A Good Spider Goes To War — Reviewing ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man’ #13

War has come to New York City, with gangs carving up boroughs like a pie and Spiders caught in the middle. His relationship with Peter Parker strained, it falls to Miles Morales to save his part of the city from the returning Hobgoblin while avoiding the Cape Killers force on his tail. Sounds easy enough.

Therapy, chaos, and more reign supreme in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #13 from Cody Ziglar, Federico Vicentini, Bryan Valenza, and Cory Petit.

Talk about jam packed. All kinds of characters from supporting allies to minor villain blasts from Miles past and others have their parts to play in this issue. It would be easy to become overwhelmed by so many spinning plates but Ziglar always seems to thrive. He’s able to make each appearance feel like it matters, crafting one full story no matter how much the parts might not inherently feel connected. The lives of the Spider-Men are chaotic, and it should somewhat feel like that on the page while remaining ordered as a story.

During tie-ins to events, the beats and flows of a character’s individual stories and concerns are often lost. Not here. Ziglar easily mixes that which is important to Miles and his story with the overarching beats of the Gang War giving everything far more weight and purpose.

One of the best things in this series is how much time has been spent on the emotional toll being a hero brings. These therapy sessions, and the way that Miles’ struggles have been addressed, are things we should see more often in superhero comics.

Fighting foes that almost kill you, saving the world from apocalypse every other day, and trying to do the right thing without losing anyone (especially your loved ones) would shred anyone’s psyche over time. Having these iconic characters’ address that, and speak to how therapy and dealing with our emotions are healthy, does so much for people out there going through similar struggles.

Vicentini and Valenza are a dream team on this book. Not to take anything away from the fabulous art we have gotten on other issues. There is just a frantic kinetic action in every panel, especially the action ones, that fits a character like Spider-Man. Everything is dense, detailed, and feels like it’s been truly lived within. This is a living breathing city, full of vibrant individuals.

Pops of bright colors highlight the fantastical, as plenty of shadows dot the landscape to help with that depth creation. It feels very much like the world outside the widow (at least New York windows) just like Marvel has proclaimed for decades about their stories. These colors provide the grounding for that image while the rest of the artwork drops in some exaggeration to the characters letting them be a bit freer and fun rather than photo perfect.

Visual flair goes into all the artwork, including the letters. Little additions make words pop more, as the various balloons and beats bounce around as much as Spider-Man does. As they follow the characters through the page, they are still structured and convey thought. Emotions and personality come through crystal clear.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #13 is now available from Marvel Comics.