REVIEW: ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man,’ Issue #13

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #13 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Cody Ziglar, art by Federico Vicentini, colors by Bryan Valenza and letters by Core Petit. This is part of the Gang War crossover. The Gang War stretches to Brooklyn, giving Miles the opportunity the try out his new powers.

The first Gang War tie-in outside of Amazing Spider-Man to be part of an ongoing story, it’s interesting to see how Ziglar integrates the crossover into storylines currently happening in Miles’ run. It is seamless to pick up this book and follow what has been happening in both regards. A flashback highlights how Miles is being trained by both Misty Knight and Colleen Wing, and the opening discusses the confrontation that he had with Spider-Man inside a therapist’s office. The therapy session is a great start as it adds an emotional layer to the book whilst also reminding readers of the friction between Miles and Peter. The training session demonstrates many of the features that separate Miles from his counterparts, whilst also implementing the Daughters of the Dragon into the story, where they will become important later.

From there comes the rapid pacing of the rest of the book, throwing Miles into what is perhaps the least known conflict in Gang War. This quickly turns into one of the most exciting and funniest conflicts too, as Spider-Man faces Bumbler and Frost Pharoah. The frantic energy that this series does so well has certainly not cooled off, even with the snow. There is a constant escalation that renders this side of the conflict ridiculous but never looses the sense of fun. Even with the corny concepts of the villains, there is always peril, and a reminder that regular people are getting hurt. The ending is loud and somewhat unsurprising, but there is a much bigger set of problems just around the corner that are unexpected and suggest that this issue was the story on training wheels.

This issue features many of the best parts of Miles’ character, especially how he is being written by Ziglar. For one, he is starting to be more open, thanks to the therapy and Misty Knight. He is also growing, able to take on threats on his own due to the more refined training. But that doesn’t make him exempt from still needing help. His dialogue is also much more fun than Peter’s in Amazing Spider-Man. It’s free-flowing, funny and light, with the opportunity to get heavier if it needs to be. Misty and Colleen are a great supporting cast for Miles. They are making him a better fighter without destroying him as a person either. The villains seem like D-listers, but one of them has brought an upgrade which puts much more danger and excitement into the story. Their dialogue is hilarious as it insinuates just how out of their depth they are, even with the added tech.

The art is incredibly enjoyable and filled with movement and chaos with the panels matching Miles’ speed. As he whips across the city and into a fight, the whole comic bursts into life. It’s blurry and things don’t always make sense, but it’s some of the best examples of just how fast a Spider is, especially Miles. Morales is also using the electric sword and his other unique powers, with Vicentini excelling at utilising it in conjunction with the webs and the wall-crawling. The training session is engaging as it has a different style. The motion lines are still there, but there is less texture to the background and even the faces are unique. This demonstrates the artist’s ability to adapt and change how the comic looks to fit the situation.

The colors are terrific, just as exhilarating as the lineart. There is so much intensity to what’s going on that the colors become the defining method of keeping track of the characters. Alongside that, they are incredibly vibrant, with the energy crackling off the page. The colors are much fainter in the flashback, making it clear that it is set in a different point in time. The lettering is very clear, which is crucial in such a comic that is so manic in order to stay cohesive.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #13 is endlessly energetic. It covers a lot of ground quickly and efficiently. Miles is a huge figure in Gang War, but his individual struggles and plotlines aren’t ignored either. The balancing of both of these elements is fantastic. With the same creative team in this issue, it has simply felt like an extension of his regular series, as opposed to it being invaded and overturned. It’s woven into the fabric of Miles’ storytelling better than any of the tie-ins so far, and illustrated by one of the most electric art teams.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #13 is available where comics are sold.