Spider-Man teams up with the Prowler?
Isn’t he a bad guy?!
Summary
Miles meets with his uncle at night and they prepare to take down the scorpion.
Prowler first enters and Miles springs a surprise attack on them. Miles manages to take out Scorpion and turn him over to the police who then try to arrest him. He manages to escape and his uncle is nowhere to be seen. Back at school Prowler contacts him about another hit, Miles refuses but Prowler threatens to expose his heroics to his hero hating parents. 
The Good
Cover- Spider man cuffed and looking good, I mean c’mon every good night in New York starts with cuffs 😉
Family- The flashback that opens the issue illustrates my own emotional investment in this book. Miles and his Uncle were close, he was his friend, confidant….he was the cool to his parents’ firmness. There is no doubt Miles loves his uncle…perhaps even more than his own parents. There is also no doubt that Aaron loves his nephew, brilliantly illustrated on page ten and eleven. That look in Aaron’s eyes when Scorpion goes after Miles is priceless; he goes so far as to defend Miles before dealing with his own immediate threat. He may be manipulating Miles but make no mistake their bond still exists.
It’s also interesting how the dynamic of their relationship has shifted over time which typifies the evolution of a typical male bonding once puberty hits. Bendis for all my complaints can write layers within layers and that’s what I love about the dynamic of this relationship. As a child they related oneway now that miles is a “man” their interactions have also changed. Violence has entered, manipulation, they now both see each other not just as family but a whole lot more. For Miles he’s realizing that his Uncle isn’t just the cool guy…he’s a criminal….he’s using him. For Aaron, Miles has now become the means by which he can literally become the next Kingpin by knocking off the competition. It’s a bevy of emotions all around as you realize the inevitable outcome is either Prowler dead or jailed and Miles the reason for it……
Villain-Scorpion is a vicious, ugly, mean piece of work and is the first real threat that Miles has faced. He played his part well despite being a walking cliché.
Art-Marquez turns in great work (as usual) with a silky smooth style very similar to Sarah Pichelli. His style shines best during the action sequences and the emotions splashed across his characters faces. Subtle and strong all at once, this book is one of the very best on the shelves consistently!
Action- Miles vs Scorpion was very different than Peter vs any of his rogue’s thanks to his interesting mix of powers. The cloaking and sting make him better suited to stealth than a straight up brawl. Miles is still getting the hang of his powers and that shows too but you can see the killer ninja like strength of his powers. When he gets a handle on his powers he will be a beast in a fight!
The Bad
Miles Powers- I would marvel to literally tell me what all his powers are supposed to be. He got pummeled pretty badly in this issue. Peter Parker would have been bruise and swell central after this. Miles on the other hand must have wolverine’s healing factor because he shows up at school bruise free….
The Ugly
Go out, and buy this book and the ten issues before it! It’s that good! 4.5/5