Is Miles Morales Done Being Spider-Man in Miles Morales #33?

In Miles Morales #33, we see Miles’ best friend fit the sidekick trope to a tee: outrage with the protagonist – in this case outrage if the incredulous cease and desist order given to Miles by the Beyond Corporation, demanding he stop using the Spider-man identity; he gives the reader context around the protagonist’s recent struggles (Ben Reilly’s return, Miles’ own set of Clones); be provides a well-placed clue around who might be behind all the trouble.

Ganke fills the role of super-sidekick with aplomb, yet it’s frustrating (for lack of better wording) how limiting and boring being a super-sidekick is.

(Digression 1: Can a corporation simply tell people not to use their First Amendment right to wear a costume, i.e. free speech? Given recent and impending decisions, probably yes. Should Miles use this opportunity to forge a new identity separate from Pete and his crew? Also, yes. Please.)

(Digression 2: there’s way, way too much exposition in this issue, as no less than three other comics are referenced within two pages.) 

Shift (who, thank God, isn’t named after the one sound he makes, “Glurp!”) is Miles’ erstwhile clone, whose body composition is unstable and whose mind appears less than fully formed (think Bizzaro’s mind, Clayface’s body, Groot’s vocabulary). His appearance is grotesque, and in the long tradition of grotesque entities, he’s assigned living quarters in a sewer. 

As Shift can only communicate using one word (“Glurp!”), he follows a tradition of sidekick characters who communicate using nonsensical sounds, leaving the audience to decipher meanings from context clues. While the audience usually picks up the context from the reaction of the protagonist (who, for whatever reason, can always translate), this trope works best if the visuals also give context – think the inflection in Chewy’s body language or the rhythm of R2-D2’s body movements. 

(Digression 3: Both Chewy and RD-D2’s non-verbal language is similar to dogs if you think about it.)

Michele Bandini does a pretty good job of conveying emotion through art, though I argue she does a much, much better job of conveying action. There’s an overabundance, maybe an overcompensation of emotion in Shift’s expressions; there’s little nuance shown in Miles’ expressions, even as the traumas he’s endured over the past few weeks would likely wear on a young person’s face. Maybe that’s purposeful, but I don’t think so. What’s beyond debate is the care given to the action sequences, the clear highlight of the comic. (The colors, which make Miles look a little bland and washed out, less so.) and Miles and Shift raid the evil tech company that’s responsible for both characters’ tribulations.

Speaking of washed out, Starling is not in this issue. Not mentioned, not referenced – nothing. It’s like she didn’t even exist which, considering the pivotal role she played in the last issue seems like a rather odious omission. I feared she’d be used as nothing more than a damsel in distress trope, simply a means for the plot to move forward. I happily thought I was wrong; it seems like my correctness was just delayed an episode.

 Yes, Miles and Shift are breaking into the evil bad guy lab (™) out of personal vendettas. The story doesn’t need to center around her. But she’s worth at least a mention and that lack of mention keeps the story – as an arc of 33 comics – from being as cohesive as it could and should be. 

Miles Morales #33 looks pretty good and is a pretty quick read. I’m interested to see where the story, centered around the mysterious “Assessor” (the villain of my favorite issue in Ahmed’s run) goes. But pretty good isn’t good enough. I want more – better – from the people who surround Miles – more depth, more context, more originality. 

And only until I get better from them, will I get better for Miles. And I’ll keep banging my drum until “better” becomes the standard. 

Or, to quote the poet laureate of this issue…

“GLURP!”

Jude Jones

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. Learn more about Jude at SaintJudeJones.com.