Hobnobbing With A Goblin — Reviewing ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man’ #8

Carrying the name Spider-Man means the chances for rest are pretty slim. Supervillains and world crises don’t take days off. With the threat of Carnage seemingly settled for the time being, another classic Spidey foe is gunning for Miles in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #8.

Enter the Hobgoblin.

One thing that is often beloved about Spider-Man books is how well action and soap opera are blended. What kept us turning in every month was what personal events the relatable Peter Parker was going through. It’s no different with Miles Morales, and his latest title has mastered that blend.

Cody Ziglar gets this character. Not just that, but he understands and utilizes the elements that make a fleshed-out world for any character. Generally, that includes a supporting cast that is more than just background wallpaper. A robust stable of timely, threatening, and credible antagonists. Powerful relatable non-villain related issues and flaws for the character to struggle with. All of this, and more, create a space with depth, connections, and weight.

We see all these elements in play within this issue. There is a great plotline of Miles hanging with Tiana/Starling and his friends Judge and S at a food festival. Connected to that plot is Miles having to confront the trauma of Carnage, Rabble, and other events. Tiana helps him by openly speaking with him about his emotions, trauma, and how to deal with it.

I love so much how many comics are focusing on heroes finding outlets such as therapy to deal with mental health. It’s powerful to know as a person that deals with mental health issues that Spider-Man is in the same boat.

Lastly, the issue adds another powerful classic foe that gives Miles a run for his money. Here Ziglar showcases the depth of the world. Hobgoblin’s overall situation is tied to his recent appearances in the Amazing Spider-Man series, where his brain was being messed with.

It also ties back into the Spider-Man Beyond era of the previous Amazing Spider-Man volume back in 2021, an era that Ziglar wrote for. Pretty smart to call back to that and showcase that while Beyond is out of business, their dangerous tech is still dangerous to the world.

As heroic and powerful as Ziglar makes things on the writing side, Federico Vicentini and Bryan Valenza match beat for beat artistically.

Everything about Vicentini’s artwork is perfect for a series like this. A Spider-Man book should feel just as fluid as the character’s movements are meant to be. That’s what we get with this artwork where the panel choices are perfect and encourage that sense of movement. They are angled and twisted around so that it feels like we’re in the POV of various characters.

Non-action sequences get the same treatment. Plenty of depth and detail make the scenes of the food fair or others feel like we’re actually within them. Shots that give us the entire view of a character or space or cool but closer shots are just as important. A panel with characters holding hands or Miles’ shadowy hand bioelectric glowing gives us so much. In a way more than a full scene panel of the same thing would.

All of that is part of the emotional aspect that Vicentini renders perfectly. Take a glance at any page and there is no question how a character feels in any given moment. Those emotional tones are elevated by the coloring choices that Valenza brings.

These colors are heavy, boosting that depth/detail aspect I mentioned before. Keeping them in this realm, a sort of toned-down quality, ensures the overall vibes make it all the way through. Capturing that balance of a series with lighter and darker moments. All the vibrant versions of the colors are saved for the superhero-related aspects, so the ‘regular’ moments feel more real.

Words flow through the pages perfectly, even across panels, thanks to Clayton Cowles. Just as Valenza keeps the right tone with the colors, Cowles does that with the lettering. Little changes and flairs allow us to hear the emotions and tones in every word. Whether it’s a conversation about trauma or Spidey throwing zingers, they hit with impact.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #8 is now available from Marvel Comics.