Spider-Men #5 & Series Review (Spoilers)

After a fantastic fourth issue, does Bendis manage to stick the landing?

Well, Kind of…. Not really… Well I guess.

Also, the identity of 616 Miles Morales can be found inside!

Spider-Men #5

Story by Brian Michael Bendis

Art by Sara Pichelli

Colors by Justin Ponsor

Letters by Cory Petit

Cover by Jimmy Cheung & Justin Ponsor

Editing by Mark Paniccia

The Story: Mysterio has Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, trapped in an alternate universe where he died as a teenager and a kid named Miles Morales replaced him as Spider-Man. There is absolutely no way for Peter to get out if Mysterio keeps the dimensional portal closed, so Mysterio has achieved victory against his arch-hero. However, curiosity killed the cat and Mysterio discovers Peter, Miles, and the Ultimates are waiting for him on the other end. He forces them to live their fears, but Peter and Miles break free of this illusion and fight Mysterio. After defeating Mysterio, the portal starts to collapse on itself and Peter gives Miles his blessing before returning home. On a whim, Peter decides to Google his universe’s Miles Morales and is shocked by the results. The End??

Thoughts: Over the course of the last decade, Bendis has given us some of the best fights in comics (many in his Ultimate Spider-Man) and also some of the worst (mostly in his New Avengers), but the fight is the issue is about as middle of the road as you can get. There are some great moments like Miles spending a brief moment in the 616 universe and Mysterio not being able to just leave Peter in the Ultimate Universe but it’s mostly use to fill the page count. Bendis could have done so much with this final issue, like have Peter meet Ultimate Mary Jane or Ultimate Jessica Drew, or have Ultimate Cap realize Peter would grow up to be the best of them, or hey maybe focus more on the titular relationship between Peter and Miles, but instead we have pointless characters in the form of Fury and the Ultimates and a rather tame fight that Miles Morales ends with a Venom Blast (a technique that is getting old quick). So much wasted potential in this final issue and it’s really frustrating.

What we do get of the relationship between Miles and Peter here though is a very touching moment where Peter gives Miles his blessing and tries to give him as much advice possible in as little time allowed. It’s such a touching scene, right down to Miles awkwardly rubbing the back of his heel with nervousness. I wish there was more weight to the relationship, but I do think Peter has been around Miles enough to know that New York is well taken care of with Miles on the job.

And last thing on this issue, Pichelli and Ponsor especially kill it with the visuals here. Mysterio brings all the tricks out of the bag and the vibrant colors just leap off the page. Portals, hallucinations, invisibility, lasers, webbing, post shower torsos, all of it looks incredible here and it’s thank to the fantastic team up between these two.

Line of the issue: Peter Parker: “[Do you have] My Blessing? Absolutely.”

Verdict: I’m giving this issue a 2.5/5, because man it left a sour taste in my mouth when I put it down, but rereading it over and over for this review, I found myself growing more and more fond of the Peter and Miles moments. Feeling like Miles had a purpose this issue, the cliff hanger, the beautiful art, and the fact that Mysterio has been removed from the Amazing title (I’m surprised by that, it seems like Slott really likes the guy) as a result of these events give it weight that almost makes up for the squandered potential.

Amazing Miles Morales: For those of you not in the know, Amazing Miles Morales has already been revealed thanks to the Season One Spider-Man graphic novel by Cullen Bunn (writer) and Neil Edwards (Artist). In the book, he’s one of the first people Spider-Man saves after getting his powers back in the early days, making him at the very youngest, a teenager approaching adulthood. However, due to Spider-Man’s reaction and the fact Bendis loves to ignore continuity, I highly doubt we’ll be seeing this Miles in the next Spider-Men event.

Event Verdict: This event is thoroughly entertaining and delivers on the laughs, the visuals, the relationships, and the emotions. It also carried weight, since these events will affect Miles for sure going forward, if not Peter. They also locked Mysterio away in the Ultimate Universe after they revealed he learned Peter Parker’s identity, both of which I’m sure will come to haunt Peter in the future. The creative team was in great synchronization and I hope Bendis brings Pichelli and Ponsor along when he writes the inevitable sequel. Although it had a weak ending, it started off strong and built as it went along culminating in an incredibly heart-touching fourth issue.This is a serious contender for event of the year and it reminded me why I loved Bendis in the first place, but it’s not without flaws like it’s confusing placement in continuity and some tame fights.

4/5

Next Time: Though I wish Peter would go back to the Ultimate Universe, I think it makes more sense for Miles to come into the 616 Universe and if I had to pitch a supporting cast for his visit, The Fantastic Four and 616 Prowler– The FF because it makes sense that Reed would be filling the Ultimate Tony Stark role and we’ve seen the Ultimates already, Prowler because it was the persona of Miles’ uncle. I don’t much care for the villain, this story worked not because of the villain but our heroes. Share your ideal scenario in the comment section if you want.

Shameless Plug: For a more detailed review of the event and the opinions of fellow reviewer Brian Bradley (Of Ultimate Spider-Man Fame) and former reviewer Nathaniel Collins, give a listen to the latest episode of The Mixed Marvel Arts, we start the Spider-Men talk at 1:12:42: http://sicklygazelle.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/the-mixed-marvel-arts-podcast-episode-016-yeah-guardians/