Writer: Brian Michael Bendis / Artist: Nico Leon / Marvel Comics
Miles is in a tough spot. Which, is appropriately overwhelming for any teenager in his situation, super powers or not. Dealing with the his parents’ current estrangement, with the added complexity that the reason for their problems stems from his dad being in the same line of “work” as Miles and trying to protect his identity…it gets complicated pretty quickly. Which is why I’m conflicted on a few things in this issue. It’s a good issue, a well-structured issue, but the questions lies in how cool you are with the premise.
Miles’ reaction kind of makes sense, that his impulse is to run away from everything, including school, literally to the other side of the planet and use his spider-given gifts to make a life for himself. It is an extreme solution, to be sure, while also suddenly pragmatic for a character that isn’t’ really, in the face of sublime turmoil. So, I mean…sure, I can see that as the catalyst if I squint hard enough.
Regardless of how we get there, Miles being in Japan and trying to “make it happen” like a fledgling actor that just ups and moves to Hollywood is interesting and different. Not a lot of time of spent there, but it is definitely enough for Miles to flex some super powers and get in over his head in about two minutes of real time. What I wonder will be explored or not, is what seems to be the decaying wonderment of Ganke, who seems clearly fed up with being the wingman to Miles flirtation with hero-fame. His nonchalant ushering of his best friend was done well, in addition to his follow up once Miles departed. That is the part of this story I might be most interested in long term.
The art is adequate here, though not as married to the loving aesthetic we are used to from Pichelli. Still, the brief action sequences work the best, showing a pulled out FOV we don’t always see with Miles that gives us a new appreciation of his physical and maturing stature.
Spider-Man takes a risk and ships Miles across the globe, away from home in a storyline could last a couple of issues or substantially more depending on what Bendis has in store. Subtle and realistic nods towards Miles and Ganke’s relationship are the most intriguing even it isn’t the on the main stage of this book.
Reading Spider-Man? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
Are you following Black Nerd Problems on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or Google+?
Show Comments