Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #9

Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: David Marquez & Justin Ponsor

*Spoilers for issue #8 in review

Like in any good story, no one truly is who they appear to be.

When Miles Morales explained to his father, Jeferson, that he was the current Spider-Man in the previous volume of "Ultimate Spider-Man", Jefferson immediately ran away. After disappearing for a while, he's finally shown up to explain his actions to Miles regarding his time as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the undercover work he did with a man that terrorized the previous Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter Parker.

This issue continues immediately after the previous one, with Jefferson telling the next chapter of a time he migth even regret. If you've kept up with the previous volumes, you know that Jefferson is a stern man, someone Miles loves, but from time-to-time resents a little. Everything in this issue explains his sterness, as not only was his own brother a thief, but for a long time, Jefferson himself was a criminal too. He saw and did things that no one would want their own son to do, resulting in a man that simply wanted the best for Miles. Jefferson's emotions are not only complicated, but when you take away the comic book tropes, realistic. 

Bendis is known for decompressing his stories, with arcs that can be told in one issue extended into two, even three, but here, Bendis uses his time to really develop Jefferson's story and explain why he would abandon his mother-less son. He's not justified, but the way this issue wraps up, it hits the correct emotional beats in a very grounded way. Some people might not care so much about MIles' father (as interesting as it is, it's not as exciting as the first arc), but it's never a bad thing to develop a supporting character, especially one as important as the father of the main character. Also, it feels nice to get away from the madness and death of "Spider-verse", as much as I enjoy it. 

I must also point out that the work David Marquez and Justin Ponsor have done with this whole series is fantastic. The layouts, the darker hue of the flashbacks, and the grittiness of the last two issues made me feel as if I was reading a completely different crime book. I have to congratulate the art team for having done every single issue of this volume so far, even if there have to be some delays between issues, although for the most part, it's been on time.