Peter and Miles join forces... again.
At first glance, Generations: Spider-Man seems like the least necessary installment of this series. After all, we see Miles Morales and Peter Parker interact all the time. The two are in the middle of a crossover miniseries as we speak. And that initial impression isn't necessarily changed after actually reading the book. Even though this issue shakes up the usual dynamic by having Miles cross paths with a young, college-age Peter, it doesn't do enough to add more depth to a well-established relationship.
Part of the problem stems from the fact that Peter and Miles have so little opportunity to interact here. Peter spends most of this issue in an agitated state, doing everything in his power to avoid the creepy kid who's shown up out of nowhere and knows his secret identity. Writer Brian Bendis winds up tying Peter's frazzled behavior into the events of a classic Stan Lee/John Romita Sr. issue of Amazing Spider-Man, but it doesn't change the fact that the two characters only spend a handful of pages interacting. Not to mention that the resolution, while having its heart in the right place, feels a bit forced. The takeaway from this brief crossover is that Miles is supposed to see Peter as a vulnerable kid for the first time. But I've never gotten the impression that Miles has ever had trouble connecting with Peter on a personal level or seeing him for the flawed but well-meaning man he is. Again, that relationship doesn't actually seem changed by the events of this issue.
If anything, this issue suffers from the exact same problem Spider-Men II does - it's more enjoyable when it focuses strictly on Miles. The highlight of this issue comes as Miles bumps into his family and gets the chance to relive a small but pivotal moment from his childhood from a completely different perspective. It's a very charming scene that partly makes up for the underwhelming Peter/Miles interaction.
The real draw of this issue, however, is Ramon Perez. There's no one more skilled at recreating the distinctive look and feel of the classic Lee/Romita/Steve Ditko-era Amazing Spider-Man. Perez brings a whimsical, dynamic style to the book. The fashion choices, combined with colorist Msassyk's nostalgic, sepia-toned hues do a great job of evoking the Silver Age era of Marvel. Seeing Miles and his supporting cast dragged into that retro world only adds to the fun. Perez has yet to find a permanent home now that Marvel ended the most recent volume of Nova. This issue is a good reminder that this problem needs to be rectified immediately.
The Verdict
Generations: Spider-Man ranks among the more disappointing chapters of the series, as it fails to add much to the Peter/Miles dynamic even with the shift in time period. As with Spider-Men II, this story is at its best when Peter is absent from the picture entirely. But for anyone who fell in love with Ramon Perez's art on Amazing Spider-Man: Learning to Crawl, this issue is a must-read.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire