A Kid Who Doesn’t Want to Be Spider-Man Is My Favorite Panel This Week

[weber_dubois22]

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #23 - People who’ve worn the webbed mask have abandoned being Spider-Man before. The cover of this week’s Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #23 riffs on the classic John Romita image from Amazing Spider-Man #50, when Peter Parker quit. And I want to say that Ben Riley stopped web-swinging because of angst, too. But I could be wrong about that.

What feels different about Miles Morales’ abdication of the Spidey identity is the proximity of trauma to the event. Unlike Peter Parker not being there for Uncle Ben, Miles was there when the bad stuff happened. His wounds must feel especially raw. And then you’ve got people from all sides pressuring to talk about his feelings and/or start being Spider-Man again. Writer Brian Bendis and David Marquez make Miles feel so much younger and vulnerable than Peter Parker and that makes me feel for the kid even more. You know he’s gonna get back in the suit and you feel so, so bad for him in this moment.

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