peter Parker's first love, a relatively unknown girl named Gwen Stacy (who will probably get her due because she's being played by Emma Stone in the upcoming flick).

The book is clear right from the start: Gwen Stacey was killed. To those knowledgeable about their Spiderman lore, this is not news. The Green Goblin threw her off the Brooklyn Bridge, much like he did with Mary Jane in the first movie, only Parker doesn't save her. She dies, which is rare in the comic book world, but also offers an opportunity for readers to catch a glimpse of a vulnerable side of a super-hero that is often, not to get too punny, masked.

Spider-Man: Blue manages to tell a touching story about a guy who still thinks about his first love years later, despite being married and have passed the grieving period. He recalls meeting Gwen, and the rogue's gallery of villains he had to square off against during that courting period. It further humanizes him in this way by showing that while he is striving to save a city from a bunch of super-powered psychopaths, that what he really wants is to find a little love in his life. It's well written and extremely well drawn/colored. A classic Spider-Man.