SPIDER-MAN #19
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler : Oscar Bazaldua
Colorist : Jason Keith
Letterer : VC’s Corey Petit
Release Date : 8/2/17
Price : $3.99
Plot
After Miles battle with Hammerhead everyone takes a much needed break. Fabio leaves after saving Miles’ life which makes both Miles and Ganke concerned. Also Ganke actually brings up an issue that I’m sure many fans have thought about ever since Miles was added into the 616. Meanwhile back with Miles’ parents Rio and Jefferson have a heart to heart where Rio confronts Jefferson about her trust issues.
Story
This issue was a very slice of life downtime story, and honestly I think this breather was very much needed because it really helped to shine a spotlight on Miles’ supporting cast, which in my opinion is the biggest strength of the Spider-Man series. The most interesting aspect of this story is the question that Gake asks Miles. Does he need to be Spider-Man anymore? This question has many layers to it. What Ganke is really asking is does Miles really need to stay in the shadow of the Spider-Man mantle, or has he grown enough to make his own independent name and legacy? Miles has proven himself worthy of the mantle for sure but the thought of him making an independent name for himself is interesting. I would love to know your thoughts on this. Be sure to tell me in the comments.
While Miles contemplates the possibly life changing question posed by his best friend his parents finally sit down to discuss the fact that Jefferson has been lying to Rio about Miles and his abilities this entire time. Personally I don’t like this current characterization of Miles’ mother. In the ultimate universe Rio Morales knew for a long time that her son was Spider-Man she just felt that Miles had a right to tell her when he felt that he was ready to. This aspect of her character really highlighted her bond with Miles and made the moment when she revealed she’s known his secret for a long time and was proud of him that much more heartbreaking and meaningful. The version of Rio Morales just comes off as over dramatic, which honestly annoys me because I really enjoyed her character in the ultimate universe. Maybe it’s just me but I want this Morales family drama to be resolved asap.
Art
One thing that stood out to me art wise was the coloring. Everything was very vivid helping some panels pop off the page. The issue started off really strong in terms of art with Gake’s superhero dream sequences. That was a lot of fun to look at and immediately grabbed my attention. However as the issue went on the art began to become a bit repetitive. The lack of background detail really slowed the issue down visually. Also since the issue mainly focused on conversations between characters facial expressions should be a major highlight but unfortunately a lot of the expressions we got to see in this issue just looked the same, which is honestly a little disappointing because good facial expressions are the key to visually showing the emotional impact of an exchange of dialog. Overall I think the art was decent but I was a little let down because I think it could’ve been better, especially during big character interactions.
Verdict
While I do believe that what Ganke said in this issue about how Miles should consider taking on a name other than Spider-Man as a symbol of him taking the next step in his superhero career is an interesting idea that could lead to some cool developments, in all honestly this felt like a filler issue. There was very little story progression. The issue itself wasn’t necessarily bad, but you could easily just skip it and not miss much.