Big things are happening behind the creative scenes of our young Spider-Man’s comic. But does that have anything to do with the story the creators are trying to tell? Well…yes and no. Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29 is written by Saladin Ahmed, drawn by Chris Allen, colored by David Curiel, and lettered by Cory Petit.
Miles Morales and I are a lot alike – neither one of us knows how to start an essay. Miles’ struggle – his hesitancy to figure out how to honestly put his life on paper when so much has to be kept secret – frames this issue and has been the lynchpin of his character (for better and, in my opinion, an all too familiar worse) for years. And while my struggle is much less massive, it’s still a struggle.
But what Miles wants to write in the comic and what I want to write about the comic are arguably secondary: what really matters is the news about the guy actually writing the comic. Saladin Ahmed just revealed some big news, and I can’t help but think how that’s shaped not only this run, but this issue. Ahmed will be teaming with some other notable names and contributing to Substack’s new comic endeavor.
What exactly is it? Not sure! Read the link! Feels kind of like creator owned comics by email that will eventually (hopefully!) be collected in print. And you know what, good for them! At this point, the Big Two use comics to cross promote current movies and fish for stories to add to their IP collection – fodder for a future movies or TV shows that will invariably not pay the creators of said stories their worth.
The IP matters. The creator, not so much. And as I think about IP – and all the ways in which characters can act, or rather, are allowed to act – I wonder: maybe I’ve been too hard on Ahmed. Maybe there was more he wanted to do in this comic series, more he tried to do with the character, that he was told he couldn’t.
Because the IP matters. The creator, not so much.
And maybe that’s why it feels like he’s been phoning it in – because he’s telling the stories he’s being forced to tell, not the ones he wants to tell. I don’t know if my hunch is right – if all those maybes are accurate – but this issue sure seems like proof I’m not far off.
There are no big stakes here – this is all aftermath from the recently ended Clone Saga (IP!) and everything before it. This is a clearing of the palette for future stories. A reset. A renewal.
And as such, this is the most well written issue of Spider-Man I’ve read this run. Ahmed is free to let Miles be Miles – good-natured, soft-hearted, maybe a little soft-headed. We see him make amends with his mom, his best friend, and his new, uh, brother (the Bizzaro-cum-Clayface-cum-Groot character known as Glurp. Yes, Glurp). We see him overwhelmed and frustrated, yet still fighting for the little guy.
We see him, more here than anywhere else in the run, best represent why Spider-Man is a street-level hero — and what street-level heroism means. Again, it’s not amazing (everything wraps up a little too nicely) but it is good, and good has been in short supply.
What’s not good? The new spider suit. I appreciate that the non-binary child Miles saved from bullies some issues back makes a return, but man I wish the kid’s taste was a little different. I appreciate that it’s not a riff on something Peter Parker’s worn, and I’m perfectly cool with it not being form fitting (skinny clothes are for millennials, don’t cha know). But it just looks and feels, well…meh. Like it’s trying too hard to match the cool of Spiderverse Miles. Maybe I’ll like this uniform when a different artist takes the reigns (update: I absolutely do like it more with another artist); Chris Allen, the artist, is sufficient here, but not great. I judge artists by how well they draw Black hair. A lining and waves means you get the culture; a bowl cut and flat top means you fail the test. Allen fails here, unfortunately. It’s not horrible by any means (see Green Lantern for that), but it’s not exceptional. As this is a mostly dialogue-driven issue, that’s fine, but still…I can hope for more, right?
And that’s where I stand now, both with Miles and Ahmed. I’m hoping for more focus and originality. Maybe that requires leaving the Big Two; maybe that requires leaving an uniform for a new one. In any case, I’m curious to see where this, all of this, leads. I am always hopeful for new beginnings. I just hope my hope in hope is rewarded.
A proud New Orleanian living in the District of Columbia, Jude Jones is a professional thinker, amateur photographer, burgeoning runner and lover of Black culture, love and life. Magneto and Cyclops (and Killmonger) were right.
Find more of Jude’s writing here.
