Miles Morales: Spider-Man #11 // Review
Except for one issue, which had a specific gimmick allowing for different artists, Miles Morales: Spider-Man has benefited from a consistent creative team for its entire run—until now. The absence of its regular artist, Javier Garrón, is felt deeply in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #11, an unfortunately weak entry in what has otherwise been one of Marvel’s most potent titles recently.
The issue features Miles facing a mysterious new drug-running organization that probably has a connection to his latest villain, Ultimatum, who was introduced in the previous installment. While all of this is going on, the Morales luck holds firm as he runs out of web fluid, faces his own version J. Jonah Jameson in the form of Brooklyn Visions principal Dutcher, and meets the impending birth of his new baby sibling. To top it all off, Miles comes face-to-face with The Prowler, who is (probably) his Uncle Aaron.
Writer Saladin Ahmed continues to have a solid handle on Miles and his supporting cast. Ahmed ratchets the pressure up on Miles consistently throughout the issue and isn’t afraid to have fun with characters like Dutcher and Miles’ ex-girlfriend Barbara.
The weakness here is the use of not one but two fill-in artists. Zé Carlos and Ig Guara are both competent cartoonists in their own right. Still, they seem to be trying—and failing—to imitate Garrón’s style, leading to art that looks like a cheap knock-off of the regular quality of this usually superb title. The change in artists midway through the issue is also noticeable and jarring. New colorist Dono Sánchez-Almara (with Protobunker) and letterer VC’s Cory Petit do their best to give the chapter a cohesive look but to no avail.
The writing alone makes Miles Morales: Spider-Man #11 still a worthwhile read, but the use of fill-in artists really hurts this issue. Here’s hoping Javier Garrón returns for #12.
