The Prowler, Aaron Morales, confronts his nephew Miles, the new Spider-Man on a rooftop telling him he knows his true identity and how he got his powers, from the radioactive spider that stowed away when The Prowler robbed Oscorp in the first issue of this series.  Aaron is trying to learn about Miles’ new abilities.  They spar, pushing Miles further than he’s pushed before in a few areas.  Aaron ticks him off and he cuts loose, stunning him with his bio shock power.  Aaron is impressed, but tells Miles he needs more training.  Aaron is impressed when Miles says he knows Nick Fury.  Aaron tells Miles they should work together.  He claims he can point him in the direction of “real” bad guys… but first he wants to train him.  Miles, understandably, is resistant, but Aaron threatens to tell his father about his secret.  “And he’ll probably never speak to you again,  Why?  Because he’s such an anti-mutant hypocrite.”  Aaron claims to have Miles’ best interest at heart, suggesting that without him, Miles might end up dead like Peter Parker.  He finally gets around to his real point, he asks Miles to help him take out The Scorpion, whom Aaron royally ticked off in issue #6.  Aaron makes a few more comments to make Miles afraid of his dad and closes by telling him that he is already proud of Miles for all that he’s already done.

Alone on the rooftop, Miles is unsure of what to do.  He contemplates going to The Ultimates, then he happens to see them soaring overhead in full grandeur and thinks, “Yeah, like they have time for me.”  Later at school, he is in a daze and doesn’t respond to his best friend Ganke.  It’s the same at home, as he silently eats his dinner.  Back at school, Miles investigates the Scorpion and comes to a decision.

That Uncle Aaron is a slick customer.  He almost had me fooled with his smooth talk, but I remembered what bad news he really is for Miles.  Perhaps he does have some concern for the boy’s safety, but we all know he’s really only in for it out of his own greed.  Hopefully that doesn’t spell doom for Miles when they go up against the super powerful Scorpion.

The art by David Marquez looks fantastic.  Especially considering how little action there was this issue, the action scenes really came across with a bang to contrast the quieter, conversational sequences.

This was another solid issue, with great dialogue, in Aaron’s case, laced with little psychological games.  But over all, it was kind of slow and didn’t advance the plot that much, so simply for that…

Verdict: Borrow

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #10
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by David Marquez
Cover by Kaare Andrews