Miles Morales: Spider-Man #15: Friends in Low Places

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #15 absolutely rocks from start to finish. Right from the jump, writer Saladin Ahmed (remember that name, he’s going to be big) cranks up the intensity to eleven and plain goes hog wild from there. Miles has had his back against the wall this school year, under the overbearing thumb of Vice Principal Dutcher, and at last has his moment of truth: his mortal academic enemy potentially knows his identity as Spider-Man. It’s a tense, anything-could-happen moment, where the scene holds its breath and waits to exhale…

…And then before it can be resolved, the Ultimate Green Goblin attacks, leaving the Dutcher subplot dangling like an exposed wire over everything else. And that’s not to minimize the Ultimate Green Goblin’s attack, because it’s big, vicious, and happens fast. Ahmed expertly chronicles the chaos that ensues from the attack: the panic, the uncertainty, the fear. It certainly helps that he has such a capable artist to work with in Javier Garron. Garron’s clean line renders everything cleanly in such a way that the reader can’t help but be hit between the eyes with each panel. The battle between Miles and Gobby feels absolutely huge. It’s so, so well choreographed, exploding from the schoolyard into the gym and then spilling into an indoor pool. Each panel hits like a perfectly-rendered classical composition. Nothing is left to chance, Miles doesn’t get a second to breathe, and literally anything could happen. There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where Gobby is climbing out of the pool, staring hate-filled daggers into his prey that will absolutely freeze your blood. Credit, too, must go to colorist David Curiel, whose warm pallet enhances every moment’s intensity and makes it jump clean off the page.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #15 doesn’t do anything new. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, or act as a major paradigm shift for its lead. But it does serve as a near-perfect (I could have done without the Jackal-esque Goblinoids sharing the villainous spotlight with Gobby) showcase for what can happen when writer and artist are in full sync and at the peak of their powers. And dammit, that’s more than good enough.