Miles Morales: Spider-Man #8 Review

Writer: Saladin Ahmed / Artist: Javier Garrón / Marvel Comics After last issues heartfelt moments, I should’ve known something was up. With the final panels of issue #7 showing Miles getting kidnapped by an unknown force, Saladin Ahmed uses Miles Morales: Spider-Man #8 to give the young Spidey what might be his worst and most testing experience yet. To put it plainly, Miles is not okay. A good chunk of this issue is spent taking control out of Miles’ hands. What’s worse is that there are plenty of moments where the reader and even Miles thinks that he has a chance to overcome his captors, only to end up right back where he started. It’s hard to watch. Not to sugar coat anything, but Miles is repeatedly tortured over and over again, being tested for some unknown reason. In a way, Ahmed gives Miles and the reader the same perspective. As you go through this issue, you are stuck wondering why this is happening to him, what’s coming next, and who is behind it all. It’s a mystery that evokes fear and worry about the situation at hand.

A lot of Miles’ experience this issue seems purposeful on Saladin Ahmed’s part. Whether it’s to highlight just how defenseless Miles is in this moment or just to show the harrowing nature of torture, it’s an uncomfortable experience that you just want to be over as soon as it starts. Javier Garrón’s artwork really nails home the feeling of helplessness that Miles is going through during these trials. Miles’ facial expressions especially show the str…