REVIEW: ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man,’ Issue #26

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #26 is written by Saladin Ahmed, illustrated by Carmen Carnero, colored by David Curiel, and lettered by VC’s Cory Petit. It is published by Marvel Comics. The ‘Clone Saga’ storyline continues as Miles comes face to face with his three clones, which includes Selim-a blade-wielding clone, Shift-the shapeshifting clone from the previous issue, and Mindspinner-a horrific clone that’s more spider than man. With the help of Peter Parker, Miles battles the clones but learns that they are willing to go to extreme lengths to upend both his superhero and personal lives.

This issue continues to ground its superheroic action in human emotion, which remains the mark of all great Marvel tales. Ahmed puts Miles through the wringer in this issue-he’s not only dealing with murderous clones of himself, but his relationship with his best friend Ganke is on the rocks. Not only do the developments from the previous issue carry over, but Selim actually manages to pass off threatening messages targeted toward Ganke as Miles. Add on an impending deadline for a writing fellowship at his school and the fact that he has no way to track his clones, and the problems only continue to pile up for the young web-slinger.

The clones themselves are utterly terrifying, particularly Selim. While Shift and Mindspinner provide plenty of nightmare fuel, Selim is scarier in that he retains his facilities and appears to be more lethal and cunning than Miles. Selim reveals that his name means “undamaged” in Arabic-which serves as a window into his twisted mindset but is also rather ironic given that “Selim” is “Miles” spelled backward. Ahmed has excelled at building out Miles’s rogues gallery and making them distinct from Peter Parker’s, and Selim is the latest addition to a unique band of foes.

Carnero’s artwork continues to be a highlight of the series, particularly in the action sequences. A two-pager pits Peter and Miles against the clones, featuring all of the arachnid-fueled acrobatics and abilities one expects from a Spider-Man comic. Peter flips around, firing webbing. Miles pushes his “Venom Blast” to its limits, with lightning arching off the page. And Shift’s body becomes a massive, rolling wave of flesh that hits both Spider-Men with the force of a sledgehammer. Carnero also excels at emotion; the scenes between Ganke and Miles are utterly heartwrenching. Their friendship has been a central part of the series, and to see it on the rocks like this is an emotional blow.

Adding to the sense of foreboding is Curiel’s coloring. The entirety of the issue takes place during the nighttime, with the bluish-black sky providing a sharp contrast to the red-and-black costumes that Miles and his clones wear. Curiel also makes good use of shadows, which adds an extra sense of foreboding to Miles and Ganke’s conversation. Backgrounds will often change as well, turning to bright blue when Peter enters the picture or black fading to red when Miles swings through the air.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #26 continues to push the young web-slinger to his limits as he discovers what exactly his clones are capable of. The end of the issue puts Miles in peril, which hopefully he will get out of-but not without a fight.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #26 is available now wherever comics are sold.