Before checking out the latest #1 by Cody Ziglar and Federico Vicentini, it might interest you to dive into the final volume of Saladin Ahmed’s run on Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Empire of the Spider. The titular storyline only runs for four of the collected six issues, with the remaining two serving as a prologue and epilogue to the story and the series, respectively. Said four issues provide a largely paint-by-numbers story of an alternate future that may not blow away every reader, but is nonetheless an enjoyable adventure for Brooklyn’s resident universe-displaced wall-crawling superhero.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Miles Morales: Spider-Man Vol. 8: Empire of the Spider!
Continuing from the previous volume of more disconnected adventures post-Clone Saga, Empire of the Spider sees Miles marooned in a twisted vision of his home, one that has been conquered by that universe’s villainous clone of Miles, Selim (originally introduced in the aforementioned Clone Saga). With the help of allies new and old, Miles must find a way to help the future army defeat the Emperor of Brooklyn, and make his way home.
The Writing
Without getting into spoilers, Saladin Ahmed delivers a not-unfamiliar story of a dark future, in which a rebel militia combats the ravages of war and the atrocities of an indifferent occupying force. That’s not to say that it’s bad, as it’s pretty entertaining to read from a narrative perspective. Miles really gets to be a hero, mentor and support his “brother” Shift, and interact with older counterparts of his friends and family. Each issue is structured in a way that ends on a one-page reveal, which gives the series a good pace from chapter to chapter. In addition, by establishing Brooklyn as the setting of this timeline, Ahmed provides substantially high stakes for Miles while not being “end-of-the-world” level in scope.
On the other hand, some of the writing from Ahmed, particularly in the dialogue department, comes off as overly comic-booky (which is a strange complaint, given that this is a comic book, but if you know you know). This isn’t all bad, as the heroic lines written for Miles really give him the feeling of, well, a hero. However, the writing for the inhabitants of the future timeline is derivative in a lot of ways; nothing about the resistance led by General Ganke and Capitān Billie, nor the evil, faceless goons that they face, feel particularly unique, outside of some of their clothing and armaments. Similarly, where Selim was a mildly intimidating presence in earlier issues of Ahmed’s run, here he reads more like a stereotypical angry villain, with no examination into his motivations and history.
In addition, issue #40 feels pretty empty when compared to the other three parts of the story (not including issues #37 and #42), to the point where the events that occur inside could have been folded into either the immediately preceding or following chapter, though that would potentially hamstring the good pacing that I mentioned earlier.
The silver lining is that the final issue gives a well-rounded look at Miles’ status quo of school and its associated hurdles, hanging out with family, romance, and crime-fighting. Ahmed crafts a balanced understanding of the essential aspects of Spider-Man’s life, though one could argue that these similarities to Peter Parker’s career as Spider-Man prevent Miles from having a unique experience; that’s a whole other discussion.
The Art
The art throughout the book is consistent, save for a few minor imperfections; nothing terrible on display, but nothing that was really out of the ordinary. Christopher Allen, David Curiel, and Alberto Foche do the drawings and coloring for the majority of the volume’s content, and all contribute to giving Miles the necessary acrobatic poses and stylings befitting of a Spider-Man.
However, Allen and Foche’s facial expressions and designs leave a little to be desired, not to mention incorrect coloring on the lenses of Miles’ suit in issue #37 (this would not be repeated in the following issues). Furthermore, the way that Allen and Foche render Miles’ post-Clone Saga fit makes him look very bulky, for better or worse, when the original art/design shows the sweatshirt top being more loose and baggy while still highlighting Miles’ slender build. Finally, although there is an in-universe explanation given for this (albeit not in this volume), seeing Shift change size from panel to panel was a little distracting even when he was only in the background.
The exception to some of these criticisms comes in the final issue of the volume (and the series), which sees a number of artists come together to provide their particular representations of Miles in both civilian and heroic appearances. This variation on art duties makes for inconsistent yet unique portrayals across this chapter, and in spite of the changes, all of the art looks fine; once again, perfectly inoffensive.
The Verdict
Before I begin my summary, a few bullet points for things I noticed but couldn’t fit into either of the previous sections:
- The portal in issue #37 looks a lot like an eye. I think that’s kinda neat.
- Why General Ganke chooses to use a polearm (melee weapon) in a dark alternate future is beyond me other than to satisfy “the rule of cool”. Selim’s soldiers have guns, as do the other resistance fighters!
- It’s a little convenient that Uncle Aaron landed in the Empire universe (presumably) around the end of the time that the EU’s Clone Saga ended, allowing Selim to snatch him up in order to power the dimensional wall between Brooklyn and the rest of the world.
- Selim looks kinda silly in his Imperial outfit/cape. Also, where does he store his knives?!
- Miles is well on his way to establishing an array of love interests befitting a Spider-Man.
- The team-up with Rhino in the final issue makes me a little upset that Marvel can’t keep track of his morality, especially after his villainous appearance in Evan Narcisse’s Wakanda #1.
I largely enjoyed Ahmed’s run on Miles, and this final volume has been no exception. Did every issue of the series (and this volume) blow me away? No. Was every issue of the series (and this volume) perfect? Also no. Am I therefore disappointed with the time that I spent on the series (and the volume)? No. Empire of the Spider was an enjoyable conclusion to this chapter of Miles’ time as Spider-Man, and readers who have been keeping up with Ahmed’s run will likely enjoy this volume on its own merits, in addition to the callbacks to earlier issues of this series and other “full circle” moments. However, readers who are not interested in a story of a dystopian future that they’ve likely seen before, or who have been hitherto uninterested in the Ahmed run, are unlikely to find anything worthwhile in this trade.
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