Common Enemies Make Strange Allies — Reviewing ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man’ #40

Therapy holds the tools to help heal a great many things. Sometimes, though, certain pains run much deeper than others.

A whole new arc begins as Miles Morales: Spider-Man #40 collides two of the web-swinger’s most personal new foes with his life once more … in a way most unexpected. Another character-rich and dynamic chapter for the series from Cody Ziglar, Marco Renna, Bryan Valenza, and Cory Petit.

Wow, forty issues.

That’s quite a big number when one considers how often books at the publisher get the relaunch treatment. That being said, the last few Miles books have made it toward these levels. This one seems to have more staying power, so fingers crossed there are plenty more issues to come.

I have this odd feeling Ziglar might be wrapping this series with us getting Rabble and the Assessor in this new arc. One foe that Miles has a chance to reconcile with and another who is just unfeelingly terrible. Miles could find a lot of closure and healing depending on how this story goes down.

Again, I’m hoping there is more to come, but if this is leading to the end, I would applaud Ziglar for the care and vision. Everything about this issue screams why this series has been so damn good and why I love it so much. It really delvs into the character(s) and the soap opera, the supporting cast dynamic, and so much more. The writing taps into the energy that made classic comics so strong while doing something completely unique and modern.

The continued presence of care for mental health in many comic books is so grand to see. Heroes go through a ton of things that would take a toll on anyone’s mental health. How Ziglar incorporates mental health and heroics, intertwining them as both important, is exemplary.

Another area in which this series always shines is artistically. Renna has done this dance before and really works well in the space. It’s slick and dynamic in every fashion, allowing the characters to glide, swing, and slide across the pages with ease. Emotional energy crackles from the visuals thanks to care with facial expressions and body language, bolstering the effect desired in the story’s exploration of the hard feelings and traumas the characters have endured.

There is a certain feeling that makes artwork best for Spider-Man. Many will quibble about that, tossing out their favorites who have tackled a version of the web-slinger over the decades. That’s good and fine, but to me there is a level of chaos that needs to be felt. Not always overtly — it can be subtle — but it needs to be at least discernible. Either Spider-Man is chaotic in how they move, fight, and exist in any given space.

Renna taps into that energy quite easily.

Holding down the fort along the way through this whole run has been Valenza. Slinging color palettes across any and every style of art that hit the target bullseye. Working to the strengths of every artist to really highlight the tone of the story. Shifting from heavier to lighter colors where necessary, keeping the surroundings very neutral or natural in color scheme.

Which gives the more vibrant heroic colors something to bounce off even more. That contrast really sings and lets the world become a rich and fulfilling space.

A lot of emotional dumping and confrontation goes down in this issue. Rabble and Spider-Man have their own issues with each other and the world to handle. We hear that with every utterance in the way that Petit delivers the lettering as a whole. Once upon a time, I glanced at comic lettering and outside of the clear visual shifts, I couldn’t fully appreciate what a good letterer infuses into every word.

Giving just enough to craft uniqueness within that which appears to be similar on the surface, helping us really create authentic feeling voices in our head as we read through the issue.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #40 is now available from Marvel Comics.