Really Far From Home — Reviewing ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man’ #28

There are some things that just can’t be solved within the friendly neighborhoods. Sometimes, some godly intervention might be necessary. Good thing Spider-Man has the help of Black Panther and Shuri in that regard.

A trial of the Gods begins in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28 from Cody Ziglar, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Bryan Valenza, and Cory Petit.

When a shared universe actually feels shared, well, that’s just neat.

Truly, one of the best things with these style of ongoing long-form universes is when characters intermingle, leaving their little areas of the sandbox behind to play in the other parts. These moments showcase connections, relationships, and other fun little beats that just give everything depth. A lot of stories would have stopped and been sufficient with the issues that had Black Panther coming to Spider-Man’s neck of the woods.

Not Ziglar though. Nope, he said “Nah, let’s play with Spider-Man in Wakanda,” and I tip my cap.

We get plenty of fun interplay between the Wakandan siblings and the web slinger, but also some of the grand pantheon of godly beings. Having it be Spider-Man coming into that world gives a fresh perspective on Wakanda, Bast, and the whole set of rituals and situations surrounding the ancient beings. Per usual, Ziglar nails all of it and creates a story that feels so rich and full, as if twice the size of the actual number of pages.

A whimsical energy is always present in anything that Di Nicuolo draws. This really taps into the bold dynamic fun energy that makes up the superhero realm, with a dash of the more grounding sharpness that gives it an edge. There is plenty of really solid depth and emotional weight is found on every page. Paneling choices infuse everything with a kinetic energy that lets the imagery breathe and move.

Pairing any art with Valenza’s coloring choices is always the right way to go. Matching whatever artist means shifts to the overall palette choices, while retaining the same energy that has been present for this whole run so far. Lots of darker, harder colors match the tone of the story (as well as the night setting) with flashes of vibrant heroic tones. It creates a tonal throughline that really helps the series retain a sense of connection no matter who might be drawing the whole thing.

The same goes for how Petit always solidly handles lettering. He really gives each word its own energy and personality, befitting what is happening on the page or within the given character’s mind and heart. He also drops in just enough flashy elements to hit home a specific feeling while keeping it all baseline for the series. Allowing the voices to resonate and do their thing.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28 is now available from Marvel Comics.