Miles Morales: Spider-Man #25 (265)
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #25 (Legacy #265) is the oversized anniversary issue that launched Miles's own 'Clone Saga,' a milestone storytelling moment that consciously echoed — and deliberately one-upped — the infamous Peter Parker Clone Saga of the 1990s. The issue delivered first appearances of four new characters rooted entirely in Miles's history: the full debut of Selim (a Miles clone who impersonates him), plus the cameo introductions of Shift and Mindspinner, all engineered from DNA harvested by the villainous Assessor way back in issue #7. Of the three clones, Shift proved the most durable narrative creation, eventually joining the Morales family as a recurring character and anchoring subsequent storylines — making this issue the origin point for what became one of the more distinctive supporting-cast additions in Miles's run. As a structural landmark, the issue also gave incoming co-writer Cody Ziglar a visible showcase alongside series architect Saladin Ahmed, previewing the creative handoff that would define the title's next phase.
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The issue was published on April 28, 2021, by Marvel Comics, carrying a June 2021 cover date and the legacy numbering of #265 in the Spider-Man lineage. The lead story was written by Saladin Ahmed with art and inks by Carmen Carnero and colors by David Curiel; a second, self-contained ten-page backup — 'Big Time Buzzkill,' introducing the minor villain Bumbler — was written by Cody Ziglar with art by Natacha Bustos and colors by Rachelle Rosenberg. Both stories were edited by Nick Lowe and Lindsey Cohick, with C.B. Cebulski serving as Editor-in-Chief. The dual-story format of the anniversary issue gave Ziglar — who would eventually become the ongoing series writer — an early platform to establish his own lighter, more comedic register for the character alongside Ahmed's more tension-driven main narrative.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Selim (Earth-616), a Miles Morales clone created by the Assessor, who impersonates Miles as Spider-Man in the lead story.
- First appearance (cameo) of Shift, a Miles Morales clone who would go on to join the Morales family as a recurring character and a significant presence in subsequent arcs.
- First appearance (cameo) of Mindspinner, the third Morales clone alongside Selim and Shift, also created by the Assessor from Miles's DNA.
- First appearance of Bumbler, a comedic low-level villain who appears in the backup story 'Big Time Buzzkill.'
- The issue is structured as two stories: the lead Clone Saga opener by Saladin Ahmed (writer) and Carmen Carnero (artist/inker), and a 10-page backup by Cody Ziglar (writer) and Natacha Bustos (artist/inker).
- The Assessor's experiments on Miles — established as far back as Miles Morales: Spider-Man #7 — are retroactively revealed to have produced this trio of clones, tying the arc tightly to earlier continuity.
- The issue carries legacy numbering as #265 in the broader Spider-Man series count, reflecting its place in the unbroken through-line of Spider-Man publishing history.
- The issue received numerous retailer-exclusive variant covers, including covers by Sara Pichelli (Miles's co-creator), Rob Liefeld, Greg Horn, Skan, InHyuk Lee, Mike Mayhew, Alex Garner, Dan Hipp, Dike Ruan, and others, and the Marvel Database records at least two reprints of the issue.