Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Federico Vicentini

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon; Romy Jones; Nic Klein

Design: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 4, 2024

 

Miles Morales loves patrolling his borough and taking down troublemakers. But suddenly, he's hitting them too hard. Brooklyn’s Spider-Man is ashamed of his actions and frightened by what he’s becoming. Can Tiana Toomes help Miles control his urge to hurt others until Doc Sasquatch finds a cure for his vampirism? Let's grab our venom swords, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24, and find out!

 

Story

Miles needed a shoulder to lean on. Tiana said come over. Then she hears footsteps on the roof. When she investigates, Vulture says Hi, Granddaughter. He offers no apologies. Vulture doesn't pledge to reform. Still, he wants to reconnect. He blames Miles for their estrangement. Spider-Man leads a glamorous life. He protects the streets, and people cheer. But like Agent Gao, Vulture sees the dark side of being Spider-Man. They interfere in matters that don’t concern them and hurt the ones they love. Vulture knows Tiana is intelligent and resilient. Yet he believes that Spider-Man’s cult of personality has caught her in his web. And there’s only one way Vulture can free Tiana from Spidey’s hypnotic influence.

 

Miles needed to center himself after he hit some back-alley thieves too hard. But he didn't want to keep Tiana waiting. As he rushes to reach his girlfriend, he sees Vulture on the roof. Miles knows she's broken ties with him, and Vulture is an A-list villain. As he's bursting with venom energy, Vulture makes the perfect target. Once again, Miles hits Vulture too hard. He keeps on hitting him. Miles tells himself that this is different than with Rabble. But Rabble kept threatening his loved ones and trying to kill him. Rabble's attacks made his spider-sense wonky and forced Miles to keep digging deeper to maximize his powers. The vampirism infuses Miles with more energy, weakening his self-control. Miles doesn’t want to hold back. He doesn't want to capture villains. Miles wants to punish. Spider-Man wants to destroy.

 

While teaming up with others like Bloodline, Hightail, and Dracula, Miles didn’t have time for Tiana. In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24, she doesn’t know that Miles is a vampire. But Miles is always in a crisis. Tiana has tried to help. She wants him to get better. But she shut Vulture out because she wanted to be a hero. Cody Ziglar's story puts Starling on a ledge. Tiana's family was a mess, so she found a new one. She loves Miles and wants him in her life. But she can’t carry him through life. If Miles can’t get his act together, Starling must push him away as she once pushed away Vulture.

 

 

 

Art

Federico Vicentini’s shifting camera angles emphasize the drama of this unexpected family reunion. Tiana's defiance makes the Vulture shrink into his feathers. When her grandfather draws near, Tiana shoves him away with her gun. The emotions on their faces transform into shocked expressions when Spider-Man barrels down on them. As Miles thwips a web toward Vulture, the venom energy glowing in his other hand suggests a bat spat out of the sun. Miles doesn’t try to let his webbing subdue his prey. He slams into Vulture. The displaced air and the crackling energy hurl Starling off her feet. Her jaw drops as shock becomes fear when gazing at her beloved.

 

Bryan Valenza fills the sky with colors cast by the setting sun and the lights in nearby high-rises. The bright colors give the comic a painted look. Each brush stroke enhances the depth and realism of the evening encounter. The rich colors obscure Vicentini’s occasional black dot shading and push the characters forward. But the attention grabber in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24 is Spider-Man's coloring. The surging yellow venom energy eradicates all the red in his suit except his red fingers. Spider-Man becomes a raging fire and leaves a trail of yellow in his wake.

 

Cory Petit thwips black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons. He shares Miles' thoughts with white letters in red narrative boxes. The delicate font rarely shrinks and emboldens for inflection. Miles slams Vulture to the rooftop with a yellow-red Wham, a yellow crunch emphasizes a hawk-like attack, a red Bring It enhances Miles' gesture, and the transparent Slice and Wham pair with spinning webs in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

When Starling's grandfather wants to reconnect, Miles' out-of-control venom energy validates Vulture's condemnation. Doc Sasquatch's protégé Dr Kwan has a plan to tamp down Miles' vampirism. But if Miles can't stop hurting people, and Starling gives him the boot, Miles may need more than a journal to prevent him from spiraling out of control in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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