For 13 years, Miles Morales has been carving his own path in the Marvel Universe. He debuted after the death of Ultimate Peter Parker to both fanfare and aspersions from diehards and new fans alike. Over 300 issues, multiple television and video game appearances, and two blockbuster movies later, it’s safe to say that Miles Morales has cemented his place as Spider-Man alongside Peter Parker.
This volume of Cody Ziglar’s run contains the three-part “Retribution” story arc, an issue titled “Sibling Day”, and a short story from Web of Spider-Man #1 that sets up the next arc.
Marvel
Following the Gang War event, Miles and his villain Rabble are dealing with their powers not working as they should (his Spider-Sense and her technopathy). He takes it upon himself to try and seek her out to help. Miles enlists the help of friends and family, including Ms. Marvel, Shift (his clone brother), Prowler (Uncle Aaron), and even Scorpion. However, Rabble isn’t the only villain Miles is dealing with as Agent Gao and her Cape Killers continue to rear their head and remain an effective thorn in Miles’ side. There’s also Bumbler, a minor Ziglar-created villain whose appearances are always entertaining.
Although this volume is strong altogether, I’ve got to shout out Miles’ 300th issue that’s collected within. To celebrate, Marvel brought Sara Pichelli and David Marquez back among a murderers’ row of talent. Seeing those two drawing Miles again was like a nostalgic warm blanket for my eyes. It could have simply been another chapter in the “Retribution” story, but the editors really made it feel like a standout.
This collection of Miles’ adventures was refreshing. It feels like he’s endlessly involved in tie-in after tie-in and event after event. Although this was dealing with the fallout of Gang War, the book got to refocus on Miles and his cast (before inevitably setting up the tie-in arc to Blood Hunt). Ziglar and co even brought back Miles’ family in the ‘Sibling Day’ story – a piece of these books that I had been missing since they (and Ganke) haven’t appeared as much since the beginning of Ziglar’s run.
Marvel Comics
One thing I always give credit to Ziglar for is how, event tie-ins or not, he continuously provides Miles a book where he can do his own thing as Brooklyn’s Spider-Man. There are some amazing action set pieces in here but what I’m really interested in are the quieter character beats that Ziglar explores. We get to understand more of why Rabble aka Raneem Rashad is hurting and why she’s doing what she’s doing. She feels like she has a lot to prove and Ziglar is cementing her place as one of Miles’ top original arch-nemeses. Ziglar also takes time to give us a peek into the interior life of Hightail, Agent Gao’s resident speedster who loves to pick on Miles.
One aspect I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention is how Miles is determined to help his villains. We’ve seen it in the past with Rhino and Scorpion. Even though Rabble has attacked Miles’ family, he remains hopeful that he can help her. This more than anything proves that Miles is Spider-Man. These are the things that continue to make this book special.
Credit where credit is due, Miles Morales: Spider-Man does its best to stand out among the other books at the store. Series regular Federico Vincentini continues to turn in sharp and stylized pages while colorist Bryan Valenza makes them sing with energy. There’s some beats in the action that feel inspired by manga and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Although I’m hoping Ziglar and co. get to explore more of Miles’ world outside of comics events, we’re lucky to have this book either way. Miles Morales: Spider-Man continues to be a fun and heartfelt teen superhero story.
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