Byline: KHARI J. SAMPSON, JONATHAN WILLIAMS, FRANK RIZZO

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #17, by Sean McKeever and David Hahn. Marvel Comics, $2.99. Older kids and up.

This, the umpteenth regular Spider-Man series, is not:

about the teenage years of the now-adult mainstream Spidey and his wife, Mary Jane, or about the still-teenaged Ultimate Spider-Man;

manga, although the artwork is heavily inspired by same;

violent or in any way inappropriate for young readers;

bad at all.

In fact, issue for issue, "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane" is the best Spider-title Marvel publishes, for my money.

In 2004, Marvel Comics released a miniseries centered on a reimagined Mary Jane Watson during her high school years in an attempt to court more female comics readers. "Mary Jane" became "Mary Jane: Homecoming" and finally the ongoing "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane."

"SMLMJ" is a real treat of a comic for several reasons. First, it is completely devoid of the darkness found in so many superhero-themed comics these days. Maybe that's because this isn't really a superhero comic so much as it is a teenage romance soap opera --- but one that rises above the tawdry bawdiness of the average TV soap as well.

Second, despite the ongoing serial story lines, each issue still functions as a self-contained story, making "SMLMJ" easy to pick up and get into immediately.

Third, as a longtime Spider-fan, it's fun to see new twists on...