The mystery of Miles Morales deepens.
Spider-Men II is rapidly turning into a disappointment. The novelty of seeing Peter Parker and Miles Morales share the page is already far less than it was five years ago. And if issue #2 is any indication, there's little hope of the sequel actually delivering worthy payoff to the original's cliffhanger mystery. As great as it is seeing Brain Bendis and Sara Pichelli working together on a Miles Morales story, it often feels like their energy would be better spent on Miles' ongoing series.
I won't get into story spoilers here (click here for more on this issue's "big" revelation), but suffice it to say that Spider-Men II's handling of the five-year Miles Morales mystery is frustrating. It's not that the payoff is disappointing so much as it's basically nonexistent. But that's just one of many problems plaguing the book at the moment. It's tough to care about the "other" Miles introduced in issue #1 because we know so little about the character or his motivations. And when it comes to Taskmaster, it's not even clear whether we're reading the classic version of the character or the Ultimate version who somehow made the jump between universes. The fractured narrative only compounds these problems, skipping between the Taskmaster battle and Peter and Miles' showdown with Other Miles in very jumbled fashion.
But most distressing of all is the fact that even the core Peter/Miles dynamic is falling short. It's not as though this is the first time Bendis has written the two characters together. But for whatever reason, there's a very forced quality to their banter, with Bendis dialing up Peter's quips and sarcasm to the nth degree. It quickly gets to the point where it becomes a relief when Peter exits the stage for a few pages and gives the script a bit of breathing room. The frantic, forced levity of Peter's dialogue coupled with the dark portrayal of Otehr Miels results in a book that seems very unsure of its own tone.
Again, it's all enough to make you wish that Bendis and Pichelli were simply back on the ongoing Spider-Man book. Strange though it may sound, the best scene in this book involves a simple, quiet moment where Miles flirts with a new classmate. Moments like that are a reminder of just what a fully realized and vivid character Miles has become thanks to his creators. And whether in or out of costume, Miles and his world never look more stylish or presentable than when rendered by Pichelli and colored by Justin Ponsor. Sadly, great visuals alone aren't enough to save this long-awaited sequel.
The Verdict
Brian Bendis and Sara Pichelli have enjoyed a flawless track record with Spider-Man thus far, but Spider-Men II may turn out to be their first big misfire. This second issue makes a number of poor storytelling choices as it tries to shed light on the long-standing mystery of Miles Morales. In the end, it's hard not to wish Bendis and Pichelli had simply reunited for a more traditional Miles adventure.
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