ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man,’ Issue #30

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30, published by Marvel Comics, acts as a celebration of the young web-slinger’s 10th anniversary by looking at different moments in his life. The issue contains three stories: the main story is written by Saladin Ahmed, illustrated by Carmen Carnero, and colored by Erick Arciniega. “The Best Part” is written by Christopher Lord, Phil Miller, Kemp Powers & Jeff Loveness with illustrations from Sara Pichelli and colors from Rachelle Rosenberg. Finally, “Don’t Run Jux” is written by Cody Ziglar with illustrations and colors by Anthony Piper. The entire issue is lettered by VC’s Cory Petit.

The main story takes place in the wake of Miles’s Clone Saga storyline and features Miles donning a new costume as he patrols his neighborhood, encountering obstacles as he attempts to make a date with Starling. I have to say that Miles’s new costume is a great look. It has the look of streetwear that a kid his age would wear and incorporates elements from his Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse costume including a pair of sneakers. Ahmed’s script is a welcome breather after the events of the Clone Saga. Miles lives up to the “friendly neighborhood” element of Spider-Man by tackling all manner of problems, whether it’s rogue Mandroid armor or helping two girls find their lost dog. Carnero balances web-slinging action with quieter moments, including a tender moment between Miles and Starling. And Arciniega’s color art prioritizes the red and black that have become Miles’s trademark color scheme (while still keeping the ripped right out of a journal captions that Petit places throughout the story).

“The Best Part” is the story that will probably draw readers to this issue, as it features work from Lord and Miller (who served as producers on Spider-Verse), Powers (who is a director on the Spider-Verse sequel), Loveness (who has scripted the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) and Pichelli (who is Miles’s co-creator). The setup also hits on what has made Miles appeal to a new generation of Spider-Man fans. It isn’t the powers or the fights with supervillains, it’s the fact that his triumphs and trials are something that everyone can relate to. And in trademark Lord/Miller fashion, there are some well-placed zingers including a Saturday Night Live guest appearance gone wrong and a first pitch at the Brooklyn game going haywire when Miles decides to attach his webbing to the ball.

“Don’t Run Jux” takes place ten years in a possible future as a trio of would-be thieves encounters Miles, who is now the full-time Spider-Man. Best known for his work on the Trill League series, Piper gives Miles a new costume that feels like a futuristic update of his original Spider-Man suit. And Ziglar’s script yet again taps into Miles’s innate desire to do good, which makes me want a full series of a universe where Miles Morales is the Amazing Spider-Man.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30 is a wonderful celebration of Miles Morales’s 10th anniversary, highlighting the many things that fans have grown to love about the young web-slinger. Whether you’ve been following Miles’s adventures since Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, enjoyed Into The Spider-Verse, or loved playing Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales you’ll want to pick up this comic.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30 is available wherever comics are sold.