After the cluster, uh, of “fun” that was King in Black, Miles returns to some sense of normality. But actions have consequences, and Miles, along with Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, will have to deal with consequences big and small in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24. Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Carmen Carnero, colors by David Curiel and letters by Cory Petit
The Good!
There is no Knull.
Oh, I have to say more? That’s not enough? It really should be enough. But fine, whatever.
The story is straight forward. Kamala and Miles meet up to relax post Knull, yet they find the work of a hero is never done. More than simply solving a problem (saving people), they attempt to solve the root of the problem (capitalism) in ways other comics (and politicians) rarely do.
Comics often glance over the aftermath of the destruction their characters cause, and while this isn’t surprising (see: American imperialism), it is disappointing. I’m not disappointed here. I appreciate seeing the aftermath of all this destruction, and I appreciate the heroes doing what heroes really do: save the people. As always, this just looks good. I love the way it’s drawn. I love the action, I love the skin shading and the textures of the hair, details on characters of color that always make or break the experience for me.
Finally, Miles gets his journal back. It’s been maybe a year since the journaling device was used, and I think it’s been sorely missed. As a journaler who often forgets to journal, I *get it*. It happens. Try not to lose it again though, ok?
The Bad…
This story is filler between two larger plot lines of King In Black and whatever is coming after (more on that later). It does not aspire to be more than that. It does not yield anything more than that. It does not refer to Kamala’s trauma in the last issue; it does not refer to Miles’ repeated losses and traumas in past issues (losing his uncle, getting knocked out, being abducted by an other-dimension version of himself). And because plot lines have been introduced and dropped so often in this run, I don’t feel like anything said or done here – not the families Kamala and Miles saved, nor the (flirtatious?) bond Kamala and Miles are forging, nor the exhaustion from knowing your hero-ing will never be enough – will mean much in the next month, or even next few years. Just like the journaling device.
Miles Morales the comic gets pulled in a million different directions, none of which allow it to get a footing to fully flesh out Miles Morales the character. I don’t feel like the comic or the character have any real agency – things happen to him, and he reacts, but very rarely does he initiate the action. He’s not the captain of his own ship. The comic and the character deserve better, but I’m not at all sure they’ll get better anytime soon.
The (Very) Ugly
Not clones. Anything but clones. The last pages of this comic (and the front cover) tease an impending clone saga. Spider-Man and clones go together like marshmallows and orange juice: sure, you might try it once out of curiosity, but once you taste it and realize it’s nasty, why do it again?
Miles is not Peter Parker. He is his own character, with his own family dynamic and motivations. He does not need to have a clone saga. He needs to forge his own path. Create his own mythology. Find a raison-d’etre separate from that which has been seen again and again and again. Could this be an intriguing, well told story? Certainly! Has anything in the past year given me how that this is I’ll be one? Nope. Not at all.
If Miles Morales was meant to be a brainless monster of the month action comic, I might not care. But I don’t believe that’s the case. I need more. This issue was fine. It was good enough.It was not more. And until we get more, Miles, the (good!) character and comic, will continue to have their evolution stifled, badly.
But at least there’s no Knull. Baby steps, right?
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.
