Spider-Man #237
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Oscar Bazaldua
Colorist: Brian Reber
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Spider-Man #237 continues the mixed bag that Bendis is known for. All the pieces are here for a compelling story but I’m not quite sold, for a number of reasons. I miss the days when I genuinely looked forward to reading a Miles Morales book and my expectations were, at the very least, satisfied. I suppose I can say that they are now, but my expectations have lowered, too.
Should I be at all surprised at the lack of Sinister Six in the new issue of Spider-Man? Probably not, and I’ve accepted that this story’s focus is Aaron’s resurrection, anyway. #237 is refreshingly to the point. I was expecting to not get any answers until perhaps the issue after this, but the story immediately picks up the family drama for both the Morales and the Bombshells (What’s their last name again? Is her name Lana Bombshell?). The answers that we do get about Aaron’s return are half-assed, but I suppose from his perspective, they are passable. It’s a shame that the conflict between him and Miles is retreading the original one that lead to his death back in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 2 #13. If Bendis insisted on bringing him back, I’d hoped that it would be because he had something new for him to do. I understand that it’s not too late for that to happen, but for now, it feels like the only difference between this one and their last is Miles’s age. The Bombshell interaction is interesting but like the Morales’, feels very by the numbers. Hopefully there will be some curveballs headed our way. Maybe in the form of the Danika Hart subplot merging with the main one? I could see her blowing the lid on who’s behind the mask and the eventually-one-day-soon-hopefully reborn Sinister Six making good use of it by the end of this arc. Maybe leading to the redemption of the Iron Spider to save his family? I’m just spit balling here, because I hope that there’s more to this than we’ve been given so far after four issues.
Artist Oscar Bazaldua does indeed deliver, but I feel like I’ve seen better presentation from him in the past. Specifically, there are a few times where I felt like the faces looked a little flat, like the characters weren’t allowed to show too much emotion and had to dial it back. Where I’ve felt that his art has shined in previous issues was the action, and unfortunately, there’s pretty much none of it here. Colorist Brian Reber does make all the talking panels more interesting though through purples and blues that can really compliment a hopeless or intimate atmosphere. There’s an appearance of the Iron Spider where the light around him immediately is gone, so he’s surrounded by moonlight shining in from a window. It’s nice for giving him a dramatic entrance that’s supposed to give Miles shivers down his spine, but I have to admit it distracted me, because the lights in the room were just on in the previous panel. A small gripe, but it did take me out of the experience a little.
Sinister Six Reborn is a story that’s been giving me mixed feelings. It is so far a solid, entertaining story that feels fairly unoriginal and fundamentally unnecessary. If you’re someone that’s never read a book starring Miles, this would be a fine choice to start with, but you’d be much better off reading his beginnings anyway. If you’ve been keeping up, this does progress things in a suitable and sufficiently satisfying way. It’s worth reading but only if you’ve been dedicated to this volume all together.
Artist: Oscar Bazaldua
Colorist: Brian Reber
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Spider-Man #237 continues the mixed bag that Bendis is known for. All the pieces are here for a compelling story but I’m not quite sold, for a number of reasons. I miss the days when I genuinely looked forward to reading a Miles Morales book and my expectations were, at the very least, satisfied. I suppose I can say that they are now, but my expectations have lowered, too.
Should I be at all surprised at the lack of Sinister Six in the new issue of Spider-Man? Probably not, and I’ve accepted that this story’s focus is Aaron’s resurrection, anyway. #237 is refreshingly to the point. I was expecting to not get any answers until perhaps the issue after this, but the story immediately picks up the family drama for both the Morales and the Bombshells (What’s their last name again? Is her name Lana Bombshell?). The answers that we do get about Aaron’s return are half-assed, but I suppose from his perspective, they are passable. It’s a shame that the conflict between him and Miles is retreading the original one that lead to his death back in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 2 #13. If Bendis insisted on bringing him back, I’d hoped that it would be because he had something new for him to do. I understand that it’s not too late for that to happen, but for now, it feels like the only difference between this one and their last is Miles’s age. The Bombshell interaction is interesting but like the Morales’, feels very by the numbers. Hopefully there will be some curveballs headed our way. Maybe in the form of the Danika Hart subplot merging with the main one? I could see her blowing the lid on who’s behind the mask and the eventually-one-day-soon-hopefully reborn Sinister Six making good use of it by the end of this arc. Maybe leading to the redemption of the Iron Spider to save his family? I’m just spit balling here, because I hope that there’s more to this than we’ve been given so far after four issues.
Artist Oscar Bazaldua does indeed deliver, but I feel like I’ve seen better presentation from him in the past. Specifically, there are a few times where I felt like the faces looked a little flat, like the characters weren’t allowed to show too much emotion and had to dial it back. Where I’ve felt that his art has shined in previous issues was the action, and unfortunately, there’s pretty much none of it here. Colorist Brian Reber does make all the talking panels more interesting though through purples and blues that can really compliment a hopeless or intimate atmosphere. There’s an appearance of the Iron Spider where the light around him immediately is gone, so he’s surrounded by moonlight shining in from a window. It’s nice for giving him a dramatic entrance that’s supposed to give Miles shivers down his spine, but I have to admit it distracted me, because the lights in the room were just on in the previous panel. A small gripe, but it did take me out of the experience a little.
Sinister Six Reborn is a story that’s been giving me mixed feelings. It is so far a solid, entertaining story that feels fairly unoriginal and fundamentally unnecessary. If you’re someone that’s never read a book starring Miles, this would be a fine choice to start with, but you’d be much better off reading his beginnings anyway. If you’ve been keeping up, this does progress things in a suitable and sufficiently satisfying way. It’s worth reading but only if you’ve been dedicated to this volume all together.
A Look Inside
