Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Brent Peeples & Daniel Picciotto

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon; Rose Besch; Ron Lim & Israel Silva

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 3, 2024

 

Miles fought at Blade's side. They teamed up with Bloodline to trap the energy vampire R’ym’r with an ancient seal. Now, Blade fights for the vampires, his daughter has vanished, and R’ym’r’s followers have freed their lord. Miles fights R’ym’r alongside Hightail, his former enemy on Agent Gao’s Cape Killers squad. Can Miles and Hightail prevent R’ym’r’s followers from overtaking Brooklyn? Let's grab our venom swords, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22, and find out!

 

Story

R’ym’r once converted Hightail to his cause. Blade turned Miles into his minion. Now, both are free from their vampire masters' control. Yet they are changed, and the anger at being violated still burns.

 

In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22, R’ym’r returns from his imprisonment. Hightail insists she’s nobody’s pawn. She’s happy to prove that by working out her aggression on her former lord. Miles fights alongside her. Hurting R’ym’r and his minions brings satisfaction. But the energy vampire’s followers released him at a power plant. Every moment he stands before them, R’ym’r absorbs the plant’s energy.

 

 

 

When Bloodline learned that Blade was behind this Darkforce invasion, she dropped out of sight to process the revelation. But Bloodline isn't content to sit on the sidelines for long. Like Miles, she won't rest when danger, particularly the undead, threatens her fellow Humans. So, in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22, Bloodline returns to aid her friend. Hightail doesn't want to be with either one. Like Rabble, her past has turned her against Humanity. Miles' joke about her nationality isn't a turn-on. Yet when Bloodline arrives, Hightail fights beside her. Thankfully, Bloodline has a plan. It requires all their strengths, but it could imprison R’ym’r again.

 

Cody Ziglar's story hums with the drama and humor that arises from our differences and shows how we can work with others who don't share our values. Miles struggles to accept Bloodline's cold, logical view on how to combat her father. Yet, he's willing to compromise and commit to actions he may later regret to defeat the evil threatening not just his beloved borough or all of New York City but the entire world.

 

 

Art

Smoke rises as smiling R’ym’r displays his six-pack abs. His face reflects off Hightail’s shades as one of her knives thuds into his rippled forehead. Miles and Hightail charge when vampires attack. But R’ym’r’s forces soon force them to fight back-to-back. Brent Peeples and Daniel Picciotto highlight Hightail's flight with three full-page panels and one double-page spread. They also work across the pages when Hightail displays her celerity. Hightail, Miles, and Bloodline look good together as a team. Intriguingly, R’my’r may have wings, but he charges his enemies or swoops close to the ground, while vampires without wings bound and fly.

 

Bryan Valenza casts vivid heroes against beige and brown vampires in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22. Orange and yellow frequently replace the gray smoke and gray-blue sky. Miles’ sword glows yellow-white, while Hightail’s lime green armor shines. But no one outshines the sword-wielding, high-kicking Bloodline with her vibrant pink hair. Crimson spurts and flies. A wave of Dracula's gray hand opens a swirling orange portal. A multiple exposure shot shows Hightail’s suit shift from yellow to lemon-lime to green as she completes a circuit of her enemies.

 

Cory Petit thwips the black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons. The delicate font rarely shrinks and emboldens for inflection. R’ym’r’s dialogue hovers in cloud balloons, while an exchange in Spanish resides within < and >. Colorful sound effects help us hear knives thud, bones break, and Miles’ sword cutting off a fresh link of vampire sausage. And no, John Cougar Mellencamp fans, R’ym’r doesn’t say, “It hurts so good.” Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Blade’s plan to empower vampires demonstrates the divisions in the bloodsucking community. Blade, Dracula, and R’ym’r may despise each other, yet it takes a woman who despises Miles and a vampire hunter who despises Dracula to banish R’ym’r back to his prison dimension in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.